A Brutal Ride

Fire in the Park

Ben and I met on a cool, cloudy afternoon, a relief this time of year from the hot temperatures that generally persist. We’d come because I wanted to explore the trails at Mount Falcon Park, a tract of Ponderosa-covered foothills laced by a network of multi-use trails for hikers, runners, cyclists, and equestrians. We had our bikes today. After a few minutes in the parking lot affixing tires, checking mechanics, and applying sunscreen, we saddled our rides-metal cowboys in the new West. The trail starts out with a serious climb, over-1600- feet-serious! It was absolutely brutal, but Ben made it look easy. He’d ridden the trail before and had just finished an adventure race last weekend, biking, running, navigating, and paddling through Summit County with his niece, Alexis. I had a few things working against me. First, it had been a while since I’d been on the bike. Muscles I hadn’t called on in weeks let me know they weren’t happy. “You could have started a little easier!” they screamed. Another problem was the bike. I was on a 12-year-old bike designed for the rolling terrain of the Midwest instead of the punishing ups and downs of the Rockies. When I took it into the bike shop about nine years ago, the mechanic was awed by the “vintage ride”. I compared the climb to trying to drive in a flat head screw with a Phillips head screwdriver. You can get it done, but its the wrong tool for the job. Without clipless pedals, I spent the climb with only one foot engaged and lost a substantial amount of power and control. The process required more exertion with less efficiency, a double hit that left sweat pouring down my face, legs burning from strain, and lungs gasping for breath.

Ponderosa Pine Trees

Once the climb finished we had miles of easy loop trails to explore with views of the plains below. We rode through an old wildfire burn, noting the fire-scarred trunks of the Ponderosa Pines. The tree is adapted to frequent burns. It has thick, fire-resistant bark that protects the inner layers of the tree (it also smells like vanilla). Ponderosas shed their lower limbs as they grows so fire has a difficult time reaching the needles in the crown. In addition, in a healthy stand of Ponderosas, the trees are widely spaced, a park-like savanna that keeps fires burning through the grasses of the undergrowth at low intensity. Over the last 100 years, a fire-suppression policy by land managers has caused overgrowth in some areas of the West, resulting in hotter and larger fires that damage the forest beyond its natural resiliency. Recently, agencies like the United States Forest Service have tried to correct the problem, removing excess trees and allowing fires to burn more frequently as long as life and property are not threatened.

The finish to our ride was an exhilarating descent of the climb that had punished me on the way in. We concluded our ride just as the 9-to-5 crowd appeared to get in their evening recreation. As mountain bikers do, we couldn’t resist some talk about gear, riding, and info on other trails worth riding in the area. I’m fortunate to live in a place with an abundance of great trails and the option to ride sometimes instead of run.