Are you planning a MTB vacation for 2007? if so, tell us where...

[martin]

Just curious, with spring right around the corner I was wondering if anyone is planning to go away somewhere on a riding trip? anywhere exotic?

I'm planning a trip to Peru later this year in which I hope to cmbine a little bit of riding and surfing - care to join me?

[werace424]

It looks most likely that we will be going to the Ashville NC. area around mid July.

Riding Dupont and several other areas close to there.

It will be a family/biking vacation. We'll se how that works out. We usually just take a long weekend "for the fellas".

Any advice for the area besides LOTS of water?

[jabberwocky]

Crashmore and I are hitting Fruita, Grand Junction and Moab at the end of April.

[deansidr]

TRANSROCKIES BABY!!!! A tour of the Rockies in Canada and 7 days of pure HELL and bliss at the same time.

Cant wait.

[jon_baler]

My buddy and I are going to Mt Hood, Oregon from July 2-6.

http://www.westernspirit.com/trips/mtb-mt_hood_singletrack/mt_hood_singletrack.html
Last I checked, there were still spots open.

Planning to do a 3 day C&O unsupported ride at some point this summer/fall.

I'd be up for some other extended weekend trips as well.

[pete]

The SO and I are going to volunteer at the Leadville 100, will be staying in Frisco so we will be central to LV, Breck and Vail. Early-mid August.

[deansidr]

Pete,

If you get a chance to ride in vail ask the local shop for directions to Meadow mountain. Awesome aspen ride!!

[drewdane]

Family trip to Boulder, CO in June - I plan on bringing a bike.

On that note, anybody have a bike case I could borrow (or rent for the price of a 12-pack)?

[Squirrel Girl]

My goal is to buy a folding bike (probably a Slingshot) before Memorial Day and take about a 5 day weekend trip somewhere out west. Sedona maybe???? Moab? Dunno. I'm willing to take suggestions! :D I could even be persuaded to go to Fruita. Though Fruita and Moab are long ways from any decent airports!

Anyone wanna come along for a casual trip? :)

I've also thought how I might try and slip in a class in the trip. Lord knows I could use some skills improvement. :rolleyes:

[Squirrel Girl]

Family trip to Boulder, CO in June - I plan on bringing a bike.

On that note, anybody have a bike case I could borrow (or rent for the price of a 12-pack)?
Bike Lane.

[pete]

Thanks alot Sid.

I will def ask about that one. Will probably only spend one day at the resort riding so that will help augment the other choices. There is another ride from Breck to Frisco that I have done before....name escapes me but pretty good stuff. Triple Bypass too!

[RATM]

Snowshoe, for my birthday, 5 days 4 night, 3 days of riding, usually arrive late and leave early, so only 3 solid days of riding, it's all good. Probably arrive Thursday night and leave Monday morning the weekend of September 2

[denisvtt]

Just curious, with spring right around the corner I was wondering if anyone is planning to go away somewhere on a riding trip? anywhere exotic?

Lots of plans. Not sure which one(s) will work out (I'm planning on all of them), but definitely many plans:

- End of May: a friend of mine is riding the Great Divide (Continental Divide) with a friend of his from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Thats' 2100 miles and 200,000+ ft of uphill. Sometimes days without seeing a village (or a water source...). It's gonna take them about 2 months. I'm seriously thinking of going with them for the first 10-15 days. That should cover most of New Mexico (they're doing it South-North).

- End of June (or end of September): Lyon to Nice, with one (or more) friend, crossing the French Alps from North to South. About 550 miles, 12 days. I did part of it (http://chazellefamily.com/valgap2004.htm) 2.5 years ago. Fantastic!

- early August: 3 or 4 European friends will come and spend about 3 weeks with me in the US. We're planning 2 weeks around here, and 1 week in Fruita/Moab (how's the weather over there that time of the year?)

- early July: OK, that's not mountain bike, but Sylvie (Mrs. SuperFrenchie), myself and our 2 daughters (5 and 15) are planning to do a 1-week donkey hike in the French Central Mountains. The donkey will carry our stuff and the 5-year old, and we hike next to it. It's organized (more or less) so every night you're stopping at a country inn where they feed the donkey, the humans and give all of them a place to sleep. Kinda like Robert Louis Stevenson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_with_a_Donkey_in_the_C%C3%A 9vennes). Same region, actually.

- The SM100 in September, if it doesn't conflict with any of those other plans.

[dklayman]

Hit Tahoe last year, Moab the year before. This year Fruita. If anybody has any suggestions re: where to stay, camp and ride (e.g. specific trails) pleaes let me know.

[jabberwocky]

If anybody has any suggestions re: where to stay, camp and ride (e.g. specific trails) pleaes let me know.For trails, the lunch loops in Grand Junction (20 minutes down the road from Fruita) are amazing. For super fun technical riding, be sure to ride Holy Cross. Next up, the Kokepelli trails in Fruita. Warm up on Marys loop, and then climb up Moore Fun and descend the other side. Come back on Steve's loop for some amazing canyon views. Last, the Book Cliffs trails (18 road) are fun. Some amazing ridgeline climbs and descents.

The guy to talk to about Fruita is Pete (goes by Dirt on the board). There are some excellent guide books out there, too.

[drewdane]

Bike Lane.
Bike Lane will rent me a cargo case for a 12er? Sweet!

[bepooch]

I've been on somewhat of a vacation (with bits of MTB) for the past six months. ;-)

I was out tootling around the other day on the road bike, and caught up with a guy working his way down from Timbuktu, Mali, Burkina Faso, and into Ghana. Eight weeks on the road so far solo. Luckly we're living in a pretty safe and well mapped country.

We might make it back to DC in '07 for the SM100 or some CX races.

[Squirrel Girl]

Bike Lane will rent me a cargo case for a 12er? Sweet!It might help if you have a pre-established relationship with them by having given them many $$ and lots o beer in the past before said proposition. Nevertheless, I would ask the Bike Lane what it would take to rent their cargo case. Maybe for you it might take 48..... :D

[Dirt]

Hit Tahoe last year, Moab the year before. This year Fruita. If anybody has any suggestions re: where to stay, camp and ride (e.g. specific trails) pleaes let me know.

I have a neglected web site about Fruita that I did a while back. You can find it HERE (http://fruita.peterbeers.net/).

There's more trail info and photos on the web page I did about last year's trip HERE (http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/2006_Fruita/Fruita2006.htm). I was bummed that I got injured and went home early.

Definitely don't miss the Mike the Headless Chicken Museum (http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/). It is worth the trip. :D

- End of June (or end of September): Lyon to Nice, with one (or more) friend, crossing the French Alps from North to South. About 550 miles, 12 days. I did part of it (http://chazellefamily.com/valgap2004.htm) 2.5 years ago. Fantastic!


Bonjour Denis.

If this trip turns out to be at the end of June, let me know. We'll be in Menton around then and it would be fun to link up with you at the end of your trip.

Good luck.

I wish I was doing a cycling vacation this year. At the rate this week has gone, I'll be lucky to be back on the bike in a month. :/

Pete

[denisvtt]

If this trip turns out to be at the end of June, let me know. We'll be in Menton around then and it would be fun to link up with you at the end of your trip.

Either way I'll probably be in the South of France at one point or another between the end of June and early July. What dates will you be there?

More importantly, will you have your bike?

[Dirt]

Either way I'll probably be in the South of France at one point or another between the end of June and early July. What dates will you be there?

More importantly, will you have your bike?

I'll bring my bike if I can. We haven't set dates yet. We're thinking of June 13-July 4, but it might be a little shorter than that. We'll know more soon. I'm just getting over being really sick, so I haven't planned anything firmly till I'm completely back.

Talk to you soon.

Pete

[1derwoman]

Will be in Aspen July 5-8 for work, so I will go out the weekend before or after for some riding. Not sure what--maybe hut-to-hut? Open for suggestions...

[tomn]

Every year I go to central PA with some buddies and we ride in Rothrock State Forest (home of the Wilderness 101). There are some great trails up there. We've been riding there for 10 years and we still find new stuff to ride (partly because NMBA, the local mtb club, is still cutting new trails now and then).

Oh and next year we're going to Moab. Looking forward to that one.

[BikerMiker]

24 Hours of Temecula (San Diego wine country)
24 Hours of Conyers, GA
24 Hours of Big Bear, WV
24 Hours of Killington, VT
Salt Lake City for Specialized 08 product launch, 5 days of riding
Morgantown, WV for Cannondale 08 product launch, 2 days of riding
Interbike Outdoor Demo in Bootleg canyon outside of Vegas, 2 days of riding
and MAYBE 24 Hours of Moab, if we end up in top 3 Expert nationally in the 24 hour series

Ok, some work, some vacation but all travel and all riding!

mike

[astr0moose]

We did it last year, and it was off the charts. Going again this year, Durango to Moab with more singletrack. If you're a fairly loose/get along with others chap, we have a few spots open. I'm not on here much, so if you're interested, email me direct: roost4416@hotmail.com. Before that, make sure you have: cash for the trip and a week off in August. Otherwise, keep dreaming of pristine backcountry for a week.

[oldskoolbiker]

Well lets see, I've already been to Ray's in Cleveland back in Feb. I'll be going to Windrock, TN at the end of this month, and throw in a couple of trips to Snowshoe this summer.

[dharma]

I'm going out to Colorado Springs to visit family over Memorial Weekend - while it's not a "MTB trip" - I certainly plan on riding with my sister and brother-in-law while I'm there!

Speaking of which - do people mostly rent/borrow a bike for shorter (2-3 rides) trips? Or is it worth looking into packing and shipping the bike out?

[rockhead]

Family trip to Boulder, CO in June - I plan on bringing a bike.

On that note, anybody have a bike case I could borrow (or rent for the price of a 12-pack)?

Yo, Drewdane - here's an unsolicited recommendation for you, there are several good shops in Boulder you can rent a ride from - I had good luck with University Cycles on Pearl St (THE must-visit area in Boulder) or you can stop by Wheat Ridge Cycles and rent a demo bike from Ron Kiefel. It'll likely cost you more to ship your bike or carry it on the plane than to rent one for the days you're going to ride.

The same probably goes for most places, but your post made me think of my own trips to Boulder.

[mtreiber]

I believe it costs $100-150 to check your bike on the plane with you. You have to put it in a box or some type of bag.

[drewdane]

Yo, Drewdane - here's an unsolicited recommendation for you, there are several good shops in Boulder you can rent a ride from - I had good luck with University Cycles on Pearl St (THE must-visit area in Boulder) or you can stop by Wheat Ridge Cycles and rent a demo bike from Ron Kiefel. It'll likely cost you more to ship your bike or carry it on the plane than to rent one for the days you're going to ride.

The same probably goes for most places, but your post made me think of my own trips to Boulder.
Thanks for the info! My sister lived in Boulder for years - I'm quite familiar with Pearl Street and its surroundings, and I'm sure we'll be there at least once.

I'd considered renting, but I like my Stumpjumper, and I figure transport will come out to approximately the same as renting a bike for a week (I'm actually staying in Lyons - too far outside of Boulder to make a day rental feasible).

[Mrs. Outlaw]

RiderX and I (and 6 of our team mates) are headed to Scotland to "compete" in the Single Speed World Championships! The race is taking place in Aviemore which is located in the Central Highlands.

Anyone ever ridden there to give us some tips?

Julie

[nocro]

Just curious, with spring right around the corner I was wondering if anyone is planning to go away somewhere on a riding trip? anywhere exotic?


Nothing too exotic. But I'll probably go to Sedona / Flagstaff at the end of July. I've MTB'd there only once, but visited many times. I forget the trail names but I got several good days of riding in. Usually the people I go with are more into hiking up around Flagstaff.

On another note, I think SG asked about flying into that area, and I think that Phoenix is best for Sedona.

But I think that Salt Lake City, Denver, or Las Vegas are good if you plan to go to Moab. (In that order.)

You'll probably rent a car anyway.

[nocro]

I believe it costs $100-150 to check your bike on the plane with you. You have to put it in a box or some type of bag.

When I have looked at this in the past, the shipping works out to about the same as taking it on the plane. If you plan to stay with family members, you can ship it the week before.

Another idea is that if you are an IMBA member, you can use the sports express shipping:
http://www.imba.com/membership/benefits_indiv.html

IMBA used to have a deal with a travel agency that entitled you to bring your bike if you booked through that travel agent. That benefit isn't listed anymore.

[riderx]

When I have looked at this in the past, the shipping works out to about the same as taking it on the plane. If you plan to stay with family members, you can ship it the week before.Ship FedEx ground and it's cheaper than the plane. For my Crateworks box it's close to half of the price (around $40 each way last time). Plus you can insure it unlike the plane who won't cover the full cost of your bike. Of course, you'll be without your bike longer back home (another reason to have extra bikes ;)). Most shops will accept it if you don't have relatives to ship it to. Bring them some beer and buy a few things from them when you pick it up.

[bunky]

Thanks alot Sid.

I will def ask about that one. Will probably only spend one day at the resort riding so that will help augment the other choices. There is another ride from Breck to Frisco that I have done before....name escapes me but pretty good stuff. Triple Bypass too!

Pete,

If you ride Meadow Mountain (one of my Avon/ Vail faves) and are close to Beaver Creek, you could also check out Paulie's Plunge and Paulie's Sister. They should be open at that time of year. There is a boatload of climbing, but it is all on bikepath and fireroad.

Paulie's Plunge: You basically start at the parking lots at the base of the mountain (East Lot) and ride up to the base lodge. From there you catch Cinch (a fireroad) and keep on climbing. You exit Beaver Creek proper on what I believe is the third major right hand switchback going up to the mid-mountain lodge known as Spruce Saddle. See map here:

http://beavercreek.snow.com/info/winter/mtn.ms.maps.asp

I'd confirm exact location of that gate when I got there. But anyway--if you are seeking thousands of feet of singletrack descent through aspens galore with wild columbines growing by the side of the trail, and don't mind a little road and fireroad climbing, this is a good ride.

Paulie's sister:--adjacent to Paulie's Plunge, but with a ridge section that provides awesome views.

Both end up in the town of Eagle-Vail (not to be confused with Eagle) next to the town golf course and you just pedal back to your car at he Beaver Creek East Lot. I think it is well worth it.

[Squirrel Girl]

Nothing too exotic. But I'll probably go to Sedona / Flagstaff at the end of July. I've MTB'd there only once, but visited many times. I forget the trail names but I got several good days of riding in. Usually the people I go with are more into hiking up around Flagstaff.

On another note, I think SG asked about flying into that area, and I think that Phoenix is best for Sedona.

But I think that Salt Lake City, Denver, or Las Vegas are good if you plan to go to Moab. (In that order.)

You'll probably rent a car anyway.I did Vegas because I wanted to kayak the Colorado south of Hoover Dam which was TOTALLY worth it! Beat the mountain biking!!!

Anyway, nocro! Are you NUTS??? JULY??? The end of May was REALLY hot. July will be worse, and I like the heat! BTW, you're better than I am, but I had trouble with the altitude and loose rocks (not used to them). I enjoyed Dead Horse Ranch in Cottonwood (short, but sweet downhill--mildly technical). And Granite Basin by Prescott. I think IFmountainbiker (I forget his actual user name) first mentioned that to me. It's non-technical for the most part, but at 6000 feet, and has pine trees for partial shade. I was lucky enough to find a guy in the parking lot who directed me to "the best downhill trail" in the whole area. It was a great "flowy" downhill with curves and whoop-de-doos. In retrospect I'd have spent more time there and less in Sedona, though the scenery in Sedona was magnifico (the jam packed tourists and road construction sucked). 6000' was tough on my crappy lungs, but it was a nice place.

Actually, for someone looking for a good place to ride out west, St George is good, too, but still, the summer is hot, hot, hot. And of course, there is the whole contingent of Fruita afficionados.

[rodnreel729]

I just recently learned that in mid to late August I'll be taking a taking a trip out west to Canada. Hitting up Banff & Jasper National Park for 3-4 days then taking a train to Vancouver for another 3-4 days and finishing up with a day or two in Seattle before heading back east. I'm going with the girlfriend and her father, so it's by no means a MTB vacation. But I'm thinking it would be a crime to be in B.C. and NOT go mountain biking at some point while I was there.

So...any suggestions? Anybody ever ridden in Vancouver before? I figure Whistler would probably be the best option as it would probably be the easiest spot to reach, rent a bike, etc. Has anybody here been there? I'm by no means a downhill rider nor have I done any of that type of riding before, but I would think it would be fun and I'm assuming they would have something for all skill levels...man, if only I had half the skills the guys in the Whistler section of ROAM have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E6PMfhN1Qs