Category : Bike Events

New Trail Opportunities Abound: Making new trail connections on the eve of the Big Fat Tour

COTA is stoked to announce that several new trails in the Wanoga Complex will be open this fall. Due to a very productive trail work season, especially with the great turnout for the Steve Larsen and Bend Dental Group Work event last weekend in which 68 people turned up to work for four hours on these two trails, we have been able to complete a new trail, which is part of a link from Tiddlywinks Trail, over to Edison Snow Park. This new connector trail is called Kiwa Butte trail, named after the butte it climbs.

Work also has progressed far along the new Dinah-Moe Humm trail, which will complete this connection to Edison Snow Park. The target to open these two trails is mid-October – just in time for the first event that will use them, Bend’s Big Fat Tour. It’s gratifying to live in a community where such enthusiasm for community service is evident. Thanks to everyone who came out and especially to the friends and family of Steve Larsen and Bend Dental Group.

Other plans to build new biking opportunities around the Wanoga area include a new information kiosk and skills park inside the loop parking lot at the Wanoga Trail Head. COTA is still awaiting the final OK from the Forest Service, but we plan to break ground this fall and lay the foundations for a large pump-track and “island” with ADA-accessible paths to a new kiosk that will show maps of the area and other trail information. Stay tuned to learn more about this new development.

Before you head out there to explore the new trails in the Wanoga area, make sure you have a keen sense of direction as the signage has yet to be installed and maps do not show the new trails yet. There’s no need to worry about that if you have registered for Bend’s Big Fat Tour (Oct. 15 – 17), because you only need to pay attention to the specific trail ribbon that marks the route. Although the Friday ride for this year’s BBFT is full, there is still space to sign up for either the 75-mile or 45-mile options on Saturday, both of which include routes along these new trails.

Registration includes the traditional Saturday night party, hosted this year by Deschutes Brewery at the Mountain Room. The 2010 BBFT will be the first chance to ride some brand new trails, but it’s also a must-do for any serious mountain biker. More info about this event, which benefits several local charities including COTA, can be found at bendsbigfattour.com and remember: “It’s about the ride!”

Head East, Young Man

Lev, co-owner of Cog Wild cutting trees, while Lawrence is ready to swampy away the cut wood.

For a dry side version of “fall colors,” head east to the Ochoco National Forest and lay some tracks on the Round Mountain/Lookout Mountain trails. Aspen groves and stands of Western larch pepper the forests here along with the ubiquitous ponderosa pine in its favored habitat of “open park-like stands.” The scenery, wildlife and diverse forest types make for a unique visual experience, but the flow and technical challenge of the trails are what makes this area so muchfun for mountain biking. Current trail conditions are a little “fresh” from the recent contract trail work that was completed this summer.

COTA has also just received notice that there is some pending timber harvest activity along the Skyliner trail and the Upper and Lower Whoops trails. Any trail closures will be clearly posted at the trailhead areas, but all trail users should use caution on these trails. Please do not disturb the markings and ribbons in these areas. For the latest information as always consult the COTA website, cotamtb.com

This weekend please join COTA, the friends and family of Steve Larsen and the Bend Dental Group for the second Steve Larsen work event and barbecue. We will gather at the old Mt. Bachelor Park & Ride off Simpson Avenue in Bend and carpool to various work sites in the new Wanoga area. We will gather at 9:45 a.m. and then head to the trails. Trail work will go until about 2:00 p.m. at which time we will all gather at the Wanoga trail head/sledding hill and enjoy a huge BBQ hosted by COTA and Bend Dental Group. We hope to accomplish the official “opening” of a couple of brand new trails on this and the next weekend at COTA’s Annual Biketoberfest. Make sure you are a part of increasing the trail menu in central Oregon.

Please see the COTA website for trail work requirements and gear suggestions like, “Please bring a hydration pack with water and a snack and be sure to bring appropriate layers to accommodate whatever the weather may be.” Remember, COTA will supply all the tools and expertise. You supply the enthusiasm!

Thanks and we hope to see you out there!

More Than Just the McKenzie: Exploring fall colors on the wet side

Cog guide, Chris Bowman going around Clear Lake

Ahh, rain and fall colors. Does it get any better than this? I just rode the McKenzie River Trail (MRT) and even when it’s raining you stay mostly dry underneath the high canopy of old growth forest that covers this trail. Fall colors are just beginning to show themselves and it only gets better as winter approaches. The MRT is one of those classic rides – very scenic, plenty of challenges for every level of mountain biker and a full day immersed in some spectacularly pristine nature. I liken riding the McKenzie to a biking baptism, as it has a renewing effect.

Other trails in the area also deserve honorable mention. Originally constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the O’Leary, O’Lallie and King’s Castle trails are worthy of exploration. King’s Castle trail starts just across the river near the lower end of the McKenzie River trail and climbs to an amazing peak with views of the old Cascades and the high Cascades. It is well worth the effort. You can connect to O’Leary near the top of King’s Castle (Castle Rock), as well. Check in with the McKenzie Ranger Station for specifics and local trail conditions. After a long day out, there is nothing better than soaking sore muscles in one of the many hot springs in that immediate area.

The many volunteers of COTA also look forward to the fall season because it is the time of year when “dirt work” is most effective. All those stutter-bumps, blown-out berms and sand traps can finally be repaired and “put to bed” for the winter. This fall, COTA has a multitude of opportunities to get involved in maintaining your trails. The premier event is COTA’s annual Biketoberfest on Sat., Oct. 9. This event includes a free after-party for all volunteers! COTA is also hosting the second annual Steve Larsen Work Day on Sat., Oct. 2. Work crews will be finishing up the Steve Larsen Trail, commemorating one of Bend’s most respected professional athletes who passed away suddenly in the spring of 2009. Please join COTA and friends for either one of these great events. Check the COTA website for more details at cotamtb.com.

Thanks, we look forward to seeing you out there!

Use Common Sense as Riding Opportunities Expand

Know Your Boundaries

The urge to explore is irresistible to some people, but COTA recommends caution when encroaching upon this moving boundary. Crossing large snow drifts and negotiating downed trees can force you far off the trail where it is easy to lose your bearings. Even with modern conveniences such as Spot GPS, help can be hours away. It is always a good idea to tell someone when you intend to be back, never travel alone and carry plenty of water, extra food, clothing, a first-aid kit and repair supplies. It is a great feeling to challenge yourself, but it is irresponsible to rely on only a cell phone or GPS (as helpful as those are) in the absence of common backcountry sense. Being safe out there also means having more fun, so please be safe and know your limits.

One limitation comes in the form of trails with an impenetrable amount of snow and/or downed trees. North Fork trail, Metolius – Windigo and the South Fork trail are still “impenetrable.” This is especially important to mountain bikers on the North Fork trail who are only permitted
to ride uphill. At a certain point (well before reaching Happy Valley), the trail is blocked so COTA recommends not starting something you can’t finish! The trails in the Swampy Lakes/Swede Ridge area are open, including Sector 16 to connect to the top of the Whoops trail. In fact, Cog Wild Bicycle Tours is starting their local shuttle to Swampy Lakes Snow park this week.

Volunteer Call

To gain a new appreciation for the effort required to simply have trails, please come join a COTA Trail Work Event. Since our work events are held on Wednesdays at 5:30, this Wednesday, June 16, at Webcyclery, then again on Wednesday, July 7 at Sunnyside Sports, it’s very easy to become involved.

Pickett’s to Break
in Wanoga

The first XC Mountain Bike race on the new Wanoga trails is scheduled for Sunday June 27. Pickett’s Charge! 2010 Memorial XC Mountain Bike Race, an off-road race for all levels and abilities will start at 10:00am. Pickett’s Charge is race number 10 – the series final – in the 2010 Oregon XC MTB Series. Pre-registration and packet pick-up is at Sunnyside Sports – 930 NW Newport Avenue in Bend on Saturday, June 26th, from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. Check out www.sunnysidesports.com/picketts for more info on this long-time Bend mountain bike race.

Know Your Right of Way

The proper way to let uphill riders pass without widening our trails!

As the weather warms and the snow melts at higher elevations, trail users get more terrain to share. With almost 100 cars at Phil’s trailhead at any given moment over Memorial Day weekend, spreading out the trail use is sorely needed. Let your tires and soles explore a little. The Farewell Trail connecting to Mrazek Trail is mostly snow-free but, as of this writing, still has a few trees across the trail. The same goes for trails in the Swampy Lakes Snow Park/Swede Ridge area. Skyliner trail is clear of snow and fallen trees and Horse Butte Trail (east of town) is in prime condition as well.

Beyond trail work, COTA’s mission focuses on trail stewardship, advocacy and education. Stewardship takes many forms and all you need to do to become involved is show up for one of COTA’s Weekly Trail Work Events. This Wednesday, June 9, come to Pine Mt. Sports at 5:30 p.m. to join a work crew. Next Wednesday, June 16, we’ll meet at Webcyclery. For more information on COTA’s trail work events and what’s required, please visit COTA’s website: www.cotamtb.com.

In other trail-building news, the first phase of a new Pump Track has been completed in the Phil’s play zone along the old Shevlin-Hixon Haul Road. This creates a third opportunity for enhancing your skills, adding to the Slalom Play Loop and the dirt jumps installed last fall. For your safety, if you see them working, please give plenty of space to the Pump Track designers—local Pro Kirt Voreis and friends—otherwise, enjoy the new Pump Track!

COTA has recently installed new signs along some trails, road crossings and at junctions in the Wanoga area. You may notice a new kind of sign along the Funner and TiddlyWinks Trails this week. Since this entire area is purpose-built for competitive events, COTA has designed these trails to enable passing while maintaining a single-track racing experience. Some of these passing lanes are merely a trail split in two, while others have a more difficult and/or a longer option. The new signs you will see along the Funner Trail display a “Y” to indicate these passing lanes.

To delve into a little “education,” I’m sure most mountain bikers have heard the mantra, “Uphill traffic has the right-of-way,” but there’s a bit more to it than that. Most of our local trails do not have passing lanes and sometimes it isn’t clear which way is “uphill.” COTA suggests, if in doubt, the uphill direction is heading away from the trailhead, unless it’s clearly on a hill.

A practical solution for this right-of-way issue is for the downhill rider to stop and put a foot down to let the uphill riders pass. Just because there seems to be “open ground” along the sides of the trail doesn’t mean it’s OK to continue riding off the trail. Soil and vegetation are fragile here in Central Oregon and COTA discourages riding off the established trail tread (that’s where the firm dirt is). Sometimes it isn’t practical to stop, but it is always a good idea to communicate. Let’s work together to prevent trail widening; after all, we want single track to remain single track!

Work It, Baby: COTA Trail Report

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a new trails column that is being produced for The Source by the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA). Look for COTA’s weekly reports in The Source to keep you updated on the latest news from around Central Oregon’s always bustling trails, including, closures and events. Ride on. —EF.
Cog Wild will be sharing these posts through our blog page as well.

Building trail in the snow

Welcome to the first installment of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance’s (COTA) Weekly Trail Report. I hope to provide you, dear trail lover, with up-to-the-minute information on trail conditions, COTA work events and progress and trail etiquette tips and timely issues facing trail access. If you have some pertinent trail info you think needs to be shared, please send me an email: chairman @ cotamtb.com

This being the first week of June and a sort-of cold, wet spring season, the trails are in fine condition close to town but remain under snow at elevations above the Swampy Lakes area. Just because there are fewer trees fallen across trails in the lower elevations doesn’t mean it will be that way up higher. We shall soon see whether COTA’s certified Chain Sawyers will be busy “getting the cut out.”

Since the blowdown in some areas is lighter this year, more trails are ready to ride. That’s a good thing because COTA is six months into a two-year grant cycle to construct 35 miles of new trails in the area south of Century Drive, otherwise known as the Wanoga Event Area. On May 22, COTA hosted its 11th annual Spring Fling and 135 people showed up to help us build a new trail to be called the Steve Larsen Trail, in honor of the accomplished local biker and triathlete who died suddenly last year during a training session. From little more than a few pink ribbons hung on branches to a clear corridor complete with a finished tread, about three miles of trail were built in one day. Of course we can’t do all that ourselves, the generous support from U.S. Bank, BendBroadband, REI, Pine Mountain Sports, Deschutes Brewery and Cog Wild Bicycle Tours made it possible to show our volunteers how much we appreciate them and the importance of pre- and post-work event nourishment!

If you missed out on the Spring Fling, don’t sweat it. COTA work events are held every Wednesday and leave from various outdoor shops. This Wednesday, June 2 meet at Gear Peddler at 5 p.m. prepared to head out. Next Wednesday, June 9 we will meet at Pine Mountain Sports. Speaking of being prepared, COTA requires the following work event attire: Long pants & long-sleeve shirts, sturdy shoes, gloves and eye protection. Dress in appropriate layers and bring snacks and plenty of water, too. At each COTA work event we provide the tools and expertise. A COTA Trail Work event is a great way to meet like-minded people and to learn a new appreciation for what it takes to maintain one of the best trail systems in the country.

The benefits of that system go beyond just riding opportunities. A recent visitor survey conducted by Visit Bend found that a majority of visitors come to Central Oregon to enjoy our trails. COTA is an integral part of providing quality trails for everyone. If your business relies even partially on visitors, please consider supporting COTA as a business member or corporate sponsor. There are other benefits to this, too. For more information on COTA’s Sponsorship opportunities please visit our website and click the Sponsors tab. www.cotamtb.com/sponsors/.

Since COTA believes that the world is run by the people who show up, we look forward to seeing YOU out there!

By Woody Starr, Cog Wild Guide and president of COTA

Ice Crit 2010!! Winter Blog update…

Rewind to 1983 and Hutch’s Bike Shop in Bend. A bunch of employees came up with the idea of riding bikes at night, in winter, up at Swampy SnoPark. There are many more details there, but if we fast forward to now, last night was the 17th annual Ice Crit. Hutch’s no longer puts it on and currently Cog Wild is taking on the task of organizer. On the occasion it has not snowed the day of the event and cement is showing, ice and snow are blown on the road to create epic crit standards. Whew, hard work too!!

But enough of those details. Ice Crit is all about riding bikes through snow, ice and cold cement in costumes, being cheered on by your peers and seeing what sillyness we can all get up to. Last night was no exception and fun was had by all! In our opinion, this is one of the best events of the year and for those who missed in, bummer for you! Good thing it happens every year!!

Enjoy the photos and we will see you next year!!

Women’s Weekend trip a success!!

This past weekend was Cog’s first Women’s Weekend which was a huge success. Although I normally do not go on the multi-day weekend trips since it means being gone out of the office most Fridays, I chose to guide this event since I was so excited about it. I have wanted to have this tour for years, designing the weekend to include great riding, yoga and massage, three things I love and felt many other women would enjoy as well.

We spent three days riding local and less-known trails outside Bend. The first two days we saw hardly any riders and were able to enjoy solitude while taking in the beautiful scenery. The trails were a little dusty, but everyone was able to spread out and ride at their own pace. On Sunday, our last day, we split into two rides on Bend’s close to town trails. There were a few spills and tumbles, but most of the dust was washed away by a short dumping of rain towards the end of the ride.

A huge thank you to the women who joined us this past weekend. Both Lindsey and I enjoyed getting to know everyone, shared some funny stories and trying to stuff everyone with yummy food. We thought the weekend was great, although the mountain biking was hard at times but with an amazing massage therapist along and camping along a beautiful lake the good definitely outweighed the hard!!

Can’t wait for next year!!

Ellsworth Rides Weekend – Huge Success!!

This past weekend was the first annual weekend of its kind with Cog Wild. We had 17 riders join us including Tony Ellsworth, Chevy who welds all the frames and Dave who manages the bikes being built. It was a blast and we can’t wait until next year. Here are some photos:

We rode three days: Mt Bachelor to Lava Lake, Charlton Lemish Loop and Flagline back to Bend. The second and third ride were perfect – beautiful climbs through huge trees dripping with moss and long downhills that went on for days and days. Some riders did the hike to the top of the twins and enjoyed the screaming downhill.

Evenings around camp had some fun surpises that all will have to join a multi-day tour with Cog to find out about. Thanks to Deschutes Brewery we had some great beer to enjoy after a post-ride dip in Little Cultus Lake and our chef Paul made sure no one went hungry.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend! We are already planning new routes for Friday and thinking of what we can do better. Hope to see you there!!

Mega Avalanche & Mountain of Hell race recap

I am still trying to recover from the last two weekends of racing. Sven and I went to the Mega Avalanche in Alpe de Huez, and then across the valley to the smaller, but crazier Mountain of Hell in Les 2 Alpes, the following weekend. Both races start on glaciers way the hell up at crazy altitudes where it hurts to breathe, and both of them have mass starts with loads of riders hurtling themselves down massive amounts of elevation.

At the Mega, they have the women start separate to the men, because there are so many people – about 3000 entries of which 80 of them were women. The track was 32km long and it took me 1h15min to finish – ending up in 7th place overall with Anne Caroline Chausson taking the win. I was super happy with this result, as the competition was tough with loads of big name pro’s out there trying to get on the box, and I beat quite a few of them!

As if doing one of these races a year isn’t enough, we drove across the valley to Les 2 Alpes to race another one – The Mountain of Hell. This race was way smaller than the Mega, but it really lived up to it’s name. Sven had to cover the race for Dirt, so we had no choice, but to throw ourselves down yet another glacier at warping speeds with hundreds of people flailing around you.

Our qualifying race was cancelled due to a large amount of snow, which meant that there would be no seeding for Sunday’s big race down the glacier. They lined up the women in row 15 – which is far back from the front line and any hopes of getting down the glacier in a straight line with no people around was thrown out the window. Because this event is so much smaller than the Mega, the women have to start with the 500 men, and it is pretty much just survival to get to the bottom of the mountain. People were crashing and sliding everywhere, elbows were flying, T-bones were had, Frenchies were swearing, it was chaotic and you just had to try and stay with your bike and get to the bottom. Another “entertaining” detail about this event, was that you couldn’t practice riding down the glacier until race day, and you couldn’t ride the last 5km of the trail until race day – they were only the hardest, most technical two sections of the entire track! Nothing like racing down a sheer cliff – blind and on a snowy track with 500 other people!

I ended up finishing in 3rd place, after getting held up by so many guys on sections where passing was impossible. I managed to get by about 350 guys to end up 179th overall. Not too bad for starting in the 15th row!

I still can’t quite comprehend the craziness of the last two weekends. The abuse on our bikes and bodies. The altitude. The mountains & trails that never end. Two feet of snow in July? The amount of people out there loving life and just riding their bikes because they love to ride their bikes. It was amazing, and after swearing that I’ll never do 2 of these events back to back again, I think I’ll be back for more next year.

O, and by the way, my NOMAD is the sickest bike EVER!

Cheers!

Anka

At the start of the Mega – getting ready for some elbow action at the startline

Graceful glacier sliding

and then piling up

Endless perfect singletrack

Endless perfect views

The top section of Mountain of Hell track – sooo rough & barren – was covered in snow on race day

This was the top of the glacier – Mtn of Hell, trying to get a feel for ice at 6am in the morning!

More endless singletrack

We all survived the crazy race – Sven & I with the Dirt Mag crew

Stoked to get on the box!