Alexander Park is just outside Asheville, NC

I know blogs are more interesting with photos. I know this, MAAANNNN. But I’ve never been good with taking them. The best period for me with taking photographs of the outdoors was when I was a backcountry hike fan and took pictures with a Canon 35-105 camera with a broken viewing lens. The best photographs I ever took were with this camera, mostly due to the fact that I was forced to only look at color and space (remember, slightly left of center! Thanks to my 11th grade art teacher for that one) and couldn’t think too far beyond that. Sure, a few items were out of focus, but if I look at the pictures I have framed around the house, they are mostly thanks to that camera.

So I have no pictures of the riding today at Alexander Park, located conveniently off of River Road (State Highway 251) just north of Alexander bridge (1/2 mile, maybe?) 15 minutes outside of Asheville. Todd Branham (Todd if you see this I’d love a website to link) and Long Cane Trail Building Group Incorporated (a guess at the name - I know the first two words are correct…), WNC bike dealers association, and SORBA spent the last year or so refurbishing and rerouting the existing trails and some singletrack Woody Keen and Trail Dynamics helped build in the area prior to that. I don’t want to point fingers, but much of the Trail Dynamics area (which I helped build) was followed by Buncombe County Waste Management to get to a clay deposit for the city landfill, which put a huge delay on these trails being finished for the general public. But that is past, and I say let bygones be bygones in order to move forward and help create some solid access for the North Asheville crowd. Continue reading Alexander Park is just outside Asheville, NC…

Oh, the weather outside is…

Oh, the snow is back again.  I haven’t seen you in years, it would seem.  I thought snow was a thing of books and Christmas songs.  Winter, IT’S been a long time coming.

 So why not combine the love of freshly fallen snow with the love of grinding knobby tires through adverse conditions?

 The last time I rode my bike with snow on the ground was 2004.  Seriously.  2004.

 Before that it was probably delivering newspapers when I was at the tender age of 11 years old.  Those were the days.  Slogging my Murray through the snow banks of Southern Michigan to deliver my 26 newspapers on my appointed rounds at 7 o’clock in the morning every weekend.  God, I hated that.  Continue reading Oh, the weather outside is……

Great rates w/ a friend to Ireland!

Our friend Dominic is offering some great rates on guided one-week bike tours in Ireland! BioWheels customers can get $100-400 off per person depending on the number of people in your party. All you have to do is mention BioWheels when booking.

For a schedule and rates check - King Of The Road Bike Tours.com

King of the Road

Our good friend Dominic King is starting a bike tour company in Ireland. Dom is a great guy who loves to ride, and more importantly loves people! I can’t imagine a better UK vacation than pedaling around Ireland and sharing pints with Dom and a host of other like minded pedalers.

Be sure to check out King of the Road Bike Tours.

Got some time to kill?

Head on over to YouTube for some BioWheels action!

Wow!

Warning…..If you are stuck in a cubicle right now the following pic may force you to get up and go ride!

This picture is too good to not share!  This pretty much sums up why so many people ride the dirt.  We have to admit this is Central California, and not North Carolina, but a great view is a great view!

Autumn Comes to the Mountains

Something deep inside my soul stirs once Autumnal Equinox passes. Chilly nightsare back , and mountain bike soul riding season is just beginning. Remember riding for 4 hours with hardly a bead of sweat… How about cool mountain breezes conditioning your chamois?

Well those days are here. The trails are in perfect shape. If you are like me, Autumn marks the end of the racing season, and time to build up a long travel trail bike. This season, the Maverick ML8 will be my off season choice. Even if I did not have access to wicked downhills & technical terrain, the climbing abilities & all out comfort of the ML8 rock my world. On a 2 hour ascent up Heartbreak Ridge, my new 28.5 lb Maverick, “Beefy”, was amazing. Picking up 4 lbs on my racing bike was easy to adjust to with the control & traction the Maverick delivers. It is easy to enjoy the scenery when you have such a stable bicycle underneath.

Follow this picture to a slideshow…Enjoy!

Grab the kids and head to Hot Springs, NC

The family headed out to Hot Springs the other day with our 8-year old daughter and our 13-year old nephew. We were in search of family friendly trails, and we wanted to share with you what treasures we found.

First of all, I just love the town of Hot Springs; quaint, friendly & a river runs through it. Very nice indeed, and the perfect place to grab a bite either before or after your ride. The trails that we found were on the southern end of town, making them an easy, honest 40-minute drive from Asheville.

Laurel River Trail: (3.6 miles one-way, about 5-miles from Hot Springs) Begins near the junction of NC 208 and 25/70 on a dirt road that turns into the trail. Single track on an old railroad grade to the Ghost Town of Runion where the Laurel empties into the French Broad River.

This trail is a beauty. You may feel like you are on the wrong trail as you pass by a few homes, but the trail runs right through their yards, just keep going. This is a great place to take your children that have already built up some skill on the smooth trail. It is a rocky bit of Earth, perfect for introducing the kids to some truly technical riding. The trail runs along the river, so it is also generally very flat. Check out the Ghost Lumber Town of Runion. In our young group, no one got frustrated because they were tired, even as we got all the way to the mighty French Broad River. The trail ends at the French Broad River, if you have never seen the river in Hot Springs, it is worth the scramble up over the railroad tracks to take a peek, it is a sight to see. Everyone had the energy to try out their skills and have a good time. We will be back time and time again. With a total of 7-miles, and some swimming under our belts, we decided we had enough energy and time to check out another trail.

Mill Ridge Bike Trail: (4 mile loop, about 3.5 miles from Hot Springs) This is a moderate loop on old forest roads with a short section of single track to connect the loop. The fields and wildlife openings of Mill Ridge provide huge mountain vistas.

This was the perfect trail to follow up what we had just accomplished. The ride starts out on a gravel road, downhill. The kids were having an effortless blast, which was a good thing because we wanted them to enjoy their experience. Two miles later, the terrain changed and the trail heads uphill on singletrack. Probably the steepest climb either of the kids had ever done. They were hot and tired, but they also were relieved to finish and proud that they had done so. There were lots of berries and open meadow and we saw a big bear footprint.

Our one-day in Hot Springs was filled with fun on one trail that was technical and flat and another trail that taught endurance and effort, all within reach of our two young riders.

We highly recommend both Hot Springs trails to folks looking to teach their kids mountain biking. Check out the pictures linked from this thumbnail. If anyone gets to tired, you can always just take a dip in the river!

East Fork State Park - Cincinnati’s Hottest New Trails

The Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance and volunteers have poured their energy and resources into the trails and their efforts show. There are about seven miles of single-track that meander through one of Ohio’s largest state parks. The trails are great for beginners but also challenge more experienced riders.

The transition from four miles of flat muddy trail to 7.5 miles of quality mountain biking didn’t happen over night. It took the interest of local Rob Brock, who saw much potential out there, but not much momentum for improvements to the trail. While Rob donated countless hours of his own time organizing and writing proposals for the park, he went to the Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance for the help building up momentum for trailbuilding. The trail leaders at CORA had been maintaining and improving the trails at Harbin Park in Fairfield, and Caesar’s Creek State Park up near Waynesville - and had shown that their IMBA-led training had paid off with killer trail systems there. The new East Fork trail system was designed with sustainability and fun for all levels in mind - quick-drying graded trails with an emphasis on flow.

For the full effect roll out of the mountain bike parking lot and turn right at the road. Follow the pavement for about a half mile until you see the trail on the right. The south loop (Phase one) is a tight twisty three-mile trail that is good for beginners. There are no climbs but the trail does introduce riders to some of the skills needed to mountain bike. The trail shoots out onto gravel and immediately connects with more single-track on the left. Make a left and you will be on the middle loop (Phase two), make a right and you will head back to the parking lot. This trail is a 3.5 mile long single-track that you can either follow out to the road or make a right and head back to the mountain bike parking lot.
Making a left at the intersection will send you down a quick descent, across many bridges and through a creek. There are a few more climbs, descents, roots and rocks on this section of trail. This section of trail ends at a bathroom with running water. At this point you can ride the road back or take the trail.

East Fork drains well and is the quickest trail in the area to recover after it has rained a lot. East Fork Lake is a great place to take friends and family new to mountain biking and it is also great for veteran riders.

From Cincinnati, Ohio :
From Downtown: take I-471 South into Kentucky to I-275 East. I-275 East to Exit #65, Beechmont Avenue East - Amelia ( Day Use) or Exit #63
From Lexington, KY:
I-75 North, to I-275 East (Near Erlanger, KY) to Exit #65, S.R. 125 - Beechmont Avenue East- Amelia ( Day Use) or Exit 63, S.R. 32 - East Batavia (campground). Come East 11 miles and follow signs.

Written by Amanda McKay

Thursday Night Group Rides at Bent Creek

BioWheels has several group rides that gather on a weekly basis, but by far my favorite is the Thursday night ride at Bent Creek. Bent Creek is an experimental forest that contains many miles of trails aimed mostly at the beginner and intermediate level rider, but expert riders in the area still seem to ride here on a weekly basis. Being only 15 minutes from downtown Asheville makes it the premier spot for after work rides.

The BioWheels Thurs ride meets in the Rice Pinacle parking lot at 6 and we really like to be rolling by 6:15. It’s always a relaxed group and we regroup at most major intersections and summits. Technically it’s a ride for the women’s race team, but the mix is usually 50/50.

Bent Creek is also a ideal testing ground for new bikes and demos. Most of us have ridden the trails so much that they become a great controlled environment for testing. Once you know a trail really well you can focus on testing a bike and not so much on riding the trail.