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