Perfect Start to the Perfect Week!

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Matt Hunt

It was just after sunset in Crested Butte. I had left a muggy Dallas morning 13 hours prior, and just arrived in the high altitude chill of the Colorado rockies. After getting the car unloaded, I got in a bit of social media time before hitting the sack. I had planned on taking it easy tomorrow, giving my body a chance to acclimate to the elevation before doing any big mountain bike rides.

However, my social media time would reveal that one of my favorite YouTubers, Alex aka The Singletrack Sampler, was going to be riding at Evolution Bike Park in Crested Butte tomorrow! Well, there is a chair lift. I wouldn’t have to climb. So while the elevation would still affect me from muscling the bike on the downhill, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! I’d been wanting to meet & ride with Alex since I discovered his channel, and the chances of him visiting north Texas to ride our flat XC trails are slim to none!

As far as how that day went, I’ll let the video do most of the talking! I had a blast, and felt as though I learned a few things from Alex, as well as local shredder Dakoda (Taggalong MTB), who has a few KOM’s at the bike park, so needless to say he’s a hell of a rider!

For the second day, I was still figuring I’d take it easy and continue adjusting to the elevation. It takes a good 2-3 days to acclimate, so I wasn’t trying to do any epic rides on day 2! I learned from my mistakes a month ago in Angel Fire!

Strand Hill was the perfect trail. 7.5 miles long, less than 1,000 feet of climbing, and it was only a short drive down a dirt road from where I was staying. I read that it had a fun, flowy descent. I’m in!

I started my morning early with a drive down Kebler Pass. I drove through here two years ago, and it was one of the most beautiful drives ever! I got some drone flying in, but as I got to the spot that had the most color a couple years ago, it appeared it was still too early. There was still a lot of green left. I was still able to find some good shots, though!

No doubt, the highlight of the early morning was getting to see a bull moose! It was on Kebler Pass that I saw one two years ago, but it was a long way down a steep bank on the edge of a creek, and before I could put my telephoto lens on, he had slipped back into the woods.

This time, he was right off the side of the road! I was frantically trying to adjust the settings on my camera to allow a fast shutter speed, while maintaining adequate exposure. The moose was in the woods, so it was only through small openings that I had opportunities for shots. But as luck would have it, there was a gravel road coming up! I repeated, “come out on the road, come out on the road!” The moose obliged!

At one point he was rummaging through the brush next to the creek very close to the road. I could hear twigs snapping, the moose grunting, and I could smell his B.O. It was not much different from that of your common cow. And not that it was a pleasant smell, but it added to the experience! Up close & personal with the King of the Forest!

My goodness, what an amazing creature! So huge, so powerful, and yet so beautiful.

Okay, so onto the bike ride! The climb up to Strand Hill wasn’t too bad, but I still had to dismount and walk several sections. The descent was as good as advertised! Flowy, fast, and fun! A lot of it went through thick aspen groves as well, and up here the leaves were at their peak! It was so beautiful! This, to me, is as good as mountain biking gets!

#LiveTheAdventure

The Railyard & Lake Atalanta

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Matt Hunt

On the 2nd day in Bentonville… we actually went to the neighboring town of Rogers, AR to check out the Railyard & Lake Atalanta. The Railyard is a skills/jump park, and right next to it is natural singletrack on the Lake Atalanta Trail system.

Unfortunately some of the lines at the Railyard were closed as a result of all the rain they’d had the previous week. The rain had left ruts in some of the jumps. Our only options were the novice line, and the intermediate line. Both of those were still fun, although the jumps on the intermediate line had extremely steep lips, almost vertical. This is better built for a bmx or dirt jumper bike than a mountain bike. It was difficult to even come close to clearing these jumps, because they send you straight up. Not to say that my jumping skills are top notch or anything!

All was good here until Kyle decided he wanted to try the wall ride on the intermediate line. I had skipped it myself. It takes a lot of speed, and the right angle of the bike. It didn’t go well for Kyle, who ended up rolling his ankle. He didn’t really crash that bad, he stayed upright, but when he put his foot down his ankle gave out. So his day was done. Chris also had to take off and head back down to San Antonio, so it was just myself, Andrew & Mike left to ride the trails.

I was actually surprised at how good those little segments were on this trail system, given that it doesn’t get a ton of fanfare. There were some fun downhill runs, and a little bit of chunk. We also took the scenic paved boardwalk around the lake. This whole area is just super nice! I really wish there was something similar close to me! I guess Arbor Hills is the closest thing to it, but around here we simply lack the elevation.

I wasn’t sure how the video would turn it, without a whole lot of footage to work with, and a lot of it being the same runs at the Railyard, but I ended up loving how I was able to put this together! It became a really fun video! Hope you enjoy it!

#LiveTheAdventure

Jumps & Drops in Bentonville

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Matt Hunt

Over Labor Day weekend I returned to Bentonville, AR. The chance for some downhill flow & jumps is too good to pass up on a long weekend, and there’s no other place within a 5 hour drive from Dallas that has as much as Bentonville has to offer!

This time I was not alone. I met up with fellow Texan YouTubers Kyle (Cobra Kyle) and Chris (Chris CXK), and Bentonville locals Andrew (All Things Adventure) and Mike (MikeDarknutNiccum).

We met up at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, a trail system that I had yet to check out on my previous trips to Bentonville. After going, I wish that I would have gone sooner! This is my best opportunity to get some practice on jump lines without having to take an extended trip. Once we climbed up to the hub, we ended up sessioning the first few jumps of Cease & Desist for a while. This is probably the best way to practice, as it didn’t require a long climb back to the hub.

It’s funny how I feel like I’m soaring through the air, but then I look at the photos and video of myself and the truth is revealed; I’m barely getting my wheels off the ground!

I really need to get bunny hops down, as that is the motion that allows you to get more air on jumps. I rely too much on speed to get me air, and on a lot of these jumps it’s difficult to get enough speed.

Once we were satisfied with our sessioning session, we went down the hill on Fireline. This is another jump line, but these jumps were a bit smaller than those on Cease & Desist. It was a super fun trail, though! I think the next time I’m in Bentonville I’ll be spending a lot more time at Coler, and checking out some of the other trails there.

After that we ventured down to the south end of the park to check out Thunderdome, the new dual slalom course. Andrew had warned us of two potential trouble spots; a decent size drop that sneaks up on you, and a ditch crossing where there’s a fairly narrow rock bridge.

In spite of those warnings, both of them still surprised me! The drop comes up after a turn when you’re actually going uphill a bit. It’s tough to carry any speed into it, which makes it quite a bit tougher. I was still able to land it, but it was very close to being a crash.

On the ditch crossing, I was not quite so lucky. In this case, you’re carrying a lot of speed into it after railing two berms. It is again uphill just a bit on the approach, which hides the ditch, and the rock bridge, until you’re right up on it. I was going too fast to make any adjustments, and I missed the rock bridge! I was somehow able to huck enough to land the bike in the ditch and not go OTB, but then I fell down the hillside, sliding on my back to the bottom. Luckily it was all soft, with nothing there to run into. So I was able to hop right up with nothing more than light scratches that didn’t even break the full skin layer.

After a quick lunch, we headed over to the Slaughter Pen. The skills course here has a set of drops with three different levels. Even the small one made me nervous. There’s just something about drops. They scare me. You’re basically falling while on your bike. Gotta keep the feet on the pedals and land right, otherwise you’re going down!

After watching Andrew tow Kyle in to the small drop, I decided I needed to give it a shot. They made it look way too easy. Sometimes that’s the key. If you see someone do it, it gives you the confidence to do it, too. So I had Andrew tow me in. It felt like nothing. I landed as smooth as butter. Why was I so afraid to do that?!

That evening we all met up for dinner, and then stumbled upon karaoke at Bike Rack Brewing. If you really want to see that footage, you can check out Chris’s video!

#LiveTheAdventure

South Boundary Trail

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Matt Hunt

I’d been wanting to ride this trail since I heard about it. Many have said it’s the best trail in New Mexico, so I was pretty excited to try it! I booked a shuttle with Turquoise Tours so that I could ride the entire 21 miles.

The ride starts with a pretty steep climb, and the elevation was absolutely killing me! I felt like I needed a break every 100 yards just to catch my breath! Living at about 500 feet in Dallas certainly doesn’t help when you’re only on your second day at elevation, and over 10,000 feet on this trail! After reaching Osha Pass, the trail turns downhill in a section known as Heaven on Earth.

This was probably the best section of the whole trail. Steep enough to build up speed, but not too steep to the point you have to ride the brakes. There was some flow, but it was mostly straight & fast, with hero dirt from all the recent afternoon storms!

Unfortunately after that section ends, it’s time to climb again! This time it’s not as steep, but it is very long! It seemed like this climb would never end! I kept getting teased by short downhill segments when the reality was there was still more to climb!

Once that gradual climb was finally over, the trail flattened out. It was great to be done with the climbing, but pedaling was still required through this section. Once you reach about the 5 mile marker (meaning 5 miles left) the steep descent begins.

By this time I was so out of breath, and it seemed like no matter how long of a break I took, I could not fully catch my breath. I’d get going and be out of breath again almost immediately, even going downhill. Although pedaling isn’t required, it’s still a workout to move the bike around and through the chunk.

And this section was chunky! Some of those rock gardens I’d pull up and look at it and think, “yeah, I could probably do this.” But being out there by myself, I didn’t want to risk getting hurt and not having anyone there to help me. There’s no shame in that! It’s far better to be able to ride the next day than to try to be a hero and hurt yourself, and then not be able to ride for weeks or months. I went through that earlier this year, and I don’t want to go through it again!

At this point I really just wanted to be at the finish! I was struggling to breathe, I was tired, I was hungry! That’s not to say this last section wasn’t fun, because it sure was! I just would’ve enjoyed it more had I been in better physical shape! Don’t underestimate the effects of altitude, especially if you spend your life near sea level!

Check out the video! #LiveTheAdventure

Angel Fire Bike Park

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Matt Hunt

I was going to go last summer, but then I got laid off from my job. I was going to go earlier this summer in June, but then I broke my wrist in April, and was not fully recovered by June. So FINALLY it all worked out for me to visit Angel Fire, NM a couple weeks ago!

I had heard a lot of great things about Angel Fire Bike Park. It’s one of the best bike parks around, even compared to some parks in Colorado. There’s a good variety of trails, and the trails are really fun. It’s also the closest major bike park to Dallas.

Getting there proved to be an adventure in itself! Due to the recent wildfire in Ute Park, Hwy 64 is prone to flooding, and it’s that time of year where afternoon storms are a daily occurrence. I had made it all the way to Cimarron, NM, just about 50 minutes away, when I came up on a road block. Due to the flooding, they shut down the road on a daily basis. I talked to some folks who had already been there waiting for over 2 hours! I waited for about 45 minutes before I decided to take the only logical alternate route I could find, which would add an hour and a half to the drive!

It wasn’t until I was at the point of no return, so to speak, that I found out this route included 9 miles of unpaved road through the mountains! In fact, I didn’t find that out until I was at the point where it turns from paved to unpaved! Mind you, I drive a Honda Accord Sport, which has low-profile tires. It isn’t made for roads like this!

The first half of this road was very rough, with a lot of rocks, but luckily nothing so big that a passenger car can’t handle it. However, because it was so rough, it meant that I had to creep along at 10 mph! Thankfully about halfway into this 9 mile stretch the road became smoother, and I could speed up some. I’ve never been so happy to be back on paved road as I was at the end of this! I didn’t take any pictures or video there, because I just didn’t want to stop!

When I made it through, and just started to enter Angel Fire, I was surprised by two bull elk just off the road to my right! What a treat as I arrived in town!

So when I finally made it to the campground, I had a change of heart. The tent camping area was less than desirable. Nobody else was camping in a tent there; only RV’s. It was cold, windy, and more rain was on the way. I decided I really didn’t want to camp! I got on my phone and found that Angel Fire Resort had a couple rooms left, and Expedia had them at a 15% discount (though it was still significantly more expensive than camping)!

Sometimes you can’t put a price on comfort. In the end, it was worth it.

Alright, so lets get to the bike park! Since I was at the resort, the park was right there. I got there early to get my pass and sign the waiver. As a result, I was 3rd in line to get on the lift when it opened at 9!

First run I figured I should take Easy Street (green) to warm up, get a good feel for the mountain, the speed, and how my Jeffsy handles it. After that it was time for some more rowdy trails! Ziggy (blue) is right there when you get off the lift, and it’s an absolute blast! Constant left & right flow with some technical chunk thrown in for good measure! I ended up riding it again later on (at a higher speed). Further down, I hit Boulder Dash (blue), which is a jump trail filled with table tops and big berms. I actually wish I would’ve taken this trail again just to work on jumps! The very first jump I thought I overshot, but looking back at the video, I think it was actually perfect! However, because I thought I overshot it, I was checking my speed on a lot of the other jumps, causing me to case them. Coming from the flat lands, it takes some getting used to! Slowly but surely I’ll continue to improve my jumping skills!

On my third run I took Angel’s Plunge (blue), and boy was that a riot! Steep with loose gravel at the top, this trail was FAST, flowing, and fun! I’d say it’s a must ride with any trip to the park!

Other trails I hit included Diesel (blue), Duke (blue), Sierra (green), and Chutes & Ladders (blue). Chutes & Ladders had a lot of wood features. These bridges climbed way up above the surface, and had some super steep drops! I actually skipped a couple of them, since I was riding alone, and they went straight into a sharp turn, and I wasn’t comfortable carrying so much speed into those turns. In hindsight, I probably could’ve done it and been fine. Maybe next time.

After five runs, the lift was closed due to storms in the area, but I was pretty well finished, anyway. Downhill mountain biking exhausts you in a different way than XC riding will. Your legs are fine, because you aren’t pedaling. But the rest of your body seems to take a beating! It actually takes a lot of energy, and a lot of muscle to maneuver the bike around at high speeds, through incredibly bumpy and steep terrain. So if you’ve never done it, don’t expect to be able to just ride all day! You will get tired!

Luckily this time I didn’t develop any blisters, thanks to my wonderful ESI Extra Chunky grips! Seriously love these grips! That “Extra Chunky” part is crucial!

Check out the video! #LiveTheAdventure

Trail 140 – My All-Time Favorite?

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Matt Hunt

I had read a lot of good things about Trail 140, but even with that, I found it to be better than advertised! It has it all; chunk, flow, speed, steepness, beauty, and great views!

It was the final full day of my trip to the Inland Northwest (I didn’t know they called it that until I saw a sign just outside of the Spokane airport!), and I went back up to Mt. Spokane State Park for Trail 140. It doesn’t have a name, just a number. But it’s so good, they really should give it a name!

My original plan was to climb up Trail 110, as it was shorter (but steeper and harder) than climbing up the road. Well… that didn’t last long. Parts of it were just way too steep, so I decided the road was the better option. I had made it nearly 2,000 feet up (of the 3,000 foot climb) when a gentleman pulled up next to me in his car, with a bike rack on the back, and asked me if I wanted a ride! On one hand, I wanted to earn my downhill, but on the other hand, I just wanted to be at the downhill! So I accepted his offer.

So… at that point I was drenched in sweat despite temps only being in the mid-50’s. He asked me if I had a jacket or anything… I didn’t. No worries. I was cold as I got my stuff together at the top (oh yeah, it was windy, too!), but once I got the ride started, I warmed right back up and was fine.

The thing is, I had that blister on my left hand, right in the middle of the palm, and right where there just wasn’t a way to move my hand on the grip to alleviate the pressure on it, especially when going over rocks & ruts! It hurt like hell! And the top of Trail 140 is pretty chunky!

I really believe the main reason I got that blister was because of the thin grips on the downhill bike I had rented (at Silver Mountain Bike Park 2 days prior). On my own bike I have ESI Extra Chunky grips, which are silicone, so they’re soft, for one thing, but they are also very thick. I feel like there are too many folds in the skin of my palm on thinner grips. The Extra Chunky’s feel like a much better fit. Since they are silicone, they do tear up easily, but even if they need to be replaced every few months (they’re only like $20), they are so worth it! I highly recommend them!

Anyway, back to the ride. After the rocky section ends, you get to the flowy section. Left, right, left, right. Pump those berms! OH so much fun! The trail flattens out a bit then, so you’ve gotta pedal, but then you get to the speed section! The curves are only slight, so you can maintain some good speed as the grade becomes a bit steeper. My top speed, according to Strava, was 26.2 mph, which I believe happened at this spot on the trail.

After traversing a fire road for a little bit, it gets REALLY steep! The GoPro never really portrays the steepness well (I know, I say that all the time, but it’s so true!). My butt kept hitting the rear wheel I was so far back & low, so that tells you a little bit about how steep it was! This part was really fun and required a lot of mustard (that’s gonna be my new favorite phrase. It really means body English. Mustard sounds better)! Very similar to Trail 290. It was hell on that blister, though!

Check out the video below! #LiveTheAdventure

The Goods

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Matt Hunt

After the bike park day left me with a nasty blister on my left hand, I decided not to ride the next day.

Ha! Yeah right! A little pain wasn’t gonna stop me! I probably made things worse by continuing to ride with that blister, but whatever.

I rented a Santa Cruz Hightower LT from The Bike Hub in Spokane Valley (and barely fit the bike into my rental Jeep Renegade), and headed north to Mount Spokane State Park ($10 day pass, $30 annual pass)! My plan was to ride Trail 290, aka “The Goods.”

Unfortunately the bike shop didn’t open until 10 AM, so it was 11:30 AM or so before I got up to the trailhead. That meant the sun was up high, and it was pretty hot. Yeah, it’s a dry heat, which is wayyyyy better than Texas, but it was still in the 90’s that day. Would make for a sweaty climb.

I parked at the lot where Trail 290 ends, and climbed up the road. It seemed like a tough climb while it was happening, but once I reached the top I looked back on it and thought, hey, that wasn’t that bad! It’s only roughly 1,500 feet, and took me about 45 minutes. Plus it included some good views along the way!

The trail was sweet! Totally different type of riding than what I’m used to. I mean other than it being downhill, of course. It was pretty flowy, but also had some ruts, roots, and a few rocks. In parts it was really steep! It required a lot of mustard, as I put it. I guess “body English” would be a more understandable term for the masses, but I think mustard sounds more intriguing. The Santa Cruz handled it well!

At one point I stopped to get a good selfie for my YouTube banner photo. Yep, I had lugged my 3.5 pound camera + lens up that climb! I used my Gorilla Pod to set it up on top of a branch, put the camera on continuous shooting every 0.5 seconds for like 100 photos, rode back up the hill, quickly turned around, and rode back down! Wooo!

I was concerned about how it would turn out with such harsh light amongst the shadows, but with some editing it looks pretty good! Love the dynamic range of that Nikon D500!

Here’s a look at the map of my route, and the elevation profile from Strava (click it to view the activity on Strava):

Heck, it wouldn’t even be that bad to ride that twice! I think most people shuttle the rides here, though, and would ride Trail 290 and Trail 140 (video & blog coming up next week!) on the same day. I didn’t have a shuttle, so I didn’t do that.

Anyway, the video is below, so enjoy! #LiveTheAdventure

My First Bike Park!

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Matt Hunt

Yep, I finally rode park! I must say, taking a gondola up the mountain sure as heck beats pedal power!

But before we get to that, let’s talk about the craziness leading up to that day! Two days before I would leave, while driving home from a ride, a girl turned left in front of me as I traveled through an intersection. I had a green light, she was supposed to yield! It was a pretty bad wreck, by far the worst I’ve been in, though I’ve only ever been in one other wreck, and it was a low-speed deal back in Indy on a day when it was snowing (same thing, though, guy turned left in front of me).

Thankfully, I only sustained minor injuries. I had some bruises, a few small scrapes, I bit my tongue, and my neck was quite sore the next few days. I felt very lucky to not have been seriously hurt, especially right before my trip! That impact is no joke. I keep thinking about that the most. It’s just so forceful. I’m grateful for seat belts & air bags!

I didn’t waste any time, taking the following day off and going to buy a new (used) car! I didn’t want to mess with a rental, and didn’t want the hassle of trying to buy a car after getting back from vacation.

From Dallas, I flew up to Spokane, WA for one night, where I paid a visit to Palouse Falls. Unfortunately, part of the trail had been closed. That part went to the best overlook of the waterfall, with the whole canyon in the distance. So I had to settle for what I could get.

The next day it was off to Sandpoint, ID for one of my best friends’ wedding! The ceremony was on top of Schweitzer Mountain, and the reception at the resort. It was probably the most beautiful & fun wedding I’ve ever attended! Plus, I had not seen my friend in several years, so it was great to reflect on old memories and make new ones!

Since I was relatively close, I had to make a stop at Glacier National Park! Anyone who knows me knows that I am a National Park fiend! I love them! I was barely able to scratch the surface of this park in just half a day, but my goodness what a beautiful place! The rocky mountains are tall & steep, and the valleys are bright green, with crystal clear blue lakes. The air was pretty smoky from wildfires, but that didn’t really detract from the beauty much! I even got up close & personal with some mountain goats!

Then it was time to hit up Silver Mountain Bike Park in Kellogg, ID! I wanted to ride fairly hard, but the main goal was to make it safely down the mountain! I rented a downhill bike, the Giant Glory, from the bike shop there in the gondola village. This would be my first time riding a downhill bike as well! There in the village, a guy comes up to me and says he rode there yesterday, and he could show me around if I wish. We ended up riding and hanging out for the whole day. He owns a business in Miami, but said summer is their slow time, so he comes out west to travel around in his converted school bus! He had a really nice setup, complete with A/C & a shower!

After a 20 minute gondola ride, it was time to hit the trails! Getting used to the downhill bike took a little while. The head angle is really slack, which makes cornering a bit tougher. You really have to muscle the bike through those corners. I sure was glad to have 200 mm of travel, however! The trails were very dry and bumpy! Numerous riders braking in the same spot creates braking bumps, but these were beyond that. These were full blown potholes! I can only imagine how amazing these trails would be without those potholes!

Once I got a good feel for the bike, I began picking up speed, and even launched off a couple jumps! I’m sure it wasn’t really THAT much air, but to me it felt like a lot! There was definitely one that I flew higher and further than I ever have before. The bike was as smooth as butter on the landing! Big difference from a trail bike!

The ride was so much fun, but you’d never guess how tiring going downhill can be! Not only are you muscling the bike around, but you’re also in a constant attack position, which is basically halfway down in a squat! Your legs really start to burn after a while! The biggest issue I had, however, was wearing a blister on my left palm. Two things likely contributed to this; hard braking through those potholes, and the thin grips. I have pretty big hands, and the thin grips that come on most bikes feel too small for me. As a result, it feels like there are a lot of skin folds on my palms, creating ample opportunities for blisters to form.

During our ride, we met a guy from Creston, AB, just north of the border in Canada. He said he had been riding downhill for 15 years, and he came to this park often. We stopped at a section that featured 3 consecutive table tops, where he gave us some pointers on jumping. I felt pretty good on these jumps, and cleared all of them with no problems! Getting good at jumping just takes a lot of practice, and slowly working your way up to bigger and bigger jumps. I’m not in any rush!

After two full runs down the mountain, exhausted from the heat, and a nasty blister on my left hand, we were done for the day! It felt amazing to rinse off in the cool waters of the Coeur d’Alene River! I had mentioned it was a great time for some ice cream as well, and figured there had to be a place in the village! Well, technically it was frozen yogurt, but that would suffice!

I left with a huge smile on my face. That was a truly spectacular day! Best of all, I did not crash once all day! Check out the video below!

Random Musings

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Matt Hunt

My bike is fixed! I had a broken axle sleeve, which e*thirteen warrantied. I was a bit worried when I received the part, as it was in two pieces, not the one piece I was expecting. Instead it looked exactly like the broken part! As it turns out, they updated it to be two pieces instead of one, and with the addition of a spacer, it sits flush. If you’re in DFW I highly recommend taking your bike to Johnny at Latini’s Bicycle Repair in Plano. He’s very knowledgeable, explains everything, and is extremely reasonable on price. He only charged me $16 to replace that axle sleeve.
Even with daytime highs reaching 110° F, the mornings are not bad. I got out early this morning, and while it was still in the mid-80’s, it was very enjoyable!
It’s always hard for me to get up super early, but I love being up early in the morning! It’s my favorite time of the day. There aren’t many people out, so it’s quiet and peaceful, as mentioned, it’s cooler, and the sun being low in the sky just makes everything look better!
Northshore just keeps getting more and more sandy! Spots that always had sand are getting deeper sand, and other spots that never used to be sandy are now! Nothing seems to help; not more rain, not less rain, not winter freezing, not autumn leaves… nothing!
Doing leg presses is already starting to pay off! I’ve only done them on 3 or 4 days at this point, but I definitely noticed on this morning’s ride that some of those punchy climbs are a little bit easier. That’s exactly why I’m doing them (and should have been doing them for a long time already). I want to add more power in my legs in order to get through tough sections without needing to exert so much energy.
I have an awesome stretch from now until October. Next week I’ll be on vacation in Idaho/Montana/Washington. Then I’ll work a weekend before a 4-day weekend in Angel Fire. Another weekend of work, and then it’ll be Labor Day Weekend, when I plan on heading back up to Bentonville. Come back for another weekend of work, and then I’ll be off to Crested Butte!

Is Rowlett Creek Preserve Any Fun?

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Matt Hunt

In spite of it being only 25 minutes from home, I had never ridden at Rowlett Creek Preserve in the year and a half I’d been mountain biking. Since I’m now trying to get a good video of pretty much every DFW area trail, it was high up on the list.

Rowlett Creek has over 16 miles of trails, with 14 separate loops, allowing riders to cut their ride as short as they want to. The majority of this trail is beginner friendly, with only small roots and rocks. As you get up into the higher loop numbers, things get a little more difficult. You’ll encounter some steep rollers and creek crossings that will give beginners some trouble. Loop 13 is rated as a black diamond, and features some bigger rocks for a nice technical challenge. For me, this was the highlight of this trail, with a few other cool features scattered about. Since most of the trail is flat, it requires a lot of pedaling in order to maintain speed.

I did only cover the portion of the trail north of the parking lot. However, there is nothing rated past intermediate to the south of the parking lot, so I’d imagine it’s all pretty similar. Quite frankly, I was a little bored after covering all of the north side, and chose to end the ride there.

Check out the video and determine for yourself if it’s worth a try!