Tour de Fat on the Horizon and Other Fun Stuff

It’s Almost Here! Welcome to almost September. Labor Day weekend is just a stone’s throw away and we all know what that means…Three day weekend! Three day weekend! Along with the biggest bike party this side of the Mississippi. The TOUR de FAT rolls into town on Saturday September 5th, just in case you hadn’t heard. ! Got your costume ready? We are still in need of VOLUNTEERS. The Tour de Fat supports two local non-profits. Overland Mountain Bike Club, Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming’s mountain bike resource and Bike Fort Collins, an organization dedicated to getting people out on their bikes and helping make Fort Collins safer for cyclists. If you haven’t yet signed up, please do so. If you have signed up but your neighbors, friends, and/or family haven’t, what are they waiting for? Volunteers receive a t-shirt, food, and two drink tokens. VOLUNTEER HERE.

Devil’s Backbone Outreach Day

Blue skies and moderate temps made for a great day this past Saturday to set up the tent at the Backbone and talk trails and bikes for a few hours. We talked with several trail users, handed out all sorts of literature, went for rides, and had a thoroughly enjoyable morning. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped out. I think it was a relatively calm day too. No crashes of note except for 3 year old Ella wiping out in the loose gravel on her little blue bike. Good thing she was wearing a helmet. Speaking of helmets…If you do happen to crash and hit your noggin’, please replace your helmet. Even if there’s no visible damage, the structural integrity of it could be compromised. It’s cheap insurance.

Monthly Meeting and Upcoming Elections

Last Monday evening we gathered once again at Catalyst Coffee to talk mountain biking and socialize. It was good to see everyone. Three members threw their hat in the ring for the upcoming Board of Directors election that will take place at our September meeting. Todd Thibedeau, Bill Heisterman, and Monty Seitz each gave a little talk about the direction they'd like to see the club head in. If you'd like to discuss their ideas with them more, seek them out. Most Wednesday evenings, Monty and Bill can be found at our Singletrack Socials. Todd will be at the Tour de Fat this weekend and you can always find him somewhere near Curt Gowdy State Park.

EXPAND Disabled MTB Clinic

The Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance and the City of Boulder could use your help on September 12th. Here's a great way to help share our love of mountain biking with a truly inspiring group. The City of Boulder EXPAND Program needs volunteers to tow adaptive riders up Marshall Mesa & support them thru tricky sections on the trail. More info HERE.

To register a disabled person that would benefit from this FREE clinic, or to volunteer for a morning or afternoon shift contact: Jenn Heilveil 303-413-7474 or email her at: heilveilj (at) bouldercolorado.gov

That’s about all the chatter I have in me this week. Here’s what to look forward to.

Monday, August 31
Tour de Fat Lead Training, 6:00 p.m. at New Belgium Brewery

TIPS Training, 7:00pm at New Belgium Brewery

Wednesday, September 2
Singletrack Social Group Ride – Meet at Maxwell. Be ready to roll by 6 p.m. Social hour at Josh’s house afterwards. Bring something to share. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Saturday, September 5
Tour de Fat. Need I say more?

Tuesday, September 8th
Trails Team Meeting - Come on out and talk TRAILS! The Trails Team meets monthly to discuss local trail issues and plan for future trails in and around the area. We’d love to have your input.

Thanks and Points Leaders

A huge thanks to Doug and Mary McCartney for being the shutterbugs that they are. Check out the wonderful uploaded photos of recent events in our gallery.

Oh, and that points thing. Leaders as of this morning:

Total Points Leader: Pete Skram - 220 points

Patrol Points Leader: Joe Perrin - 113 points

August Rolls to an End

That’s right. August rolls to an end here this next week and rolls right into the Tour de Fat! The greatest bike parade and fest lumbers into town on September 5th with wacky bikes, original entertainment, and several thousand of your best friends. We are still in need of VOLUNTEERS. Help us make this day a success. The Tour de Fat benefits Bike Fort Collins and Overland Mountain Bike Club. Thanks ahead of time.

Two Trail Days

This comes from Mary and Doug who helped us divide and conquer over the weekend of August 15th.

“ The Curt Gowdy Trail day was a success. About 30 people came out to work on the trails including 15 members of Boy Scout Troup 101 from Wyoming. The trail work involved placing culverts, planting sign posts and rock armoring the soggy areas. Rock On wheels of Laramie provided a spaghetti lunch for everyone and although it rained throughout the day much was accomplished.”

And as mentioned last week, the trail day on the Shoreline Section of the Foothills trail was a success also. Check out last week’s post for more info.

A Couple of Helpful Patrollers

Many of us have taken the training to become ‘Certified Mountain Bike Patrollers’ for Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol. We go through First Aid and CPR classes. We meet with land agencies. We learn how to help people with mechanical issues, etc. And even though we spend the hours doing these things, not many of us get a chance to put our skills, especially our medical skills, into play, aside from bandaging our own injuries, of course. I guess this is a good thing, but it’s also a good thing to have those skills.

Recently, however, Patrollers Bill and Jess were out on the trail when their skills came into play with a rider who had a head injury. Here’s a little bit from both of them.

Bill: "…As we were loading up the truck at the trailhead, a man came up and asked if we could help him. His wife had had a bad crash coming down the trail… When we got to her, you could tell things were a little fuzzy but she was a trooper. Her helmet was cracked in a few places but it had done its job… Head injuries are always scary and even though I have more than basic first aid training the important thing to remember is to always stay calm. If you're calm and joking with them, they'll stay calm and be observant. Fortunately she was at the trailhead so the rangers arrived quickly an evacuation was quick and simple. From what I understand, she’s going to be fine… So don't ever think that bike patrols aren’t important. You never know."

Jess: (Who had crashed earlier on her ride with Bill and was in a bit of pain.) "…When we got there she was definitely a little loopy. She surely wasn't very sure of anything, but at least she was smiling and aware that she wasn't very aware. We hung out with her. Bill checked her out. The rangers showed up (three trucks worth)... I kept doing my best to tell bad jokes and stay out of the way.... I did ONE useful thing – blankets are a good thing. I helped keep her warm… They stuck her on one of those backboards and off she went. Poor girl. Glad I was there to bring some femininity to the whole male cavalcade of ubber-trained professionals swarming the area. I must say, it was quite the show for a mild concussion and broken finger. Better safe than sorry, and I was even able to re-use the single-use ice pack they took away from her broken finger for my shoulder. No no, I didn't TAKE it, they simply didn't want to continue using it, and well, I was in a bit of pain myself."

Nice work, Bill and Jess. Are you ready for an incident on the trail? Patroller or not, you may want to consider what you’d do if someone you know or don’t gets hurt out on the trail.

And now for this week’s calendar (and a little more…)

Mon, Aug. 24th – Monthly Meeting at Catalyst Coffee. 6:30 p.m. Night ride to follow at 8:30 p.m. for those who are interested.

Tues, Aug. 25th – Laramie Mountain Bike Series. More info here.

Wed, Aug. 26th – Singletrack Social leaving Maxwell Parking Lot at 6 p.m. Social hour afterwards at Josh Shafer’s. Bring something to share. These rides are a great way to break up the week. They’re quite fun and well attended. Hope to see you there.

Thurs, Aug. 27th – TIPS Training for the Tour de Fat. Info here.

Fri, Aug. 28th – F.C. Cycling Fest hosts the Oskar Blues Cruiser Ride and Concert in Old Town – the prologue to the Ride de Rist 5:30 p.m. Info here.

Saturday, Aug. 29th Ride de Rist. 7:30 a.m. Info here.
Outreach at Devil’s Backbone. Singletrack Social meets at Devil’s too. 9 a.m.

Mon, Aug. 31st – TIPS Training and Lead Training for the Tour de Fat. Info here.

Sat, September 5th – Tour de Fat. Volunteer here. Info about the event here.

Oh, yeah, and a quick review of points totals.

Pete S. still leads the way with Total Points at 185.
Joe P. leads the way with Patrol Points at 94.

Will anyone catch either of them?

Keep the rubber side down and don’t forget your helmet. See you on the trails.

Trail Day Volunteers Needed this Weekend

Volunteers Needed for Trail Work Day at Horsetooth!

Trail work is an important part of keeping our outdoor community properly maintained and environmentally sustainable. We use our parks throughout the year for hiking, biking, horseback riding, walking our dogs, snowshoeing, and so much more! Giving back to our parks is a great way to show your appreciation and get outdoors and enjoy the trails, too.

We have one more trail work day this year, and we could use your help! We will be meeting at the Horsetooth Mountain Park trailhead at 8:45 am on Saturday, August 22nd. Northern Colorado Outdoors will be providing lunch from Backcountry Provisions, so RSVP to: info@NorthernColoradoOutdoors.com with your name, phone number, and lunch preference.
You can also go to our website and RSVP: www.NorthernColoradoOutdoors.com - just click on "Event Calendar" and sign up at the event date.

The trail work day will last until approximately 2:00 pm, so come prepared to stay for the duration. Bring water, gloves, a hat, and sunscreen, and ensure that you are wearing sturdy, closed-toed shoes and comfortable clothes.
Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to seeing you Outdoors!

Sincerely,

Kristina Brown
www.NorthernColoradoOutdoors.com

Weekly Outlook for August 17th

Hope you're getting out and riding! The Tour de Fat heads our way in 19 DAYS! Yep, that’s 19 DAYS! If you’ve already signed up, THANKS! If you haven’t, we need your help. Please sign up to volunteer for a shift or two or three. Volunteer sign-up has been pretty light so far. Please rally some friends and family members and sign them up! We have plenty of slots open for people who don’t want to get TIPS trained. Then again, we have plenty of spots open for people who are TIPS Trained. (TIPS Training info is also on the sign-up page.) Thanks again! And if you haven’t gotten your costume together yet, get on it!

The Trail Day on Shoreline turned out to be a huge success. If you’ve been out there since Saturday afternoon, you’ll have noticed a big difference. We no longer have to worry about someone falling off the side of the earth as they zip along the trail. Working together with Todd, Richard, and Dan from the Larimer County Trail Crew, members of Team BOB, the CSU Cycling Team, the UNC Rec Center, New Belgium Brewery, and Overland Mountain Bike Club, moved a 350-foot section of trail up the hill about 10-20 feet in order to mitigate a constant erosion problem, help the trail drain better, and make using the trail a bit more pleasant. Thanks to everyone who came out and got dirty with us. Also, a huge thanks to Backcountry Provisions in Old Town for donating awesome, tasty, mouth-watering sandwiches for lunch.

The Silent Auction at Peloton Cycles for Stu Culp raised somewhere in the neighborhood of $4k. Check out Your Group Ride for updates on Stu and Dr. Tim. Thanks to Dan at YGR for keeping us all up-to-date.

And now for this week’s events:

Wednesday, August 19th – Singletrack Social Group Ride. Meet at the Maxwell Trailhead to ride by 6 p.m. Meet at Josh Shafer’s house to socialize afterwards. Please bring drinks or a snack to share. By the way, we had a season high 20 riders show up and break into two groups last week. These rides are turning out to be quite fun and break up the week quite nicely. I’m sure we’ll be riding the re-route on Shoreline this week. Please join us!

Thursday, August 20th – Bike-In-Movie at New Belgium Brewery. It’s back again and will be better than ever! Grab your cruiser, your bar bike, your fixie, your trike, load the fam in the burley trailer and head on over to New Belgium at dusk every Thursday for films, brews, and good times. The way they were meant to be - car free. This year NBB supports Wolverine Farm Publishing and Bike Fort Collins with our beer sales. So come support your local community.
This week’s movie – CLOSE ENCOUNTERS of the THIRD KIND

Saturday, August 22nd- Singletrack Social at the Soderberg Trailhead. Team 4 Hosts this week. Meet to ride by 9 a.m. Come and check out the work the county did on Loggers and Carey Springs. I’m curious to see what it’s like.

Monday, August 24th – Monthly Meeting at the Tap Room at Catalyst Coffee. Tour de Fat pre-game planning, socializing, trail talks, etc. Bring a friend. See you there!

Points Update: As of Monday morning, the points competition looks like this:
Overall Points Leader – Pete Skram with 142 points. Doug and Mary McCartney aren’t far behind
Patrol Points Leader – Joe Perrin has leapt onto the scene with a whopping 68 patrol points and 21 patrols.

That’s about it. Enjoy the ride and the week. See you at the trailhead or at the meeting! And don’t forget to sign-up for your shifts at the Tour de Fat!

Tour de Fat Heading This Way!

The wild and crazy bike show and parade that is the Tour de Fat heads this direction in 3 weeks. This year's show on Saturday, September 5th benefits Overland Mountain Bike Club and its service arm, Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol, along with Bike Fort Collins. Plan on being there! And if you can help out and volunteer for part of the day, click HERE or on the link at the top right corner of this page and sign up. Thanks ahead of time, get your bike tuned up and start designing that costume!

Weekly Outlook for the Week of August 10th

Top of the Monday mornin’ to you,

Area cyclists in need…

Please keep Tim Anderson, president of the Fort Collins Velodrome Association and organizer of the Oval Races, and his family in your thoughts this morning. Tim crashed in a bike race over the weekend and has had to have emergency surgery. More details about Tim can be found at Your Group Ride.

Also, if you are unaware, the family of Stu Culp has asked for donations of gift cards to help as they begin Stu’s recovery. To support the family, there will be a Silent Auction this Saturday, August 15th at Peloton. More details can also be found at Your Group Ride.

A few reminders:

Tour de Fat is just around the corner – 4 weeks away. Please spread the word. Sign-ups will be available in the next day or so. Keep an eye out. Also, don’t forget to get your TIPS training dates down. They’re on the Overland calendar.

We'd love to see an upswing in our patrols from now until October. The land agencies depend on our feedback and reports. Thanks to all of you who have been out there actively patrolling. From looking at this past week's totals, it looks like we've seen an upswing in patrols. Nice work. Joe Perrin has leapfrogged Dave Frisbie in patrol points. Pete Skram seems to be running away with the overall points totals at this point in time. Will anyone challenge?

Here’s what's happening this week:

Tuesday

Laramie MTB Series. Check the calendar for details. Also, the Trails Team Meeting was rescheduled to last week. It is canceled tonight.

Wednesday

Singletrack Social – Leave Maxwell by 6 p.m. Social hour at Josh's afterwards. Bring something to share.

Saturday

Curt Gowdy Trail Day – Head on up to Wyo and dig in the dirt. Please sign up on the website under Member Resources if you plan on going or email: dpmbp2008 (at) gmail.com

Shoreline Trail Day – Time for a little re-route on Monty’s favorite trail. Meet up at the Rotary Parking Lot at 8. (This is the parking lot at the top of the Maxwell Trail across Centennial) So we can plan for lunch, please RSVP by signing up under Member Resources on the website or by emailing dpmbp2008 (at) gmail.com At this point we need a minimum of 11 more people to sign up.

Singletrack Social @ Soderberg - CANCELED - Due to having two trail days on our plate, we'll cancel this week's Singletrack Social for Saturday

Silent Auction for Stu Culp – 5:30 p.m. Peloton Cycles

REMINDER: The next monthly meeting was rescheduled to August 24th at Catalyst Coffee due to a conflict with TIPS Training. Please make a note of it. We'd love to have a big turnout as this is the meeting where we go over a lot of the Tour de Fat information and procedures.

That's about it. Thanks for getting out there.

Shoreline Trail In Need of Help

A tire’s width of trail is about all you’ll find in a handful of spots along the Shoreline section of the Foothills Trail, a well-traveled trail used by mountain bikers, hikers, and runners alike. With the generous amounts of rain Mother Nature has bestowed on our region, the trail has dangerously eroded away in several spots.

On Saturday, August 15th at 8 a.m. Overland Mountain Bike Club will host a trail maintenance day in conjunction with personnel from Larimer County. The goal for the day will be to re-route a portion of the trail, fix sections where drainage problems have caused ‘bog-like’ areas after rains, and armor a section or two to prevent further problems.

We’d love to invite you all to grab a shovel, a Pulaski or a McCloud and come out and help. Overland will supply lunch and tools. Please wear long pants, sturdy shoes, gloves and bring plenty of water. Meeting place is the Rotary Parking Lot off of Centennial. (Rotary is the parking lot at the top of Maxwell – The ‘A’ Trail) In order to plan for food, please email: dpmbp2008 (at) gmail.com.

Hope you can come out and help us make Shoreline even more enjoyable. Ride on.

Kory Swanson
Overland Mountain Bike Club/DPMBP