St. Vrain Canyon - Boulder, CO

One of the best parts of riding is the places that you would otherwise never see or experience but for your attachment to a two wheeled tour guide. The St. Vrain Canyon area, northwest of Boulder, CO, is one of those places I would never have thought to check out had it not been for my bike and a few insistent riding partners. There is seldom reason in Boulder, after a night binge drinking, to spend the next day spinning up a sun baked canyon with little in the way of food or water stops. Thank God for friends.

St. Vrain Canyon is located outside of the town of Lyons, CO and winds up to the Peak to Peak Highway that runs through the mountains south of Boulder to Rocky Mountain National Park. Appropriately, St. Vrain does a wonderful job of working your legs while climbing up to the highway, traversing some gorgeous terrain on its way. The canyon is long and narrow, with large rock outcroppings and sheer walls that gradually turn into large, tree filled meadows abutting the mountains of the Front Range. At the beginning of the canyon we usually take a couple of the side streets that parallel the main road; avoiding a bit of the traffic.

The St. Vrain ride is one in which you will find yourself gawking at the scenery, trying not to swerve off the road. While there is a lot of climbing involved, this ride is great as a longer, base building ride. The canyon's climb is gradual, similar in grade to Jamestown and Ward, but more difficult simply because of its overall length. Once on to the Peak to Peak Highway, the road becomes more rolling, with a lot of fun descents. From Ward on, the ride is downhill until the last climb over Lee Hill on the edge of Boulder.

You should alott a decent amount of your day for this ride, as it is long and you'll want to stop once or twice to eat and restock water bottles. There are numerous stopping points along the ride, including a little convenience store in Raymond, and the general store in Ward. Generally, there is a fair amount of traffic on Peak to Peak, but there are usually a lot of riders so people are aware of the spandex set.

Distance: 67 miles round trip.

Directions: From downtown Boulder, take 9th Street north to Pine Street and take a right. Head east and take a left on 20th Street, which will wind up a hill to a stop sign and turn into 19th Street. Take 19th Street north for 2.25 miles until it dead-ends into Yartmouth Ave., and take a left until Yartmouth intersects with Broadway. Take a right on Broadway which will bring you to Highway 36/N. Foothills Hwy, where you will bear left and take 36 North towards Lyons (busy road, but lots of shoulder room). 36 will intersect with 66/Ute Hwy, where you will take a left into the town of Lyons. Continue on 66 until it intersects with Hwy 7/S. St. Vrain Drive, where you will take a left. Hwy 7 is the road that runs through St. Vrain Canyon, which you can stay on for most of the ride. Typically, we take the side roads that parallel Hwy 7, the first of which is Old St. Vrain Road/Boulder County 84, which is accessed by taking a left, about a 1/4 of a mile after turning onto Hwy 7.

Old St. Vrain/Boulder County 84 will run back into Hwy 7. Take a left and churn for about 9.25 miles before taking a left onto Riverside Drive. This road will take you all the way into the town of Raymond, where you can refill water and buy food. Continuing past the convenience store, the road will eventually intersect with the Peak to Peak Highway, where you want to take a left (south). Continue on Peak to Peak all the way to the town of Ward (about mile 41.60. where you will take a left on to Nelson/Utica St./Indiana Gulch Road, which winds through Ward and on to Lefthand Canyon Drive, where you will bear left and head East, back towards Boulder.

At Lee Hill Drive take a right on to Lee Hill Drive (about mile 52.25), which you will take into Old Stage Road. Take a right on to Old Stage and which will bring you out to Broadway, where you take a right, and then your first left on to Yartmouth, returning back to downtown Boulder the way you came.


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NCAR/El Dorado Canyon Loop - Boulder, CO

These "Whopper Virgin" commercials are driving me nuts. The premise is that taste testers travel around the world to find burger "virgins", give them a Big Mac and a Whopper, and see which one they like the most - the "ultimate taste test." My problem with this commercial is that in order to find true "virgins" the produces must have found isolated populations, away from city centers where Burger King and McDonald's can be found. These isolated populations are probably growing and raising their own food. Which means that their diet is high on proteins, vegetables and fiber, and completely lacking in processed foods. The Whopper comes in an 1800 calorie package of processed beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and bacon (at your option). The Big Mac is a 540 calorie bomb with many of the same ingredients, but covered in a french dressing-like sauce. The "virgins" wolf down these burgers, give a thumbs up to the Whopper, and then the commercial fades out with some ominous voice-over about how the "virgins" have spoken. I have an idea; lets show these people about 2 hours after they eat the burgers - running around, holding their stomachs, vomiting and trying not to shit all over the town square. Maybe the producers could do a test of which burger resulted in less explosive diarrhea. The Whopper virgins have spoken!!

Thankfully we have bikes to work off any Whopper/Big Mac damage we've managed to do to ourselves, and thankfully mountain towns have an abundance of great rides. The NCAR/El Dorado Canyon Loop is a great flatter ride that runs through the South Boulder area. Featuring a few moderate climbs, great views of the southern Flatirons and a cool, isolated canyon, this ride great for putting in some base building miles.

Starting from downtown Boulder, the ride takes you up the bike path that runs parallel to Broadway and runs through the CU campus. This bike path will take you all the way into South Boulder and to the first climb of this ride, the NCAR campus, which sits on top of a hill underneath the Flatirons. This climb is long and fairly gradual, providing some great views of the plains and foothills and functioned more as a warmup for the rest of the ride. The descent, however, is a ton of fun - very fast, great sight lines, and fairly smooth road. Back to the bottom of NCAR, the ride climbs up through a Boulder neighborhood that provides some more great views of the meadows ath abut the Flatirons, before diving back down towards Table Mesa Road.

From Table Mesa the ride heads further south and eventually heads back to the El Dorado Canyon area. This part of the ride is my favorite - a long, slightly uphill road that heads West directly into the Canyon area, which is apparently a great spot for hiking and rock climbing. The road eventually comes into a small little town before it turns to dirt. This is our turnaround point. After winding back out of the canyon, the ride heads up Cherryvale Road - another long, rolling road that heads northeast. You'll roll past meadows, farmland and a reservoir. Not the mountains, but a beautiful part of Boulder nonetheless. From Cherryvale road its easy to hop onto the Boulder Creek Path, which will take you back into downtown.

The best part of this ride is the long, fairly even straightaways that are great for intervals or sprinting. The moderate climbing is nice if your legs or sore, or if you are trying to work off a hangover, when a climb up Flagstaff might result in you running around like the Whopper virgins.

Distance: 26.5 miles

Directions: Starting at 9th and Pearl Street, take 9th South to Canyon Ave and take the Boulder Creek Path east. Hop on to the bike path in Central Park, at Arapahoe Ave and Broadway St. Take the path as it climbs up Broadway towards south Boulder. The path will parallel the CU campus. About a quarter mile after Regent Drive you can either go under Broadway or straight towards the law school. Take the tunnel under Broadway, and then turn left, as you continue to head south (you'll be able to see CU's law school across the street). You will cross Baseline, where the path will briefly put you onto the road. The path will continue to parallel Broadway all the way up to Table Mesa Drive (sometimes putting you onto a road). Take a right on Table Mesa (towards the Flatirons). Stay on Table Mesa, as it climbs all the way up to the NCAR campus. Turn around once you reach the top and bomb back down Table Mesa.

Toward the bottom of where Table Mesa begins to climb to NCAR you want to take a right on Lehigh St. There isn't a stop sign here, so make sure to keep a look out for the road. Lehigh will climb and eventually crest above a large meadow before descending down all the way to Broadway (Lehigh will eventually turn into Greenbriar Road before intersecting with Broadway). At Broadway you will come to a light. Cross Broadway and you will be able to pick up a bike path, which you will take a right on (towards the south). This path will eventually put you on to Marshall Road. Take Marshall Road until it intersects with Eldorado Springs Drive, where you want to take a right. This road will take you up to a light. Go through the light, crossing Foothills Parkway, and then bear left at the convenience store. Eldorado will take you all the way back towards the canyon. Once the road turns to dirt, turnaround and head back, again crossing Foothills Parkway at the light. However, instead of heading back on Marshall Road, take a right onto Marshall Drive (your first right after you cross Foothills Parkway), and then a left onto S. Cherryvale Road, which is the first left you can take.

Cherryvale winds through the plains east of Boulder, passing farms and a resevoir before bringing you to a stop sign at the intersection of Baseline and Cherryvale. At this intersection, go straight and then take your first left on to Dimmit Drive. This road will eventually dead end at an entrance to another paved bike path. Take the path until it ends at Centennial Trail. Take a left and then your first right on to Merritt Drive. Take Merritt Drive until it intersects with Eisenhower Drive, where you will take a right and head toward the intersection of Eisenhower and Arapahoe Ave. Cross Arapahoe and then take a left on the the sidewalk/bike path that parralels Arapahoe and eventually intersect with the Boulder Creek Path to take you all the back to downtown Boulder.


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Top 10 Foods for Endurance Athletes

I consider myself more of a"trying not to get fat athlete", but Faster Tomorrow's Matt Fitzgerald has a good post about the top ten foods they consider the best for endurance athletes, along with a good recipe for a recovery drink, using a couple of my favorite ingredients (coffee beans, peanut butter and bananas. Sadly, no bacon). The list has a mix of proteins, fruits, vegetables, and carb sources, all geared toward helping performance and recovery.

Check out the post here: Top 10 List

And here is the recipe for the recovery drink:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rush

1 cup low-fat chocolate milk

1 small frozen banana, sliced

1 Tablespoon dark-chocolate covered espresso beans

½ Tablespoon natural peanut butter

1 scoop protein powder (about 21 grams of protein)

Ice (and more low-fat chocolate milk or water for a smoother consistency)

Blend and enjoy!

Garden of the Gods/Cheyenne Canyon Loop - Manitou Springs, CO

Beyond the endless sprawl that typifies Colorado's Front Range are a number of more isolated pockets, where the plains from the East run into the foothills of the mountains, that provide the Front Range with some startling geographic formations that make exploring these pockets on bike incredibly fun and almost makes you forget the endless rows of houses behind you. Such is both the frustration and joy of Colorado's Front Range.

One of the better loops I've found in the Manitou Springs/Colorado Springs area winds through a number of these formations while providing some decent climbs and great views of Pikes Peak and downtown Colorado Springs (I'm all about the views). The centerpieces of the ride are Garden of the Gods Park and Cheyenne Canyon, two very distinct geological areas that we loop together through some of Colorado Springs cooler neighborhoods (don't roll your eyes, they do exist).

The ride starts in Manitou Springs, a cool little pocket in and of itself, winds through town before beginning a short climb into the Garden of the Gods (you can also start in downtown Colorado Springs, but navigating to the Garden of the Gods from there is a bit more traffic intense). The Garden is a series of red sandstone formations that have been pushed vertical by some crazy geological mojo. The formations break up the view of the Pikes Peak foothills, and thanks to the area's tourist town focus, sports a nice, wide road that runs through the entire park. The Garden sits on a series of hills, so this section of the ride is more rolling than anything else. At its high points, this part of the ride has amazing views of Pikes Peak and the mountains to the South. On a clear day you can see Red Rocks Canyon, the natural extension of the Garden that runs to the South. Because the Garden is a major tourist attraction, the traffic through it can be somewhat heavy, but thankfully the road is wide enough to easily accommodate everybody.

After the ride leaves the Garden of the Gods you will wind your way down toward Colorado Ave., and then head East, through Old Colorado City. Old Colorado City is a mix of shops, restaurants and bars, similar in vibe to Manitou, but with more of a focus on clothing boutiques. I like this area because it feels like a separate town from Colorado Springs, lacking in the whole Army/James Dobson vibe that Colorado Springs has at times (not that there is anything wrong with that. Sort of). The traffic through here moves slowly through two lanes, so riding with the traffic is not much of a problem.

After passing through Old Colorado City, the ride begins a long climb up to the Cheyenne Canyon Area. This part of town is where the huge, new money houses are. So along with every architecturally appealing home is one that looked it was designed by someone who was having a seizure while tripping. A lovely effect. After riding through the Cheyenne Mountain area, the ride takes a turn toward the West, and into the canyon that forms the other half of this ride.

Cheyenne Canyon is a deep gouge in the southern foothills of Colorado Springs, with high rock walls and narrow roads. Riding through the canyon is at once visually stunning, and a bit , treacherous, as there are a number of almost blind corners that cars often come through too fast (this is where our driving teacher took us in high school. I have memories of one of my classmates almost running us into the rock walls on every narrow turn. This is what I think about when I hear cars coming). BUT, don't let this deter you, as most cars move pretty slow, and the road is wide enough for them to pass you easily. If you head up there at the right time, like the early morning or late afternoon, its rare that you will see a car back there. This part of the ride is the steepest, climbing up a road that runs parallel to a creek. As you come close the crest of the climb, the road passes by Helen Hunt Falls, a worthwhile place to take a break on the way down. Past the falls, the road takes a series of switchbacks before turning to turn at Gold Camp Road. This is where I turn around. The descent back down the canyon is super fast and lots of fun, just be weary of the slow-ass tourists that apparently have never seen rocks before.

After coming out of the canyon, the ride takes you into the Broadmoor neighborhood, but before doing so make sure to ride by Starr Kempf's house. Starr was a local artist known for his huge steel sculptures that still reside on his front lawn. After this minor detour, the ride heads up past the Broadmoor hotel and crests at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This is a short, somewhat intense climb that wraps up the side of Cheyenne Mountain. This part of the ride is worthwhile simply for the views of Colorado Springs and the mountains to the West. I usually loop through the parking lot before heading back down. The descent from the zoo is a ton of fun and will take you past one of the more aesthetically attractive buildings in this part of town, the Broadmoor, a luxury hotel with some amazing landscaping. A great place to bring a date for a drink. There are a number of cool neighborhoods around the Broadmoor/Zoo area that are worth exploring. After the Broadmoor area, the ride will return back through the Cheyenne Mountain neighborhoods, and back through Old Colorado city.

Distance: 31.50 miles roundtrip

Directions: From Downtown Manitou Springs, head East on Manitou Ave and take a left at Buena Vista Place, which is just past the Manitou Pool. At the stop sign take a right, and then your first left onto Garden Drive, which will take you through the Garden (the road goes through a number of name changes, but there is ony one route through). You will eventually come to an intersection where you can go right or left onto Juniper Way. Take the left and head down the hill to the stop sign, where you will take a right on Gateway Rd. Look for a dirt road/path on the ride that parallels 30th St. This path is dirt, but lets you avoid the heavily trafficked 30th St. Take this path until it dead-ends onto 31st St. Head south on this and it will take you to Colorado Ave.

At Colorado Ave, take a left and head through Old Colorado City. At 26th St take a right, cross Cimarron/Hwy 24 and climb up to Lower Gold Camp Road. Once you hit Lower Gold Camp take a left and head downhill until you hit S 21st St. Take a right here. 21st will turn into Cresta, and will take you through the Cheyenne Mountain neighborhoods and past the Cheyenne Mountain High School. Soon after the High School you will come to Cheyenne Blvd. Take a left here and head West. Cheyenne Blvd will eventually turn into N Cheyenne Canyon Road. This road will take you all the way to the top of the Cheyenne Canyon section of the loop.

After descending back down the canyon, take a right onto Evans Ave, riding past Starr Kempf's house, and take a left onto Mesa Ave, and then bear right onto Penrose Blvd. Penrose will take you all the way up to the zoo. Loop through the parking lot and head back down Penrose where you will come to a stop sign (you've already been through this intersection), and take a right onto El Pomar Road. This road takes you past the Broadmoor and to a traffic circle. Take the second exit and then take a left at the first opportunity which will put you onto Cresta Rd.

Take Cresta all the way back, but instead of turning back onto Lower Gold Camp, keep heading straight, over the hill, and down until the road (now 21st) intersects with Cimmarron/Hwy 24. Cross the highway, and take a left at Colorado Ave, which will take you back through Old Colorado City. At 31st, take a right and then your first left. This puts you onto W. Pikes Peak Ave, a road that parallels Colorado but has very little traffic. Eventually this road will dead-end. Take a right and then your first left, this puts you onto El Paso Blvd which will take you all the way back to Manitou.

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Lovejoy to Greenleaf Loop - Portland, OR

This loop is a pretty simple variation of the Lovejoy Loop and is another quick and easily accessible ride that can provide a nice climbing workout before happy hour. The big difference with Lovejoy is that the Greenleaf Loop provides another few miles of climbing.

This loop takes the same route as the Lovejoy Loop, except instead of turning back down Cornell once you reach the intersection of Skyline and Cornell you are going to want to take the road slightly to the left of Skyline. This is Greenleaf Road, and it provides a nice little climb back up to Skyline were you can take a right, head back to the intersection of Skyline and Cornell and then head to the bars.

We usually get in a great workout by looping Greenleaf a couple of times before heading back to town or onto a longer ride. There are some dicey corners in there, so watch out for cars barreling down at you or from behind you, but there are rarely cars on this road. I discovered Greenleaf pretty late in my biking exploration in Portland but it quickly became one of my favorites.

Distance: 12.5 miles round trip

Directions: From the intersection of NW Broadway and NW Lovejoy take Lovejoy west until it turns into NW Cornell Rd. Head up Cornell, around the two tunnels, and take a right on NW 53rd Dr. Take this until it connects with NW Thompson Rd and take a right. When Thompson intersects with Skyline take a left and head to the intersection of Cornell and Skyline. At the intersection you can see NW Greenleaf Rd on the other side of the road, slightly left of where Skyline continues after the intersection. Take NW Greenleaf Rd until it winds back up to Skyline. Taking a right will bring you back to the intersection where you can either loop it or head back down Cornell to complete the loop.


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Larch Mountain - Portland, OR

I think its odd that Dunkin' Donuts is such a huge purveyor of coffee on the East Coast. I was in Boston for a wedding last winter, and was intent on finding a good source to feed my bean addiction. I usually default to Starbucks in such situations, but a lot of people in town kept pointing me towards Dunkin' Donuts and I felt obliged to check it out. I generally associate Dunkin' Donuts with giant pieces of sugared carbs (donuts) and giant customers eager to eat anything that looks shiny (America). However, the joint actually has some decent coffee. Nothing near the level of the Portland coffee scene but it definitely hit the spot. Note - for some reason the Dunkin' staff inists on putting in the cream and sugar for you, so if you are picky about how you dress up the bean make sure to ask for it black so you can do it yourself. I was thinking about coffee when I first rode Larch Mountain because in the fog and rain that was my companion for most of the ride, coffee sounded like a great way to stay motivated. As with many days in Portland, sun and blue skies in the city does not translate to good weather in the Gorge.

I found Larch Mountain through a brochure in a local bike shop advertising the Larch Mountain Hill Climb and decided to check out the course. I have been looking for great climbs since moving to Portland, and Larch Mountain has quickly become one of my favorites. The road ascends through thick Pine forests, slowly gaining altitude over its 16+ miles until the last few miles where the road begins a series of switchbacks. I usually start at Corbett High School and ride along SE Crown Point Highway, from there I bear right onto Larch Mountain and churn for the next 14 miles. The road will eventually dead end in a parking lot. If you dismount and walk on the concrete path that veers into the forest it will bring you to an amazing view of the Cascades. The descent is a blast; it's fast and easily navigable. The best views are on the way down; wide open vistas of the Columbia River and the Gorge. Larch Mountain is one of those "only in the Northwest" type of rides - a great reminder of why Portland is such a great place to be.

Distance: 16.40 miles from Corbett High School to the Summit

Directions: from Portland take I-84 East to exit 22. Take a right onto NE Corbett Hill Road

From Portland: I-84 to exit 22 and take a right onto NE Corbett Hill Rd. Follow this road to the road up the hill and you will come to an intersection with E. Historic Columbia River Highway. Take another right on this road and Corbett High School will be on your left. Park here, gear up and then head West on E. Historic Columbia River Highway for about 2.25 miles before bearing right onto E. Larch Mountain Road. Stay on E. Larch Mountain until you reach the summit, 14.15 miles later.

Note: The beginning of NE Corbett Hill Road is incredibly steep, and I've heard of a lot of cyclists using it as a training ride. My only aversion is that there are a lot of blind corners, and a lot of cars, so be careful with this one.

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Skyline to Rock Creek Road Loop - Portland, OR

My Portland riding routes are generally based around Skyline Boulevard, the road that runs along the upper ridges of the West Hills. This road serves as my launching point for a number of rides, and itself serves as one of the better rides in the Portland Metro area. Finding the Rock Creek Road Loop was the result of a bad hangover and the corresponding need to sweat out whatever I drank the night before. For some reason I feel like some of my better ride explorations in Portland are the result of long nights. Oh well. This ride is great because it mixes some decent climbs with some longer low key portions that are great for sprints or base building.

I usually start this ride by heading up the beginning of the Lovejoy loop, but at the top of Thompson I turn right onto Skyline (instead of left). From that point, the ride winds along Skyline, exposing you to some amazing views of the Coast Range to the east. I know this view well because it manages to make me consistently veer off the road into the bushes because I'm too busy enjoying the views. This is cause for concern as I ride through urban areas a lot. Nothing says good morning like a run in with a dump truck. Riding along Skyline is always fun because its fairly fast, with lots of rolling terrain, and the change in scenery from urban metropolis to farms and livestock is striking. I always enjoy the rural scenery, reached so quickly via this road.

Eventually Skyline will meander down to a stop sign at NW Cornelius Pass Road. Cross the road here (careful - its a fast one, and there is a semi-blind corner for cars coming from west to east). After crossing, Skyline will continue to the right, and NW Old Cornelius Pass Road will be on the left. Take a left onto Old Cornelius Pass road and then look right for NW Rock Creek Road. Once on Rock Creek, watch out near the train tracks as the road is incredibly torn apart. After the track the road heads back into a small valley, filled with some random houses and an even more random sculpture garden. The road starts a long gradual climb back up to Skyline once you pass the sculptures. This part of the ride is in a shallow valley, and from what I can tell very little traffic heads back there. I really enjoy this part of the ride, it is usually really quiet and there is generally little traffic. The only potential problem is its weird isolation. Only 20 miles from downtown and I swear I can hear banjo music.

Once back up on Skyline, the road will loop back to the fork, completing the Rock Creek Loop portion of the ride. I usually cross NW Cornelius Pass Road again and do this one as a big out and back. Gets more booze out that way.

Distance: 35 miles roundtrip

Time: around 3 hours

Directions: Take the Lovejoy Loop (Lovejoy to Cornell, right on 53rd, right again on Thompson) but instead of heading left on Skyline take a right (you will be heading north). Stay on Skyline until you cross NW Cornelius Pass Road. Take a left onto Old Cornelius Pass Road and then a quick right onto Rock Creek Road. Take this road until it intersects with Skyline Road and then take a right (towards the south).


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