Elections, Contests, and the Season Finale

Greetings Wheeled Wonders,

October’s almost here. A chill is in the air and we still have lots of fun stuff ahead of us.

Elections Tonight!

Elections are tonight at our monthly meeting. Ron Chambers, Bill Heisterman, Monty Seitz, Kory Swanson, and Todd Thibodeau have thrown their hat in the ring for the 4 open board seats. If you cannot attend the meeting, please email your vote to Barb Allan, director. Vote for 4 of the 5 people.

Curt Gowdy Does IT!
Curt Gowdy State Park achieved IMBA Epic status on Saturday, Sep. 26th. Congrats to Todd and his crew and all the volunteers who made it possible!

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

We are still in need of volunteers for Take a Kid. Please sign up as soon as possible in order to help us plan for food, etc.

Overland Sponsors Cyclocross Races

Once again, we’re helping our main sponsor, New Belgium, run some great races out in the back 40 behind the brewery. With the October chill comes the heat of Cyclocross racing. We’ll need some volunteers to help with the kids races each week for the next 4 weeks. Hope to see you out there. The races start Tuesday, October 6th and run until the end of the month. Click HERE for more info.

First Ever Crankin’ Contest Coming Your Way!

Don’t forget. On October 10th, we’ll gather at 1 p.m. in Spring Canyon Park for a little bit of cycling fun. Pitting Overland Team against Overland Team, members will compete in a series of zany activities to see which Team rules the roost. No preview of the activities will be given as no one is allowed to practice ahead of time. Following the activities, a bbq will commence at Kory Swanson’s house. Team members are encouraged to ride their mountain bikes to the event as this will affect your overall score for the day.

Kooky Costume Cruise Coming Soon

After last year’s successful costume cruise, we’ll be doing another one after our Season Finale. The date? October 24th. Barb will stay out late one more time!

And this Week's Calendar...

Monday, Sept 28th,6:30 p.m. Monthly Meeting and Elections at Catalyst Coffee located on Shields, just north of Horsetooth.

Wednesday, Sept 30th, 5:30 p.m. Singletrack Social. As always, meet at Maxwell. Be ready to ride by 5:30 due to impending darkness. Hang out at Josh's afterwards. Bring something to share.

Saturday, October 3rd, 8 a.m. for set up and on...Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Help the kids enjoy a day of riding out in Lory State Park on IMBA's National Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day.

I almost forgot...This month's Patrol Contest...We're targeting Forest Service trails for the month of October. Who can get the most patrols completed up the Poudre Canyon, in Redfeather, etc. There's still plenty of time left to patrol!

And that's about it for this week. See you soon!

IMBA Epic on Horizon and Lots More

Patrollers Still Getting Out

Looks like we’re still getting lots of patrollers out on the trails. Looking at the patrol list I’m seeing patrols almost daily from Curt Gowdy and Redfeather to places closer to town. Keep up the good work y’all. And if you haven’t hit the trails up the Poudre Canyon lately, now’s a great time to start going.


Take a Kid Registration Still Open

Due to a slight mistake in the registration setup, some people may have encountered a 'This event is closed' message. Sorry about that. The glitch has been fixed. Please let people know that we still have plenty of slots open for the upcoming Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day and that they should register their kids before Saturday, Sept. 26th when registration officially closes.

IMBA Epic Designation on the Horizon

If you haven’t strapped your bike to your car and made the drive up to Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming, you just don’t know what you’re missing. The fine folks at IMBA, however, seem to be clued in. Join them this Saturday after the Stone Temple 8 as they designate Curt Gowdy as an IMBA Epic.

Help IMBA Bring Mountain Bike Racing to the H.S. Level here in Colorado
(from a recent IMBA release. If you’d be willing, Overland would love to support you.)

You may have heard about the incredible success that the Norcal and Socal high school mountain biking leagues have enjoyed in California. We now have a chance to launch the Colorado version -- high-quality racing and a comprehensive bicycle education program designed for young riders. We are asking for your help to make the Colorado High School Mountain Bike Racing League a reality. How can you get involved? Start with three simple steps:

Learn about the successes of the sister programs in California.

Forward this message to your riding friends, club members, cycling parents and anyone who might want to get involved.


Let us know if you'd be interested in attending a gathering (or hosting one) for like-minded supporters to help build momentum in your part of the state.


IMBA's goal is to raise enough interest and support to launch the Colorado High School League in the fall of 2010. With your help, we can do it!

Rattlesnakes Hatchin’
(Janice from Team BOB doing a little research for us all…)

I've noticed A LOT of baby rattlers (3 today) and finally figured out I always saw the little ones this time of year, so decided to investigate. This is what I found:The young are born between August and October. The newborn rattlesnake is about 10 inches long and has a small horny button on the tip of its tail. Rattler babies have venom, short fangs and are dangerous from birth. In fact, they are more pugnacious than the adults. Although unable to make a rattling sound, the youngsters throw themselves into a defensive pose and strike repeatedly when disturbed. Keep your eyes out because you won't hear them!

Crazy Joe Cross on Tuesdays

(From Dapper Dan at Your Group Ride)

Cyclocross racing sponsored by Your Group Ride began at 6pm on Tuesday September 15th in the field just South of Fossil Ridge High School (NOT at Fossil Creek Park where Joe Sap. ran it) and runs every Tuesday for the rest of September (15th, 22nd, and 29th). We’ve set up a great course on the on the High School cross country course. We’ve got barriers, we’ve got creek crossings, we’ve got run-ups, we’ve got dirt and we’ve got pavement. We’ve got it all, ‘cept tons of elevation gain and beer. Turns out they don’t allow alcohol on high school campuses anymore. Plan on running hot laps until it gets dark or some sort of winner is declared. Course layout by Troy Heithhecker - 2nd place at the 2004 Collegiate National Cyclocross Championships.
Check out the map

Note: New Belgium Cyclocross will be starting Tuesday Oct. 6th with a free Cyclocross clinic being hosted by Coach Ben Ollett and Olympian and all around speed demon, Georgia Gould.

And this week’s calendar: (Keep an eye on the weather…lookin’ like rain…)

Wednesday, Sept. 23rd
Singletrack Social starting at Maxwell – Leaving at 5:30 p.m. Please note the time change. We’ll leave the parking lot at 5:30 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. as the sun starts leaving us sooner. Snacks and refreshments at Josh’s afterwards. Everyone is welcome. Bring something to share.

Saturday, Sept. 26th
8:30 -Trail Day with the Boy Scouts up in Redfeather. If you can help out, contact Doug Cutter. He can use some trained trail people and has a couple of different shifts available.

9: 30 a.m. - Stone Temple 8 Race at Curt Gowdy. Volunteers still needed. Sign up on our website.
5:30 p.m. - IMBA Epic Designation at Curt Gowdy. Come and join the party!

Sunday, Sept. 27th

Outreach Day at Horsetooth Mountain Park. We need about 6 volunteers for this. Sign up on the website.

Monday, Sept. 28th

Monthly Meeting at Catalyst. Election Time! Come on out and vote for new board members.

A little farther out…

October 3rd - Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day – We’re still in need of volunteers. So far we have 50+ kids signed up. We need ride leaders, photographers, etc. etc. Sign up HERE.

And that’s about it as summer gets slammed into fall…

Colorado Trails Need Our Help!

An Important IMBA Email Release this week.

Three Vital Issues for Colorado Mountain Bikers: Apex Park, Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal and Roadless Protection

1) Ask Jefferson County to Reconsider Its Strategy for Apex Park

On Sept. 3, 2009, Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) released its recommended, revised management plan for improving visitor experiences at Apex Park. IMBA and its local affiliate the Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) believe the plan needs substantial revisions before it will be fair and equitable to mountain bikers. If adopted in its current state, the JCOS plan would be a huge loss for the mountain bike community. It would also represent a dangerous precedent for JCOS, and potentially other public lands across Colorado. The only travel restrictions imposed by this plan are against cyclists' interests.
Please join us in asking JCOS to improve its management strategy for Apex.

2) Update on the Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal
The Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign is a proposal to greatly expand Wilderness areas in central Colorado. IMBA-affiliated clubs, including the Roaring Fork Valley Mountain Bike Association (RFMBA) and the Summit Fat Tire Society (SFTS), have expressed strong concerns about the plan. While mountain bikers support protections against development and resource extraction, we also know that Wilderness designations -- which eliminate bike use -- are not the only tool for protecting public lands.
Please visit the RFVMBA advocacy webpage for comprehensive information about the Hidden Gems plan.

3) Tell Governor Ritter to Support Strong Roadless Protection in Colorado
What's the common factor for the 401 Trail, Rabbit Ears Pass and Monarch Crest? They all include Forest Service lands known as "roadless areas." There are more than 4 million acres of Forest Service roadless areas in Colorado, all of it open to mountain biking. The state is looking for input on how all these wild lands should be managed -- they need to hear from mountain bikers. IMBA has been working with its collegues at Outdoor Alliance to make sure roadless areas in Colorado are protected and remain open for all of us to enjoy now, and in the future. Click here to file your comments.
Want to get a better sense of what roadless protection really means? Check out this online video.

Bring the Pain and the Weekly Outlook

Not much goin’ on this week – unless you like ice cream, single speedin' (aka: pedal pain) or trail work. Lots of stuff to look forward to, however. Cross races, Curt Gowdy IMBA Celebration, Take A Kid Mountain Biking, Crankin’ Contest, Bobcat Ridge Trail Day, and more. The season ain’t over yet and it’s showin’ no signs of slowing down! (Picture: Nice shot looking north towards Breckenridge on Sunday)

Events off in the distance we’d love to see you at: On Sep. 26th, the Stone Temple 8 Endurance race returns to Curt Gowdy. Following the race will be a celebration as IMBA designates Curt Gowdy as an Epic Trail. We’d love to see the whole Overland Crew out to cheer Todd and the boys on as they receive the 'Academy Awards of Trailbuilding'.

On October 3rd, Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day returns. Parents, register your kids using the link to the right of this page. Volunteers sign up HERE or on the link at the right of this column. We’ll be hosting somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 kids at Lory State Park. We’ll need ride leaders, photographers, etc. to make sure this day is awesome for all of these kids. We’ll also be giving away a free bike to one lucky kid.

On October 10th, we’ll host the Crankin’ Contest – a day of Team Competition followed by a bbq. Details to follow soon. If you’d like to help organize this fun afternoon, let Kory know.

On Halloween, we’ll be scaring ourselves out at Bobcat Ridge working on some new features. This will most likely be our last trail day of the season. Hope to see you there.

Tim G. shared this week's video/article about guys who embrace pain. Check it out HERE.

And now for this week’s stuff:

Tuesday, Sept. 15th – Ice Cream Social w/the Buckingham Neighborhood. Volunteers needed. Click HERE, login and find the Root Beer Social event.

Wednesday, Sept 16th – Singletrack Social followed by Social Hour at Kory and Jen’s. (Josh ‘Bring the Pain’ S. may already be heading to Singlespeed Worlds in Durango so I don’t want to overwhelm him.) Kory and Jen will have directions from the trailhead if you don’t know where they live. As always, bring something to share.

All Weekend - Lookin' for some madness? Make the jaunt to Singlespeed Worlds in Durango and watch the crazies compete for a tatoo. Go Josh, go!

Saturday, Sept 19th – Curt Gowdy Trail Day. Come on out and work on the trails at Curt Gowdy. Want to carpool? Check with Rodger Thompson. He’s towing the tool trailer up.

And a little bit farther out…

Sep. 26th-IMBA Epic Awards at Curt Gowdy

Sep. 27th – Outreach Day at Horsetooth Mountain Park. Details to follow.

Lesson for the week: Knee caps – although solid – are no match for tree stumps which can end your riding season prematurely. OUCH! That had to hurt.

Oops, almost forgot the points tally:

Pete S. – Umm, apparently Pete’s trying to set a record with 300 points total so far including 49 patrols. Ain’t nobody catchin’ the Petester.

Team Points – Umm, yeah. Pete’s team, of course. Bill H and Thuan T have done a great job rallying their teammates with almost 1400 points for the season. Team 3 is within striking distance, however.

And that my sprocketed friends, is about all. Keep the rubber side down.

Tour de Fat a Success! And this Week's Stuff

Well, we did it. Another Tour de Fat rolled in, rolled through, and rolled right out of town. Don’t worry. It’s not going far. If you want to participate in the beauty of bikes head on down to Denver this next weekend and bask in the glory of all things bike-ness. Check here for more details. You won’t have to pour beer, check i.d.s, patrol the parade, etc. You can simply sit back, enjoy the music and sip.

Speaking of the Tour de Fat, a huge thanks to New Belgium Brewery for supporting our organization through this wonderful event. A huge thanks to each and every volunteer who worked one shift or twelve and took time out of their 3-day weekend to make the event run smoothly. A good time was had by all. Oh, and before I forget. A quick shout out to Jess M. who, even after checking i.d.s for hours on end, nabbed a young fellow’s i.d. that well, quite frankly, wasn’t his. Nice work Jess.

Curt Gowdy State Park = IMBA Epic

The Stone Temple 8 race takes place on September 26th. After the race, a ceremony will be held to designate Curt Gowdy as an IMBA Epic. Plan on coming up for the race and for the ceremony. Also, if you can lend support to the Stone Temple 8 Race, you won’t be turned away.

Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day on the Horizon

National ‘Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day’ happens on October 3rd. For the fall event we’ll be up at Lory State Park. Parents, sign your kids up HERE, tune up their bikes and bring them on out for a free day of mountain biking. Kids, write a cool essay and win a bike. Of course, we’ll need volunteers to help make these kids smile and smile. Look for info on volunteering soon.

That’s about all the jabbering I have in me. By the way, that's Todd Thibodeau up top at the 'Tour de Float'. And speaking of pictures, a ton of new ones from throughout the season have been added to our gallery. Check it HERE. Here’s the calendar for the next week or so:

Tuesday, September 8th:
6:30 p.m. - Trails Team Meeting at Café Vino. Got a ‘Trail Idea’? This is the meeting to attend. Plus, check out this ARTICLE about illegal trails. One more reason to get involved.

Wednesday, September 9th:
6 p.m. - The best group ride in town. Leaving Maxwell at 6 p.m. so be there a few minutes early to get geared up. Hitting Josh’s house for social hour around 7:45. Hope to see you out there. All level of riders welcome. Some go slow. Some go fast. The rest of us fall in accordingly. Hope to see you out there. As always, bring something to share.

Saturday, September 12: (Busy day!)
All weekend - The Beaver Meadows Mountain Bike Fest and Collegiate Race – Info here. Possible volunteer opportunities also.
9 a.m. – Our Saturday Singletrack Social leaves the Soderberg Parking Lot at 9 a.m. Please be ready to ride by 9 a.m. Team 2, who’s battling it out with Team 3, hosts.

That’s it for this immediate week, but…

Sat. Sept. 19th – Trail Day at Curt Gowdy. Help tidy up Curt Gowdy and work the trails before the IMBA Crew gets up there on the 26th. Might as well plan on riding afterwards. Also, Todd, Paul and the Crew need the tool trailer for the day. Can someone plan on taking it up there?

Sun. Sept 20th – Trail Day with our Friends at New Belgium. If you can’t dig in the dirt on Saturday, you can on Sunday with the crew from New Belgium Brewery at Hewlett’s Gulch. Help support our main sponsor and one of the most popular trails in the region.

Don’t forget to lube your chain…

Oh, I almost forgot. We’re working on getting the points thing figured out for the TdF and all those extra shifts and volunteers people recruited. Check the website in the next few days and add your name to the appropriate column.

Oh, and please get out and patrol! Especially up the canyon. We'd love to see an upswing in patrols as we roll into the fall.

Once again, thanks for helping out on Saturday. Make sure you find time to ride.

Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day

Sign up now for the Fall Edition of Overland Mountain Bike version of the International Mountain Bike Association's, Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day, October 3rd at Lory State Park. Space is limited. Sign up HERE.