Weekly Outlook, Last Week of June, Beginning of July

Greetings Singletrack Slaves,

Lots o’ diggin’ in the dirt over the weekend. Mountain Bikers will greatly benefit from all the work that was done. Crews worked at both Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyo and Lory State Park here in our neck of the woods. Drainage issues seemed to be the theme of the day at Lory, what with all the precipitation we’ve seen as of late. A huge thanks to everyone who donated some sweat equity to our trail system.

Before I get onto what's up this week, check out the article and video from CBS up in Cheyenne about Curt Gowdy co-starring Paul Gritten.

So, what’s going on this week? Check it out.

Monday, June 29th,
6:30 p.m. – Monthly Meeting @ New Belgium Brewery. Bring some cash to pick up your new jersey. Only $40.
8:30 p.m. - Night ride will follow the meeting. If you plan on riding, make sure you have a trail-worthy lighting system. We’ll ride from the brewery, weave our way through town until we hit the base of Maxwell at the end of Prospect and go from there.

Tuesday, June 30th,
2:30 p.m – Trail Day @ Hewlett Gulch with New Belgium Brewery.
5:30 p.m. – Laramie Mountain Bike Race Series
6:00 p.m. – City Lights Criterium Series

Wednesday, July 1st
5:30 p.m. – Overland MTB Club member, Coach Ben Ollet offers a series of Skills Clinic for the intermediate rider @ Lory State Park. Check out his WEBSITE for more info.
5:30 p.m. – Singletrack Social – Maxwell Trailhead. Meet @ 5:30. Be ready to ride by 6.

Saturday, July 4th
8:30 a.m. – Singletrack Social is on the schedule but it is a holiday. We’ll make a decision at tonight’s meeting as to whether or not we’ll have the ride, cancel it, or meet somewhere else for a bit of variety.

A couple of bigger upcoming events you might want to get on your calendar:

July 25th and 26th – Overland Mountain Bike Club’s Summer BBQ and Campout during the Curt Gowdy Music Fest. Families welcome. Camping and Park entry will be free. Saturday Night BBQ will be tasty. Want to help plan it? Let us know.

September 5th – The Tour de Fat is on. Get it on your calendar. Ask your friends and family to get it on their calendars. We’ll need lots and lots of volunteers.

See you all tonight. Ride your bike to the meeting, earn an extra point.

-Kory

Weekly Outlook for June 21st

Hope all the dad's had a great time on Sunday. Looks like Pop's Day kicked off a busy week for all of us here at MOUNTAIN BIKE CENTRAL. Welcome to BIKE WEEK! Pump up your tires and pedal hard. Here's what's what:

#1 Important thing. Friends of Lory Trail Day. Sign up. We need you. It's next Sunday. The link to the sign-up is at the top of this webpage in the right hand column. Easy. Easy. Easy.

Monday - CPR Review with Thuan.

Tuesday - 6 p.m. City Lights Crit. Check out: www. yourgroupride.com for more info. Lots of fun. NASCAR on bikes.
6 p.m. - Good Host Training with the USFS (Sign up with Barb if you still need this.)

Wednesday - A Busy Day!
6:30 a.m.- Bike to Work Day @ Catalyst Coffee. Overland is hosting a breakfast stop
5:30 p.m. Coach Ben Ollett returns to lead a Skills Clinic during the Singletrack Social to all interested. Meet in the Maxwell Parking Lot at 5:30. Ride by 6 p.m. The Skills Clinic will head over to the newly redesigned skills park @ Spring Canyon Park and then head out for a ride from there. Not interested in the clinic? Ride with us anyway.
6 p.m. - Full First Aid Class with Thuan. Contact Thuan if you need this class.
6 p.m. - Good Host Training with the City. Contact Barb if you need this training.

Thursday - First Aid Training with Thuan

Friday - Ride your bike.

Saturday - Trail Day at Curt Gowdy. Check our calendar for info.
8:30 a.m. - Singletrack Social @ Soderberg. Team 2 is leading this week's ride. Thanks this past week to Thuan N, Bill H, and Pete Skram for getting out and leading the ride.

Sunday - Did I mention FRIENDS OF LORY TRAIL DAY? Tell the world. Work on the trails and go for a ride after.

Monday - Mid-Season New Belgium Meeting. Earn extra points for riding your bike to the meeting. Heck, why not have that night ride afterwards that we've been talking about. Make sure you have lights that are at least 10w and that they are charged up. We'll head out west and ride some local trails. Oh, and there's always pizza and tasty bevvies at this meeting. Oh, and don't forget. We'll have the new jerseys for sale at this meeting. $40.

Tuesday - Trail Day @ Hewlett Gulch with the employees of our wonderful sponsor, New Belgium Brewery. Check out the calendar for more details and to RSVP.

That's all folks.

--Kory

Georgia, Ben, Leah, and Dusty - The Skills Clinic

'How do I climb and clear an obstacle?'

'How do I descend and clear an obstacle?'

'What's the best way to take a corner at speed?'

These were just a few of the questions eager members of Overland Mountain Bike Club asked Skills Clinic hosts, Georgia Gould, her husband Dusty, her coach Ben Ollett, and her competitor, Leah (whose last name I regrettably missed).

Riders headed out into two groups and worked on a variety of skills from climbing technical sections to cornering. Most riders made it out of the evening unscathed. Most. We had one close call when one of our riders launched himself and his bike into orbit. Luckily, he landed well and suffered only a minor scrape or two.

Overall, it seemed like most riders enjoyed their evening with the pros. As a bonus, Coach Ben has offered his services at our next week's Singletrack Social on Wednesday at Maxwell. We'll meet at Maxwell and for those interested head over to the newly remodeled skills park before heading out on the trail. All members are welcome.

Weekly Outlook for June 15th

Whew? Where’d the rain go? Okay, it wasn’t completely gone over the weekend but at least we could get out and enjoy the sunshine. The Fossil Creek Bike Fair went well. Lots of kids on bikes and a pretty exciting Bike Polo contest. The Outreach Day at Horsetooth, I mean Soderberg, went well after a slightly rocky start. Sounds like there was a lot of discussion with bikers going on. Thanks to everyone who got out this weekend and volunteered. Please don’t forget . The Friends of Lory Trail Day, one of our signature events, is on June 28th. Please sign up HERE

This week’s pretty low key in terms of volunteers! Yeah. A little breather. Nonetheless, living in the great cycling region that we do, there’s always stuff to do.

Tuesday, June 16th – Downtown Criterium Series begins with races for kids and adults alike. If you’ve never been in a Crit or seen one, check these out. More info at
http://www.yourgroupride.com/.

Feel like racing on dirt? Head on up to Laramie for their Mountain Bike Series. Registration will be at the warming hut at the Tie City parking lot of Happy Jack. More info here: http://laramiemtbseries.com/


Wednesday, June 17th – 6 p.m. The Singletrack Social moves over to Soderberg for the week. Georgia Gould and her coach, Ben Ollett will host skills clinics. Spots in the skills clinics are closed but there’s plenty of room for people to do a group ride on our own. If you signed up for the skills clinic and you can’t make it, please let me know as soon as possible. We do have a waiting list. Also, there’ll probably be some socializing going on afterwards.

Saturday, June 20th – 8:30 a.m. Saturday’s Singletrack Social is also at Soderberg. Team 1 is on the schedule for leading this Group Ride. Sign up on the website.

The FedEx guy showed up at my doorstep with a box of Overland jerseys. My lovely wife, Jen, agreed to model them for you. Nice pic, eh? Cost is $40. We’ll have them at the end of the month meeting at New Belgium. If you want yours ahead of time and are planning to be at one of the group rides, let me know and I’ll bring yours. Cash or check is fine.

That’s about it…other than the fact that my son turns 5 today and is quickly becoming a better rider than his dad. Whoa. I’m tired.

Keep the rubber side down. Here’s to more 70 degree days and sunshine.

--Kory

p.s. Remember to sign up to follow this blog. Valuable prizes will be awarded in a raffle for all followers.

Friends of Lory Trail Day Sign Up

Friend of Lory is just around the corner.

Sign up HERE.

Fossil Creek Family Bike Fair

The City of Fort Collins FC Bikes program is hosting The Fossil Creek Family Bike Fair at Fossil Creek Park (5821 S. Lemay) from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 13. The event will take place at the Park’s Oval Pavilion and will include live music, food, bike rides, bike games, bike education booths, and a bike polo tournament. Children can try their skills on the bicycle safety course and participate in the Paper Boy Challenge. There will also be a children’s bike decorating activity and bike parade.

Saturday’s event will also feature a locals’ velo swap. Please bring your old bikes and bike parts to sell, trade, or buy at the swap. Swap begins at 9 a.m. and runs through the afternoon; set-up for the swap begins at 8:30 a.m.

The Colorado Bike Polo tournament begins at 10:30 a.m. Rules and structure will be explained to team captains on the day of the event. Contact the FC Bikes office to sign up your team.
Get tips on family bicycling and commuting along the bike paths and bike lanes of Fort Collins. Check out ‘09 bikes and bike trailers from local bike shops and manufacturers. Local bike organizations will also be on hand to offer information on how to get involved with the bicycling community.

The Family Bike Fair is part of FC Bikes’ focus that involves growing the bicycle culture in south Fort Collins. FC Bikes hopes to integrate more bike-related events on the south side of town to incorporate education, encouragement, and community outreach.

For additional information on The Fossil Creek Family Bike Fair visit FC Bikes or contact Dave “DK” Kemp at (970)416-2411 or at dk@fcgov.com.

Outlook for the Week of June 8th

Nice little hail storm we had yesterday. Almost had to get out my shovel. Looks like Joe Perrin had a chance to get out and whoop it up a bit recently. Let’s hope we can all ride like Joe this week. Here’s what’s happening:

Monday, June 8
6:00 pm - CPR Review (Contact Thuan if you need this class or any of the others upcoming ones. More info on the calendar.)

Tuesday, June 9
6:30 pm – Trails Team Meeting @ Café Vino

Wednesday, June 10
5:30 pm - Singletrack Social Group Ride and Socializing afterwards @ Josh Shafer's. Refreshments will be served.
6:00pm - Full First Aid Class - Part 1

Thursday, June 11
6:00pm - First Aid Review and Full First Aid Class - Part 2

Saturday, June 13
8:30am Singletrack Social - Group Ride
11:00am Fossil Creek Family Bike Fair (Need a few volunteers to come out and work the tent.)
Sunday, June 14
9:00am Outreach Day @ Horsetooth Mountain Park (Bring your bike. Go for a ride. Go for a patrol. Talk to trail users at the tent. Be an ambassador for mountain biking. Probably a good day to get in a Patrol Check Ride if you still need one.)

Also, Friends of Lory Trail Day is just around the corner. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Sign up HERE.

Also, sign up to follow this blog and you’ll be entered into a RAFFLE at the next monthly meeting. We've already had one winner.

Red Mountain Kick-Off Cancelled

Bummer. Red Mountain Open Space Grand Opening has been cancelled due too much rain. Apparently the road in is in pretty rough condition.

Rain, Rain, Rain...Ride Cancelled tonight

Tonight's Singletrack Social at Maxwell Parking Lot is cancelled due to rain. Bummer. At least my lawn and garden are happy...

Monthly Meeting Notes

May’s Monthly Club Meeting Review

So, we actually had May’s monthly meeting in June. What can we say? It was a busy month. Thanks again to Catalyst Coffee for hosting us. Our next meeting will be held at New Belgium Brewery on Monday, June 29th. Hope to see you there.

If you didn’t get a chance to make the meeting last night, here’s a quick run-down of what was discussed:

Special Guests: Freshman, Cassi Mason and her father, Tony came to discuss their trip along the Colorado Trail. They will travel the entire length of the 500-mile trail on their mountain bikes this summer. They will be raising money for the Fort Collins Bike Co-op. If you’d like to support them on their trip, send a check to the Fort Collins Bike Co-op or contact Tony Mason at tony(at)greyrock.org.

Great News! After many years of working with the IRS, Overland Mountain Bike Club and Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol have received ‘official’ non-profit status. A huge thanks to Doug and Mary McCartney for their persistence in getting this done.

Spring Canyon Bike Park is undergoing a remodel in order to make it more sustainable. A pump track will be added and many of the other challenges will be changed. Jason and Pete from IMBA are here working on it and need people to come out and help. They’re working from 9-5 daily until it is done.

Bobcat Ridge trail work is happening this Saturday – 9 a.m. ish. Contact Doug Cutter if you want to help out.

Trails Meeting – Josh Shafer gave a rundown of the Trails Meeting that took place a couple of weeks ago. The Trails Committee is working on designing a long-term plan for trails in the area. They’re also working on creating a proposal for doing a ‘Beginner’s Loop’ at Pineridge. If you are passionate about trails, join them on June 9th @ 6:30 @ Café Vino. Regular meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of every month.

Friends of Lory Trail Day is Sunday, June 28th. A variety of tasks will be accomplished during the day.

This Friday Night, June 5th, Full Cycle and Northern Colorado Outdoors will have a Summer Kick-Off. Drinks, Food, and Goodies will be available.

Grand Opening at Soapstone Open Space and Red Mountain Open Space is this Saturday. Barb requested volunteers to come out and help people with rides and to staff the tent. If you plan on riding, Slime or Stan’s your tubes. Cactus are everywhere.

Todd Thibedeau gave us the Wyoming Report. Club Member and Ride Diva, Tami Perrin hosted a Women’s Trail Clinic at Curt Gowdy recently and it was a great success! Another ½ mile of trail was cut up in Curt Gowdy last week. This coming weekend is the Curt Gowdy Summer Slam. Great event for families. Doug and Mary McCartney will be hosting the Diamond Peaks/Overland Tent and need people to help out. Sign up on the website.

June 13th is the inaugural Fossil Creek Bike Fair. If you can make it and help out with the tent, please do so. This looks to be another great event for kids and families. The event will take place at Fossil Creek Park which is south of Harmony off of Lemay.

June 14th – We’ll have our first ever ‘Outreach Day’ at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space. Great day to get in a patrol, a check ride, to talk with area trail users, etc. Come on out and help out!

June 24th is Bike to Work Day and Overland Mountain Bike Club, along with Catalyst Coffee and Performance Physical Therapy will host a station at Catalyst Coffee with is on the NW corner of Shields and Horsetooth. Come on out and cheer on the bike commuters.

Overland Mountain Bike Club recently approved a grant to Bike Fort Collins’ Museum Without Walls Program. Jeff Nye will be looking to acquire classic mountain bikes for the museum’s collection.

Help plan Events! The Events Committee has some upcoming events that we need help coordinating. The Overland Summer Camp Out and BBQ will be held at Curt Gowdy during the Curty Gowdy Music Festival to be held the weekend of July 25th. We have a large group campsite reserved and will have a group meal on Saturday night. Help is needed to coordinate this event.

A formal complaint was filed with the City regarding the Tour de Fat. New Belgium is currently working to solve this problem. The Tour is scheduled for September 5th.

Thuan Ngyuen will volunteer his time to train people who still need First Aid/CPR Training. See the website calendar for upcoming dates. Email Thuan if you plan on coming. You can find his email address on the website.

New Overland member, Jeff Riggen won this month’s Blog Member raffle. He signed up to follow this blog. There’ll be another raffle next month. Don’t waste time. Sign up now and keep up-to-date on mountain bike news and club happenings.

Community Bike Classic – Overall, the day went really well. Plenty of help from members. Thanks. A big thanks to Bill Heisterman for coordinating this event with event organizers.

Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day, the Spring Edition, went well. Thanks to Jed Emmons, Doug Baker, and Pete Skram for taking some awesome pictures. Thanks to all the volunteers both from Overland and Team BOB for helping out. The City of Fort Collins was happy with the even.