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.

So enter myself and Zissou, the Australian Cattle Dog-mutt I picked up from the pound in December. The plan was to go to the Fish Hatchery area of South Ranger District in Pisgah, but I had some mulch and compost to spread, so a 20 minutes drive seemed a lot more reasonable than the 55 minutes trip and pavement/ forest road combo my original ride entailed. And really, the dog isn’t that well behaved, so cars passing as I climb up 475 and beyond didn’t sound too enticing. So we roll in to alexander park around 10:30 after dropping Kristi off in West Asheville so she can roll for 6 hours in the forest with Kassi, Megan, and Laurie. Lucky.

I pull in to the parking area on the right side of the road, and immediately get to roll into single track with a narrow opening (no vehicles there, folks!). There are two loops, the red and yellow, with a nice sign to suggest a counterclockwise direction. I decide to start with yellow, which takes me along some tight singetrack up away from the river and parking area. Zissou hangs three feet behind my wheel as I hammer up the nice grade, around some nice rock features, and off into the old landfill area that has had a few decades to grow over into a light pine forest.

Being February, that poison ivy is yet to proliferate, so I am safe as my legs start to burn as I follow the tight track toward the north end of the park, with whoop-de-doos, roots and rocks making this section of trail very different than anything else you will find in Bent Creek or the rest of Pisgah. I feel my cross country muscles working very hard, a serious change for someone who tends to ride for 4+ hours or nothing at all. It makes me a little wary for the Knobscorcher Race at Tsali - a few more hours out here could do me some good.

As I was saying, I roll north on yellow trail, with nice rock features, a bridge, and a lot of short out of the saddle bursts of speed required to keep my bike going forward. I head up a right-hand switchback and stare off into the distance, the French Broad River framed by a line of trees on the left and railroad berm on the right. I stop for a second to drink in the view, at which time Zissou decides it is her turn to lead me on the trails, and she rockets off, glancing back intermittently to assure her place as Alpha until I can get a quick downhill and yell at her to get the hell out of my way. Which doesn’t really happen, because on the yellow loop the downs are quick and swoopy, but never enough to completely lay off the brakes and live through the turns. And trust me, in piles of vegetation between the trails lies a magic combination of pointy plants and poison ivy.

So I coax Zissou back in line behind me and get back to the shared section and pedal back to the red loop split. The return on the two-way section is great, quick singletrack with a left turn around a rock cropping that makes you want to balk. But I don’t. And I pedal on. A little creek crossing gets me to a split in the red loop. I opt to jump across said creek crossing, as I do realize this used to be the city landfill and I don’t want my Sidis impregnated with god-knows-what they used to toss out here. I opt for the left turn (The right, I understand, just loops back onto the left) and head out for a few more miles of trail with some steep sandy climbs, a big grassy field eerily littered with pieces of plastic sheets, a left turn at the actual border of the landfill itself (smells like urinal cake!) and to top it off, an old home and barn site with three standing structures in the middle of the loop. And some more of the grunt-laden climbing I previously described. A few little pieces were washing out, especially in the grassy field of plastic-decorated trees, but the overall experience as I dropped the last downhill, a little steeper on this side, back to the shared use section was very positive.

I’m not sure if there will be racing there as there was in the past - some of the tight tech moves and lack of anything wider than single-track might make a few of those titanium bolt cut you bars narrow 140# race geeks less than pleased. But I really think if you don’t mind a few points at which the crowd could back up a little it has the potential to be awfully fun. We’ll see what the powers that be have in mind. Not to mention to $1000 IMBA grant that I think SORBA still has to help put in some freeride features (I’ll defer to Mike Brown and Pisgah Area SORBA on this point) so I can not be such a wuss on the rock drops. Alexander Park does suffer from a significant lack of log rides and see-saws at this point, but that could change in the future.

So Ashevillians, and those from beyond our little neck of the woods, check out Alexander Park. Its short-than-Pisgah loops, climbs, and total elevation, as well as challenging-at-high-speed / do-able-at-low-speed technical features speak to strong work by local organizations and some thought for was WNC riders might want. Check it out. Burn your legs up. Tire out your dogs. Revel in the two wheeled ecstasy.

Wes

 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.  I had to replace the bike nearly every year thanks to the incredible amount of rust thanks to the incredible lack of maintenance and grease that my bike received.  All the while looking like the kid in “A Christmas Story”, barely able to put my hands into my paper bag as I trudged up to mailboxes, mail slots, front porches, and awaiting hands.

 But as with vegetables, women, and talk radio, my tastes have expanded to include a few new delights I once thought were quite intolerable.  Which brings me to last Saturday.

 After spending an hour in my local cyclery getting a bolt drilled out and replaced on the full suspension rig, trusty sidekicks Bea and Zissou in tow, I arrived at the parking lot as giddy as a schoolboy.  But not me as a schoolboy.  Some other schoolboy who liked riding his bike in the snow.  Because I didn’t like stuff like that.  I liked eating Doritos on the couch.  Don’t make me repeat myself.

 I got to the Black Mountain Parking lot, the lone vehicle as the snow began to accumulate on the exposed ground.  A few inches had already been laid down two days prior, with a 50-degree day in the middle, so I was a bit anxious about what I might find out there on Thrift Cove and Grassy Road.  I was not to be disappointed. 

 As soon as I got out of the lot and under the canopy, two inches of fluffy white bliss lay on the ground, only a few errant footprints and one slightly swervy tire track were leading me into the climb up Black Mountain Trail.  As I then started to spin and spin out as I gained elevation, nature turned up the intensity slowly until my glasses became useless.  I peeled them off and let my adverse-conditions-squinty-bike face take over.  

 Then I got to the turn up Black Mountain and continued forward on Thrift Cove, with two reciprocal boot prints and evidence of a four-legged friend leadin the way forward into a pristine stretch of albino ground cover.  The snow kept on, staying just below the freezing mark, keeping the snow falling but getting my clothes nice and wet.  And this is when I got the Icee double whammy.

 Sweat and melting snow.

 I have explained the melting snow, but not the sweat - I found the entire remainder of the ride was through two inches of firm snow, the kind with frozen surface tension from the melt the day before forcing me to plow through it with every pedal stroke.  Resistance going uphill, downhill, on the flats - didn’t matter. 

 The start of Thrift Cove Trail normally leads off with a beautiful uphill grade where you hammer in the big ring, giving the thrill of heart pounding uphill speed and the dogs a chance to get the tongues ad tails waggin’.  As I plodded through this colorless fluffy transient tar I had found on the trail, the dogs kept coming back to find me, heads cocked in confusion, wondering, “why isn’t the human with his funny legs going faster than us today?”  They literally ran laps around me.  I watched them plow through ravines, explosions of white following brown streaks as they railed through the rhododendrons and mountain laurel, stopping to mark my progress before tearing around the next bend and eventually sauntering back to repeat the process.

 By the time I got to Sycamore Cove split, I decided I had gotten my work in, and that avoiding pavement back to the car at the bottom was wise, so I reversed to do it all over again.  I got back to the car, loaded up the cold, wet, and happy dogs, drank a huge sip of nearly frigid coffee left over from the morning, and headed out.  Elated. 

 Winter, I welcome you back to the Grand Old South.  To Appalachia.  To Pisgah.  Let’s get Reacquainted, you and me.  Let’s get it on. 

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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.