Early on Saturday, campers climbed out of their tents that lined the
road next to the softball fields in Snowmass Village. Some sat in
fold-out chairs, marinating in the sun's morning rays. Others drank
instant coffee.
Up the road, in the Snowmass Village parking lots there were open
trunks and tinkering of bikes. Wheels spun, brakes were pulled and
wires were tweaked.
The Mountain States Cup series was back in town - for its eighth year -
and its more than 800 participants are evidence that the sport isn't
just a sport. Like a lot of outdoor activities, mountain biking is a
lifestyle.
The Lithe and Limber
Snowmass Mountain's cross-country course is a bit of a leg-burner. For
those in the expert and pro categories, it's 19 or 24 miles of
single-track that climb up and down, and up and down, the ski area and
its trails. With more than 3,700 feet of vertical in both cases (4,600
for the pros), it's the equivalent of biking up Aspen Mountain -
something that takes 18 minutes just to get up in an electrically
powered gondola.
Cross-country riders are a breed that exists on loads of Gu (energy
gel), Camelbaks full of water, and grit and determination. It's a long,
often arduous haul in which uphill ascents are rewarded with quick, and
sometimes dangerous downhill.
Snowmass' course is one of the toughest in the series, says sponsorship
and event organizer Dave Elkan, who works for the Town of Snowmass
Village. An avid rider himself, he helped to design the course.
Unlike the MSC's other two events that are spectator-filled the entire
way, cross-country is a lonely ride, often filled by only the biker and
the mountain. There are no glory moments, and if there are, it's
personal glory - not the heroics that entertain crowds.
Contact Cruising
Take four riders, put them on industrial bikes that can take thousands
of pounds of impact and send them over hills, jumps and burms at the
same time. The result: a high-speed, bumper car, dusty sport called
mountain cross.
It's an event that lasts less than 60 seconds, but can see tons of action, as bikes careen around corners and into each other.
In Snowmass, the same course has been in place since the inception of
the event. Riders describe it as loose, fast and unpredictable.
This weekend, under the hot Saturday afternoon sun, dust flew in the
air and rocks rolled as riders took to Fanny Hill. Fortunately, besides
some falls and broken egos, there were few casualties. Instead, it was
a quick event, lined by Dale's Pale Ale drinking fans and
cowbell-ringing crowds - even if they were on the quiet side as
announcers kept calling for more noise. Unlike the calmness of the
early morning cross-country riders, punk music blasted in the
background and bikers in full regalia - leg pads, arm pads,
motorcycle-style helmets and goggles - were the entertainment.
Doing the Down
And then there's downhill racing. The most popular, and probably
well-attended event puts Darth Vader-clad racers speeding down a hill
that's usually used for skiing. This year, after the U.S. Forest
Service and Aspen Skiing Co. approved a series of permits, a new course
greeted riders who had been here previously.
It's now got some of the most vertical in a series that tours the Rocky
Mountain states and ski resorts, to places such as Eldora, Breckenridge
and Fruita. And, it's one of the fastest.
All weekend, riders coming down the course that starts at the top of
the Village Express chairlift, described it as burly and tough - but
they weren't afraid to keep at it again and again.
Everybody is saying they are loving it, said Elkan. But, they still
want to add a section that makes people ask, "How the hell am I going
to get through that?" By that he means something with rocks and more
technical spots.
With searing downhill, big jumps and tight corners, he says it's best
labeled as a course that's very fast with a lot of off-camber turns.
And off camber they are, as people bit it left and right. But, thanks
to the body armor rider donned, most walked away with nothing more than
bruises.
Downhill is a for-sure crowd pleaser, and its bikers look burly and
like to put on a show. It's fun to watch. It's probably more fun to do.
Onto Sol Vista
With Snowmass as the fifth stop on the Moutain States Cup series tour,
riders will take their bikes, and cumulative points awarded at each
stage, to SolVista ski resort in the beginning of August. They return
to Snowmass in the middle of August to do it all again, with another
chance to catch the event, the lifestyle and the competition that is
mountain biking.
christine@aspendailynews.com
