Content Highlights - Flagstaff Biking Organization

Transcription

Volume #2, Issue #1
Bi•opic : A semi-regular publication of Flagstaffbiking.org
Winter 2007
Content Highlights
3
Trips for Kids and FBO Youth
Mountain Bike Program
by Neil Ross
4
FUTS Updates
Fort Valley and East Side Trails
by Martin Ince
6
Where We Play:
Ecology Notes – Winter Survival
by Ben Sullivan
To Ride or Not to Ride:
A sometimes-fair-weather cyclist’s perspective.
by TC Eberly
9
Fixed and Frisky:
Flagstaff Plays Host to Fixed-Gear Fanatics
by Dan Cavallari
Trail Reviews with the Gnome:
Gardner Canyon
by Dave Herbold
13
8
12
Keep On Shreddin’
Steve Garro Style
by David McKee
Gear Junkie:
Winter Riding Tips
by John Benson
12 14
Open up - More to read inside... Enjoy!
Steve Garro by Dave McKee
Bi•opic : A semi-regular publication of Flagstaff Biking Organization
Page 2
Notes From the Editor
SafeKids needs your help for 2007!
Event Highlights
It’s official; it is now winter in Flagstaff. The winter
solstice has past us by, we’ve had snow, even a
white Christmas. All we can do now is hold on for
the promise of spring’s fresh trails and a new riding
season in Flagstaff.
In
collaboration
with the Coconino
County
SafeKids
Coalition,
Flagstaff
Biking Organization
once again finished
another successful
season of educating
Flagstaff’s youth about bicycle safety and the
responsibilities of riding a bike on the road.
March
The number of cyclists actually cycling in our
biking mecca scales back a bit this time of year as
only the most hardened amount us continue to ride
outside. Be it commuting, training or just plain old
run-through-the-freshly-fallen-snow fun, the cold
and wet works to cut down the saddle time across
the board. Even the snow rides are fewer than the
summer‘s frequent jaunts into the woods.
The meek head indoors and stay there for long,
boring hours on trainers. Such time is better passed
with friends, as misery loves company. Those of us
better at planning such uncomfortable moments
with something resembling foresight, temper the
boredom of indoor cycling by watching bicycle
races of yore on video (or even, gasp, dvd). That
and listening to loud music seems to help as we
turn tiny circles going nowhere, and plan for next
season’s greatness.
Lucky for us, Sedona lies a mere half hour drive to
the south and some several thousand feet lower
in elevation. That which creates hot summers
also brings mild winters, so the riding is a true
year round experience for us in Arizona’s fabled
northland. What better way to get through the long
winter doldrums than a weekend excursion to some
of Sedona’s many fine trail offerings?
With a donation from Kyle Norris, MD of the Summit
Center, FBO was able to offer over 800 helmets at
below cost to all elementary students in Flagstaff
and gave away over 100 to children who could not
otherwise afford one. Also, over 1200 students
were led through Bicycle Rodeos giving them a
unique experience of learning hand signals and
rules of the road.
While this education is inherently important to our
riders of tomorrow, it is very volunteer intensive.
For 2007, we plan on expanding our Bicycle Rodeos
to all elementary schools in Flagstaff. But, to be
successful we need your help! The only thing
required is 5 hours of a weekday and a willingness to
work with students. If you would like to participate
next year please contact Melissa Grimes at (928)
606-1533 or [email protected].
Call for Artists /
Illustrators...
r_06_final
.pdf
Keep the rubber side down, and the shiny side up,
Jonny
contact: [email protected]
Jon Kircher
is a long time cyclist, keen on both
the road and mountain ends of the
spectrum. A graduate of Northern
Arizona University in 1995, he moved
back to Flagstaff in 2003.
come visit us at
14
Safekids Bike Rodeo:
Tuba City 9-11am
April
28
Soar Into Spring: Bike Rodeo
11am - 4pm
May
13-18
b2ww_poste
Whatever gets you through it, I’ll catch you on the
other side come spring.
Winter 2007
Flagstaff Biking
Organization
is
getting
ready
to kick off the
annual
Bike
To Work Week
poster
art
contest.
Yes,
you could have
your
artwork
showcased
for this years
event. Details
to follow on
our website.
www.flagstaffbiking.org
4/16/06
9:14:56 PM
Bike to Work Week
13 – Human Powered Parade, Bike Bazaar & Bike Swap
14 – Kick-off Commuter Ride
16 – Bike to Work Day &
Worksite Challenge Day
17 – Bike to School Day
26-28
Summit Center Classic Race:
Details: www.summitvelo.com
Visit www.flagstaffbiking.org for complete
details and for upcoming events throughout the winter
and spring.
Can you Help?
Flagstaff Biking Organization is in need of the
following items. If you have any of the below you
would like to donate to our organization, please
email Melissa at melissa@flagstaffbiking.
org or call (928) 606-1533. All donations
are tax-deductible as we are a 501(c) 3 non profit
corporation.
* Laser printer
* 1968 Camero Rally Sport
* Copy machine
* Laptop computer
* Enclosed trailer
* Small office space
* Volunteer time
Or if you have other items that you think may
be useful to our organization, please contact
Melissa.
Volume #2, Issue #1
Page 3
Trips for Kids and FBO Youth Mountain Bike Program
Inspired by the fun and
success of our Youth
Mountain
Biking
summer
program,
we surged into the
fall with grand plans
for a five-days-aweek after-school
program…
which
quickly gave way to the
realities of homework and
families’ busy schedules.
However, we held a ride
every weekend through the fall, with groups of four or
five or six kids enjoying the colorful aspen trees and the
nearly empty trails. The core group consisted of veterans
from the summer program, but we had more than one
new rider join in and become one of the regulars. On
several occasions, friends and family members were
willing to shuttle us in the van, allowing us to ride the
spectacular trails down from the top of Mount Elden.
We enjoyed Sunset Trail, Upper Brookbank, and Little
Bear, none of which we had reached over the summer.
We rode through patches of snow and clumps of bright
yellow aspens. More than once, a trip was hailed as the
best mountain bike ride ever… until we topped it the
next week.
Now that fall has given way to winter, it’s time to look ahead
to next year. Come springtime, I hope to run a weekend
Forest Planning
The Coconino and Kaibab National Forests have recently
undertaken two major planning processes that could
dramatically impact mountain biking opportunities in the
Flagstaff area in the future.
If you are a mountain biker or in
any way recreate on either of these
Forests, you should make sure to get
involved.
The more important of these is the Forest Plan Revision.
The Forest Plan is the outline for what criteria will drive
any decisions made regarding management and use of
the Forests. Each Forest is meant to revise and update this
plan every 15 years. The last Forest Plan for the Coconino
went into effect in 1987, so a new revision is overdue. The
current plan is bicycle friendly, but does make restrictions
against other recreational activities such as motocross
tracks (not to be mistaken with motorcycle trails) and
shooting ranges.
Although a future ban on mountain biking is highly
improbable, changes to where and how mountain bike
use is allowed could potentially come into play. For
ride each week, much as we did during the fall. But what
about the summer? With a new job and a new baby this
December, I won’t be free to run an all-day program like
I could last summer… but that doesn’t mean it can’t
happen. With a few enthusiastic and responsible adults
to lead rides, we can run a strong and successful program
that will bring the joy of mountain biking to Flagstaff’s kids
for years to come. Our program emphasizes biking skills
and strategies, teamwork and cooperation, mountain
bikers’ responsibilities to
maintain trails and follow
proper
etiquette,
and
enjoying the outdoors…
with occasional stops for
rock climbing or to observe
(but not disturb) local
archaeological remains. As
the summer goes on, kids
ride faster, build stamina,
and tackle more technical
terrain; they work together
to deal with challenges and
obstacles; and they build
strong friendships. If you
are available on weekdays
during the summer, or
know someone who is,
please contact me about
this dream job opportunity.
Although
the
all-day
example, it is currently legal to ride on a non-system trail,
or cross-country on a mountain bike. If there was enough
concern expressed regarding the proliferation of social
trails, it is feasible that this activity could be restricted
and made illegal.
Several sessions have been held by the Coconino and
Kaibab National Forests eliciting public opinion on
the Forests and visions for the future. Flagstaff Biking
Organization board members have been involved in these
meetings, but more advocates for trails will drive the
point home that we think bike trails are a vital resource
and need more time, money and attention directed at
them. Details on the process thus far and the input that
the Forests have received are available at the following
two websites. You can also submit comments via these
web sites.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/plan-revision.shtml
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai/plan-revision/index.shtml
Of secondary importance to mountain bikers is the
National Travel Management Rule. This rule is directed
specifically at managing motorized routes on the
National Forests throughout the country. Currently it
is legal to drive a motorized vehicle cross-country (off
roads and trails) on the Coconino National Forest unless
one is damaging natural resources or an area is posted
closed to motorized use. The Travel Management Rule
Neil Ross
In 2001 he founded a kids’ mountain
biking program in New Jersey.
A devoted fan of Flagstaff since
attending graduate school at ASU,
he moved here in 2005. He and his
wife are enjoying a brand new baby.
program seemed to work well last summer, that’s not our
only option. We had plenty of kids running out of steam
by mid-afternoon, worn out by the morning’s ride. So
another possibility for the summer program
is to run it from 9 to 1 each day, riding all
morning but giving kids the afternoon to
sleep it off or do other things. Another option
would be to meet three days a week, leaving
kids Tuesdays and Thursdays to recuperate.
Parents, kids, and other interested parties,
please contact me with your suggestions. In
the meantime, enjoy the winter! Hope to see
you on the trail in Sedona or the Valley.
For more information about the program,
details about ride times and locations,
and to sign kids up to participate, contact
Neil Ross at
[email protected] or
(928) 814-9792.
Come ride with us!
Anthony Quintile
is an avid mountain biker and
motorcyclist, and promotes multipleuse where ever he rides. Through many
events and volunteer efforts, he is an
advocate for trail building and riding.
He is the manager of Absolute Bikes,
and can be found there most days.
will establish designated motorized routes, (like roads,
ATV trails, motorcycle single tracks), and designated
motorized areas, (like the Cinder Hills OHV Area), that
will be shown on a map at the end of the process.
This map will be the only resource for establishing
whether it is legal to use a motorized vehicle in an area
or on a route. The reason we as bicyclists should be
involved in this process is that we could stand to gain
many miles of system single track trail. Flagstaff Biking
Organization board members have been partnering with
the Coconino Trail Riders motorcycle group to make
sure our voice is heard in support of establishing some
non-system trails as system in order to preserve their
existence. More info and details on how to comment on
the Travel Management Rule process can be found here:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/tmr.shtml.
Contact: [email protected]
or (928) 779-5969
Page 4
FUTS Updates
The second project is the Fort Valley Pathway, a 2.3-mile
section of asphalt trail that is adjacent to Fort Valley Road
from Kendrick Street to Fremont Boulevard. South of
Sechrist School, the trail will be aligned along the west
side of Fort Valley Road. At Sechrist School, the trail
will cross at the location of the existing crosswalk and
continue north along the east side of the street. The
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), which is
managing this project, plans to solicit bids for construction
in January of 2007. Construction will begin early this year
and the trail should be opened by August of 2007.
Winter 2007
segment of the Route 66 East Trail from Country Club
Drive to Mall Drive. This section of paved trail will be
located on the north side of Route 66 and will connect the
Route 66 Trail on the west with the Mall Trail on the east.
Flagstaff Mall and Marketplace, a large, mixed-use
development currently under construction on the east side
of the Flagstaff Mall, is building two sections of the Mall Trail
through the project. One section follows Spur Street from
Route 66 to Railhead Avenue, and the other is adjacent to
Railhead Avenue from Spur Street to Highway 89.
The North 89 Trail is a 1.2-mile section of paved trail
planned for the west side of Highway 89 from Railhead
Avenue to Snowflake Drive. Construction of the trail is
slated to begin in fall of 2007.
The last segment of trail in this system is the Timberline
Trail, a multi-purpose trail that will extend the North 89
FUTS Trail to the Timberline neighborhood on the west
side of Highway 89. This trail will be built by Coconino
County.
Other Trails and Projects
A short section of the Route 66 Trail is planned along the
south side of Route 66 between Humphreys Street and
San Francisco Street (in front of the Chamber offices and
the Flagstaff Visitors Center/train station). The trail will
extend the Route 66 Trail west from its present end point
at San Francisco Street, and it will connect to trails to be
built as part of the Rio de Flag floodplain project.
Fort Valley Road
Two Flagstaff Urban Trails System (FUTS) projects on the
northwest side of Flagstaff will provide some relief for
cyclists from riding on Fort Valley Road.
The first project is the long-awaited and muchanticipated extension of the Rio North Trail to the
Cheshire neighborhood. Construction is nearly complete
on the south end of the trail, which is located between
the present trail end at Crescent Drive and the Anasazi
Ridge development. The north end of the trail, from
Anasazi Ridge to Fremont Boulevard, will get underway
next spring and should be complete by summer.
In the middle, the Anasazi Ridge development, which is
a private, single-family subdivision, is under construction
and will build the FUTS through their site. The City is
working with the developer to coordinate construction
phasing with the hope that the trail can be opened in the
spring of 2007, even if the development is not finished.
On the west side of Anasazi Ridge, the developer
has dedicated to the City a large tract of open space
that represents the steep hillside on the east slope of
Observatory Mesa. Coconino County and Flagstaff Biking
Organization are planning to build a single-track trail
through this open space that would provide a connection
between the Rio North Trail and public land on the top of
Observatory Mesa. This segment of trail, which is part
of the Loop Trail, may be built as one of this summer’s
volunteer trail-build projects.
come visit us at
East Side Trails
Five different trail projects, currently moving forward on
Flagstaff’s east side, will significantly enhance bicycle
and pedestrian access in the vicinity of the mall. Taken
together, these trails create a continuous pedestrian
and bicycle route between downtown Flagstaff and farnortheast neighborhoods through an area of town where
there is currently limited non-motorized access.
The East Flagstaff Traffic Interchange (EFTI), which
redesigns and reconstructs the intersection of Highway
89, Route 66, and Country Club Drive, includes a total
of 1.75 miles of new, paved FUTS trails. The main trail
through the intersection extends the Route 66 Trail from
Fanning Drive to Country Club Drive. Two dedicated
bicycle/pedestrian tunnels, under Route 66 and Highway
89, and one underpass below Country Club Drive are
planned to help pedestrians and cyclists negotiate the new
intersection. Construction is underway, and completion is
planned for December of 2007.
The City will receive a grant for $466,569 from the ADOT
Transportation Enhancement program to help build a
The planned Santa Fe West Trail will provide an
important connection to downtown from existing west
side neighborhoods such as West Village and Railroad
Springs, as well as future development like Presidio in
the Pines. Two grade-separated crossings are planned;
a ped/bike bridge will be built across Route 66 in the
vicinity of the existing railroad bridge, and a tunnel will
connect Walnut Street on the north side of the street
with Florence Street on the south. Planning for this trail
is underway, although a construction schedule has not
been set.
The City has received a grant from the Arizona State
Parks Trails Heritage Fund to implement a comprehensive
program for FUTS signage. The program includes
primary and secondary trail head signs, directional and
regulatory signs, boundary and distance markers, as
well as interpretive display boards at various locations.
Preliminary design concepts have been developed, and
the City has retained a consultant to oversee completion
of the designs and fabrication and installation of the new
signs. Look for the new signs by next summer.
If you would like more information on any of these
projects, or if you would like to keep current with ongoing FUTS planning, please contact Martin Ince, multimodal transportation planner with the City of Flagstaff
and the Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning Organization,
by email at [email protected] or by
phone at 928-226-4850.
Volume #2, Issue #1
Video Detection Comes to Flagstaff
Martin Ince
the multi-modal transportation
planner for the City of Flagstaff and
the Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning
Organization. He has worked as a city
planner for more than 20 years and has
lived in Flagstaff for almost 10 years.
This benefits bicyclists because the detection zone can
be drawn to include the area of the intersection where
bicyclists would typically stop, and the sensitivity can
be set to detect the presence of a cyclist, even a skinny
cyclist on a really lightweight composite road bike.
So far, the City has installed video detection equipment
on eight of its 33 signalized intersections. The Arizona
Department of Transportation, which manages state
routes in Flagstaff (Route 66, Milton Road, Highway 89,
Humphreys Street, and Fort Valley Road) uses video
detection on eight of its 29 signals in Flagstaff. All new
traffic signals include video detection equipment, and
existing signals will be retrofitted over time as budgets
allow.
You may have noticed cylindrical-shaped objects affixed
to the mast arms of traffic signals around town pointing
into the intersection. These are video detection cameras,
which not only help intersections operate more efficiently
but also provide a great benefit to bicyclists.
Most traffic signals are demand actuated, which means
that the signal allots green time based upon vehicle
presence. A signal stays green on the busy street and
red on the side street and does not change until a vehicle
pulls up to the intersection on the side street. Until
recently, most actuated traffic signals used inductive loop
detectors, which are wire coils embedded in the asphalt,
to detect metal from a vehicle and trigger the signal to
change. The existing loop detectors in place in Flagstaff
are good at detecting cars and trucks but are generally
not sensitive enough, or positioned in the right spot, to
detect a bicycle.
Given the newness of this technology, at this time not all
of the installed video detectors may be set to consistently
recognize bicyclists. However, over the coming months
the City will be working to fine-tune the settings of each
detector to include bicycles.
If you have any questions about video detection, please
contact Jeff Bauman, traffic engineering project manager
for the City, at 779-7685, ext 7651 or by email jbauman@
ci.flagstaff.az.us
contact: Martin Ince at
[email protected]
or by phone at 928-226-4850.
FBO Bike Recycling Program
This can lead to frustration for a bicyclist waiting at a
signal during less-than-busy times. If a car doesn’t pull
up alongside, the signal won’t change to green, and the
cyclist is left with the unsatisfactory options of scrambling
over to the sidewalk to push the pedestrian button or
running the red light.
FBO will recycle your old, unwanted bikes and give them a
new life for a charitable deduction. For more information,
contact Mark Gullo at (928) 214-0105 or trails@
Video detection, on the other hand, uses cameras to
monitor each leg of an intersection and send an image of
the intersection to a computer processor located inside
the signal control box. When a vehicle pulls up to the
intersection, the processor “detects” its presence based
on a change in a specified percentage of pixels in the
image of the intersection leg.
Mark Gullo
flagstaffbiking.org.
has nearly achieved the lofty goal of
local status after 20 years on the trails
and roads of Northern AZ. From his
first taste of dirt at a Sunset Trail event
in 1987 to his current role as FBO’s trail
program coordinator, multi-use trail
advocacy and preservation has been
one of his passions.
Page 5
Happy Trails:
2006 FBO Trail Program In Review
The FBO trails program had another successful season
in 2006 thanks to the hard work and dedication of all the
trail crew volunteers and the Coconino National Forest
staff. This season FBO hosted 13 trail day events on the
multi use trails in and around the Flagstaff area.
The season kicked off in late April with an all day session
on the Eastside of town at the Peaks Ranger station.
Participants discussed and reviewed different trail
building techniques in a classroom setting in the morning
and in the afternoon applied these techniques on an
actual multi-use trail.
The FBO trail programs were held twice a month from
May thru October on Saturday mornings from 9am until
3pm. The final trail day event was held in November. Trails
that were worked on this season include Fat Man’s Loop,
Sunset, Elden Lookout, AZ Trail, Upper Moto, Schultz
Creek, Sandy’s Canyon, Forces of Nature and many
others. Volunteer hours in 2006 exceeded our goal of
2000 hours with nearly 2400 hours recorded. All trail day
events include, refreshments, snacks, instructions, tools
and raffle prizes for all the volunteers, courtesy of FBO.
In October the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew paid Flagstaff
yet another visit and helped to train some volunteers on
trail construction and layout techniques. They also helped
bridge the gap with some discussions between FBO
volunteers and the Forest Service on specific construction
methods that are more conducive to bicycle use while
maintaining sustainability.
Come join FBO in 2007 and give back to the great multi
use trails in Flagstaff.
2007 FBO Trail
Programs Preview
The FBO Trail Building and Maintenance Programs for
2007 are in the process of being planned and reviewed
with the Forest Service and other Land Management
groups. FBO again plans to kick off the season in late April
with a two day training workshop focusing on classroom
sessions as well as in the field trail building workshops
and techniques.
Starting in May and continuing thru November, FBO will
host monthly trail days that will target trails in various
parts of the forest that need specific attention. The focus
this season will be on maintenance of existing system
trails, as well as continuing our work on new trails in
the Coconino National Forest. Trails. Trails targeted for
specific work events include Schultz Creek, Sunset, Rocky
Ridge, Oldham Trail, Lower and Upper Brookbank, Fort
Valley, and Little Bear.
For more information, contact Mark Gullo at
(928) 214-0105 or [email protected].
Page 6
Where We Play:
Ben Sullivan
Ecology Notes – Winter Survival
The news media has lately been focused on several
winter tragedies involving people succumbing to harsh
winter elements. It’s not news that people require special
equipment and knowledge to live in the wilderness during
inclement weather. But that got me thinking – how do the
plants and animals in our own Northern Arizona forests
survive the winter?
slows, the heart rate declines, and the animal enters
what could be described as a deep, prolonged sleep. By
slowing its metabolism, the animal does not consume
many calories. They can survive the winter on their
stored fat. These animals awaken from their slumber with
warmer temperatures and immediately begin the search
for food.
Animals
Other animals in Northern Arizona such as deer and elk
do not hibernate – they migrate. These creatures move to
areas with less snow and continue to feed throughout the
winter. However, deer and elk are also continuously using
energy from fat stored during the fall. Animals are in
constant competition for their survival; food eaten during
the winter by deer and elk is unavailable to the small
mammals when they awake from their hibernation. To
make matters more difficult for animals, for reasons that
will be explained in the next section, the nutrient value
of plants is greatly diminished during winter, so a blade
of grass will not give as much energy during the winter
as it would during the growing season. Regardless if the
animal migrates or hibernates they will certainly lose a
great deal of their body weight by spring. The survival of
an individual depends a great deal on the duration and
To survive in cold weather, humans need to rely on
reserves of fat and a great quantity of stored food. Cold
weather makes the body work harder to maintain its
temperature. The heart rate increases to accomplish this,
and more calories are burned by the higher metabolic
rate. To stay alive, those calories have to be replaced
either through stored fat reserves or food consumption.
In the wild, however, food is scarce during the winter
when plants are dormant and snow often covers other
food sources. To survive the winter, animals sometimes
do the opposite of humans – they slow their metabolisms
down. This is known as hibernating. Bears are most
famous for hibernating (actually a form of rest called
“denning”) but small mammals like ground squirrels also
hibernate. Hibernation occurs when the metabolism
come visit us at
Winter 2007
is a Grad student in ecosystem
ecology. Bike commuter. Skinny
lad in lycra. Rides up the trails the
others ride down. Wishes it snowed
more and blames traffic for the lack
of skiing.
severity of the winter and on the availability and quality
of food sources in the spring.
Trees and plants
All trees and perennial plants in Northern Arizona
become dormant in the winter. This dormancy is not
death – it is a state similar to hibernation, in which the
tree ceases all activity. The tree breaks down many of its
chemical mechanisms for photosynthesis (the process
by which light energy and carbon dioxide are converted
to sugar) and moves them out of the leaf. This movement
is responsible for the bright reds, yellows, and oranges
during fall in deciduous or “hardwood” trees and results
in the low nutritional value of plants mentioned above.
But how do trees know when to go dormant? Essentially,
they are conservative gamblers – since they can’t see
snow or feel cold, plants have adapted to rely on changes
in daylight and water availability to begin
Story continued on Page 7
Volume #2, Issue #1
Page 7
Story continued from Page 6
and end their dormancy period. If a plant waits too long
to begin dormancy, it will not survive an early frost. If a
plant begins dormancy too early, it is losing valuable time
to photosynthesize and gain energy. This balancing act
has taken place over thousands of years to produce an
“average” time specific to each plant species when it is
most likely to survive the early winters and is still able to
be efficient during the growing season. Cold temperatures
freeze the water in the soil and reduce the ability of the
tree to absorb water and nutrients through the roots. This
begins a drought stress that continues to push the tree
into dormancy. Trees come out of dormancy by a similar
process, and with a similar balance of survival techniques
– if the plant emerges too early, a late frost will harm the
tree, but if it waits too long the plant is losing critical days
of sunlight.
Other plants are called annuals, meaning they only survive
one year. Annuals leave an abundant seed crop before
the winter begins and the plants die. While this technique
does not protect the plant from winter, it ensures the
survival of the species when the seeds germinate in the
spring in soils moist from the melting of snow. Annuals
also lose the some nutritional value during winter by
putting the energy from stems and leaves into the seed
source.
Human Interaction
No matter what animal or plant you see while recreating
in the winter, the species that individual belongs to
has evolved a technique to survive the winter. But just
because that species is likely to survive does not mean
that the individual is having an easy time of it. Winter is a
time of great physiologic hardship, so keep that in mind
while playing in the forest. Treading lightly and quietly is
important so as not to disturb animals. Any extra effort an
animal expends during the winter decreases the chances
for that animal’s survival. Walking or riding off trail impacts
seeds that will germinate in the spring. Some species,
often invasive exotics, use such ground disturbance to
their advantage while other native species require an
undisturbed seed bed. Winter is nature’s regulator: it
controls the balance of the whole system. Life continues
all around us even when it’s cold enough that humans
can’t survive outside for long periods.
Want to read an article about what you see while riding?
Tell me what you want to read. Or what you see.
Contact: Ben Sullivan at [email protected]
Call for Artists /
Illustrators...
Flagstaff Biking Organization is getting ready to kick
off the annual Bike To Work Week post art contest.
Yes, you could have your artwork showcased for this
years event. Details to follow on our website.
Pines to the
Mines
When forty-five cyclists left Pay-n Take at 7 am on
October 21st to the sloppy cheers of Tequila Sunrise
revelers it showed how different factions of Flagstaff
locals passionately follow their fun. One group had spent
the previous night awake tipping the libation of choice,
eyes focused on the endurance prize that is remaining
conscious through homecoming. The second was
downing caffeine, filling camelbacks and steeling their
determination for their own vision quest, the third annual
Pines to the Mines.
Covering almost 90 miles the Pines to the Mines (PTM)
is Flagstaff’s endurance mountain biking event. Riders
passed through spectacular scenery as they pedaled their
way from a chilly downtown Flagstaff to a warm finish in
Jerome. The mix of forest service roads, double and single
track was complemented by the fact that riders never
touched pavement until their tires hit Jerome.
Influenced by the Leadville 100 and the Vail Ultra several
Flagstaff cyclists wanted to put together an endurance
ride/race here that was in the spirit of these other events.
It’s been several years since the Soulstice, the race around
the San Francisco Peaks ceased that mountain bikers in
Flagstaff have had an opportunity for a local endurance
race. “For me it’s the new Soulstice it’s great to have a long
race in northern Arizona again,’ said Flagstaff elementary
school teacher Joe Caslin who has ridden PTM several
times.
The organizers also wanted to enhance the experience
by riding to a destination not an out and back or a loop
format that many of the popular races have. “You start
in a town and you finish in a different town. I feel like I
have gone somewhere. We begin here in Flagstaff and you
come into in Jerome and you see the San Francisco Peaks
50 miles away where you started.” Flagstaff firefighter
Corey Coplea said about the course.
Between Flagstaff and Jerome lie forests,
canyons, rim country, a river valley and
the desert. Cyclists got a taste of it all.
Riders passed Rogers Lake on their way out to the
Sycamore rim trail and which was for some the best part
of the day. “I don’t think I’ve ever stopped during a race
before just for the scenery and I did that twice to take in
the views of Sycamore canyon,” said local attorney Dave
Bednar.
Following the descent to the Verde River and a quick
stop for refueling, cyclists began the steep, hot, dusty,
unrelenting 13-mile climb above Jerome before the steep
and fast descent into town. A sweep vehicle was primed
and waiting in Perkinsville at the river to scoop up any
Scott Miller
a frustrated bike racer and a purveyor
of cigarettes and beer.
riders not able to crank out the ascent but hardly anyone
stepped onboard. The climb up to the finish is the toughest
part of the race and has attained almost a mythical power
over some of the riders. “I say shoot for the river and hope
for Jerome,” Jeff Miller a PTM pilgrim said about the hill
climb, “It took me three attempts before I was able to pedal
all the way up. One time I wound up out of water on the
side of the road huddling under the shade of a mesquite
tree with Big Jonny!”
A surprise greeted the cyclists as local super hero
Anthony De La Garza in the fine European race tradition
was waiting in full Devil garb to harass the cyclists as they
crested the steepest part of the climb. De La Garza did his
best to alternately inspire the cyclists up the up the hill by
threatening to hug them and blow barley and hops breath
in their faces, or get them to throw down their bikes for
good by opening his ice chest fuel of PBRs to them.
The last of the climb is switch backed through red rock
with vistas of Sedona and the San Francisco Peaks. This
surreal splendor helped ease the pain of some of the
racers. “I had never been on a bike that long in my life. I
didn’t know what was real or a figment of my imagination.
I could’ve been hit by a car or bitten by the half dead
rattlesnake that was in the road, I didn’t care. I tried to just
focus on the views all around me to get this over with,”
recalled Paul Brinkmann.
Dropping down into Jerome riders passed by the ghost
town relics of the Gold King mine and the sign that
advertises in small lettering that the bordello is closed.
All of the riders were up Jerome before dark. Most were
in high spirits reliving the high points of their day. But the
day’s riding had put some in the semi coherent state that
Tequila Sunrise revelers were probably experiencing back
in Flagstaff at the very same moment.
Once in Jerome cyclists encountered their two wheeled
motorized cousins that frequent the town in large numbers
on fall weekends. “I really like the mix of cycling and biking
culture when we ride into Jerome said Caslin, The people
in chaps and leather staring at people in spandex is pretty
funny.”
Pay-n-Take and Bigfoot BBQ took care of refueling the
cyclists in the Jerome town park. Local Artists Joe Sorren,
George Averback and Steve Garro fashioned creations for
the riders. Photos from the day and a map of the course
are available at www.payntake.com. Next years ride will be
in mid October check the pay-n-take web site for details
Contact: scott at [email protected]
Page 8
Winter 2007
To Ride or Not to Ride:
TC ‘Hot Tommy’ Eberly
has never raced a competitive bike
race in his life, he likes to think that
thinking about racing is almost as
good as actually doing it.
A sometimes-fair-weather cyclist’s perspective.
Every fall, Flagstaffian cyclists are forced to begin making
a crucial decision on a weekly…nay, daily basis. This
decision far outweighs those of the summer months
when we ponder whether to bring our race wheels to a
group ride or whether the day will hold adventures on the
mountain versus intervals on the road.
warm in-route via vehicular transportation or commit to
making a potentially grueling bicycle trip that may put
us in a position to accept adulations for braving the
elements. Both have positive repercussions and, in the
end, the question that must be answered every time is:
How dumb do I feel today?
No dear reader, the primary decision of the fall and winter
may be more accurately categorized as “big-picture” and
it generally begins with a look out the window in the early
morning hours and can have repercussions throughout
the rest of the day. We must decide whether to hop on
the ol’ bicycle for transportation once the temperature
has begun to drop or just start up the car to maintain
comfort. We can all appreciate the fact that living in this
idyllic mountain climate allows us the opportunity to ride
bicycles outside for the majority of the year in relative
comfort, a beneficial attribute to be sure. However, one
should not however automatically discount the remainder
of the year merely due to the potential for bone numbing
chills that inspire amputations and frozen facial features.
This writer, unfortunately, generally does.
As with most riders, my level of stupidity varies on a daily
basis. There have been mornings when the black surface
of the road is completely obscured by packed snow and
ice; yet, I will ride to work with the determination and
confidence of a man who fears no crashes and laughs
in the face of road rash. Conversely, I will more than
occasionally find myself wrapped in a cocoon of comfort
supplied by the auto’s forced air heater system.
This would probably not be the case if I were either a
talented or determined bicycle rider; but let’s be honest,
my few talents and brief moments of determination do
not exactly describe the hardened athlete of cycling lore.
Instead, I find that I personally approach riding in the
winter months with a tendency to error on this side of
timorousness and survival skills. Mind you dear reader,
the survival skills that I speak of are not the type that
could get me through the jungles of Africa; it’s more
like occasional moments of basic thinking…the type of
thinking that resides in the part of my brain dedicated to
keeping me safe from myself.
As an aside, I think that just about everyone’s brain
has this feature, it is generally a matter of how much
you are able to use it in everyday life. The world will
always have the select few who do stupid things and
never really grasp how dumb they are, regardless of the
consequences. In addition, there are those who only
figure out the true scope of the situation once they are
already in a temporary sub-orbital flight plummeting
towards the Honda-sized rock that they were sure could
be cleared.
Finally, there are my people, the type who completely
comprehends the sheer idiocy of the situation at hand,
and plunges ahead anyway, just because we appreciate
free will. I imagine that there is a virtually constant epic
battle raging within my head between the part of the
brain trying to keep me safe and warm and the part
determined to do something just so that I can say that
I did it.
Therein lies the basis of the internal struggle that we are
all faced to address during the winter: do we try to stay
come visit us at
I do not know of any reliable way to categorize or record
the variables and factors associated with riding versus
driving, but within every rider, there is an equation that
determines whether we ride or not. For me personally,
the following variables and mathematical operations
generally apply: I like to take the ambient temperature
(AT) and subtract from it the temperature with wind-chill
(WC). This number is then added to the overall level of
road surface safety based on visual snow and ice buildup
on a simple linear scale of 1 through 4, with 1 meaning
a clean road surface and 4 meaning a road covered in
snow and ice. This is
known throughout the
industry as (RO) or road
obfuscation.
The resulting number
is then multiplied by a
number of factors (all
also ranked on a linear
scale of 1 through 4 with
one being worst and 4
being best) including
my eventual destination
(D) {work being a low
multiple and happy hour
scoring much higher},
time of day (T) {mornings
are pretty much a deal
breaker at a 1}, and
current
sunshinicity
levels (S) {since there
are few factors that
can influence outdoor
activities more than a
bright and shining sun
on a clear bluebird day}.
Your
personal
final
equation will undoubtedly
not be identical to mine,
even on the same day
with identical destinations since the built-in weighting
takes into account personal preferences; however, the
equation will generally resemble the following: 32+(ATWC+RO)*(1+.D+.T)*1.S=PFR (Potential For Riding). The
lower the PFR score, the more seriously one should
consider riding. Not to imply of course that the day’s
decision should be based solely on the PFR since
well…sometimes you just want to ride; but, it is a good
indicator.
I have found that I will generally put rubber to the road if
I can achieve a PFR of 55 or below but have been known
to ride with a PFR in the 60’s if the bike has been on the
rollers for too many nights in a row. Other days will find
me in the car with a PFR of less than 40 for no reason
whatsoever. When it comes right down to it, it’s a matter
of taste and preference. So long as riding remains safe,
fun, and enjoyable I suppose that it does not really matter
what the conditions are outside, just get out and ride!
We roast. We bake. We brew!
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Voted Best Coffee and
Best Wireless Cafe 2002, 2003,
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by the AZ Daily Sun Readers
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Volume #2, Issue #1
Page 9
Fixed and Frisky:
Dan “D2” Cavallari
is a former bike mechanic and a
freelance writer. He owns a cycling
cap and a messenger bag, but can’t
do a no-handed skid stop yet.
Flagstaff Plays Host to Fixed-Gear Fanatics
A few years ago, I was living in Orono, Maine and
wrenching for a small-town bike shop that was housed in
an old, two-story home with a barn attached at the back.
In its former life, the building had been a morgue—we
stored our back stock of tires in old caskets cut in half
and stacked on top of each other. It was a quirky shop
in a quirky town, the sort of place one might expect out
of a small New England town that spends a good part
of its existence buried in snow. It was here, while in the
employ of Rose Bike Shop, that I was first exposed to the
fixed-gear phenomenon by a friend and awe-inspiring
bike guru. A regular at the shop, Bob was in his midfifties and could out-ride any of us young guns in town.
If we couldn’t clear a log, he could. If we couldn’t ride
that last five miles of an epic ride, he would. Simply put,
if it was out of our grasp, Bob could handle it. And so,
unsurprising to me, it was Bob who introduced me to the
world of fixies.
My initial reaction to the whole concept was simple
enough: “That sure is stupid.” I’m fairly certain I said
those words at least once a day for several months as
I watched Bob grow from a fixie commuter with a front
brake to a fixie off-road rider with no brakes at all. It
just didn’t seem right to not be able to coast, and so I
badmouthed the idea and poked fun at fixies whenever
I got the chance—until I tried one. Bob had left his at the
foot of the staircase outside the shop one day, and in true
bike shop fashion, I decided I’d been working for too long
(at least a half hour by this point) and needed a break. So
I hopped on Bob’s fixie and rode around the block.
I was immediately hooked.
around for years--centuries, even. To me, it was new and
unique, fun and different.
Next thing I knew, I was digging through the attic of the
shop, looking to scrounge up an old frame that I could
transform into my own fixie. Sure enough, tucked away in
the corner of the attic lay an old Raleigh Gran Prix, dusty
and neglected, and it became mine. I started commuting
on it as much as I could, and learned very quickly that my
bike now had a mind of its own. It could buck me off the
front if it wanted to—and believe me, it tried often—but
I loved it anyway the way one loves a bad ex-girlfriend:
she abuses and she hurts, but you keep on coming back
for more. Is it love? Is it love of self-suffering? It wasn’t
really masochism, at least not to an extreme degree, but I
loved knowing this bike could hurt me if I didn’t pay close
enough attention to it. All bikes should demand so much
respect.
Enter Flagstaff, Arizona.
Around Orono, there were only a handful of souls
interested in the sado-masochistic fixie. I rode mine
proudly—and often awkwardly—and relished in the fact
that I was one of only a few, a select group who found
themselves enthralled with the quirky craze. Not knowing
the history of the fixie, I didn’t realize they had been
I moved to Flagstaff with an arsenal of bicycles and the
promise of plenty of trails on which to ride them. I certainly
wasn’t disappointed, but I was surprised. Yes, that’s right:
fixies everywhere! Could this be true? To my (limited)
knowledge at that time, fixies were popular amongst
messengers in larger cities and bike connoisseurs
exclusively. How wrong I was. Parked on every street
corner and outside of every bar were sparkling fixies
straight out of bike catalogs; antique refurbs dug out of
bike shop basements everywhere; or pieced-together
relics forgotten like the finer details of the age in which
they first lived, playing out their final years in dumpsters
but granted new life by adventurous and determined folks
in need of transportation. From narrow, cut-down bars
to bull horn beauties, from fat-tired mountain bikes to
classic, old-school road bikes, Flagstaff served as home
to all breeds, styles, and variations. I was inundated with
fixies. How was this possible?
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flag 06
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Page 10
Flagstaff Biking Organization
FBO Expenses – 2005
2006 Highlights
FBO Members
Believer ($500 and above)
$5,673.02
As the year 2006 comes to a close, Flagstaff Biking
Organization would like to thank our individual and
business members for their support. We were busier
than ever and through financial donations from our
members, we were able to accomplish great things.
Some highlights of the year are below:
$3,313.25
Programs
Fundraising
Administration
$38,287.39
Bike to Work Week
This week-long bicycle advocacy event which saw over
2,200 people register their participation in 2006. Events
included a
• Bike Bazaar and Gear Swap
• Human Powered Parade with over 200
participants!
• A kickoff “Commuter Ride” which was supported
by local government officials and over 200 citizens
• Bike to Work and School Day which encouraged
citizens and kids to ride to work or school with
incentives and prizes.
• Bicycle movies at Heritage Square and the Orpheum
theatre.
Trail Day Program
In partnership with the Forest Service, Flagstaff Biking
Organization successfully recruited hundreds of
volunteers to assist in this trail building program. In 2006
over 2,200 volunteer hours have been logged!
Mobile Trail Crew
Volunteers of 2-5 people trained by the Forest Service
and FBO maintained trails with minimal tools and vast
knowledge of the existing trail systems in Flagstaff.
Loop Trail FBO provided the vision and planning for a 42-mile Loop
Trail that will eventually connect 18 miles of existing
trails with 24 miles of created trails by trained volunteers
to form a recreational corridor around Flagstaff that
connects neighborhoods to numerous trail systems on
the National Forest.
SafeKids Program
Flagstaff Biking Organization is responsible for the
SafeKids Helmet Program and Rodeo Events in Coconino
County. In 2006, 800+ helmets were distributed below
cost in Flagstaff to students K-6 representing a 500%
increase since 2004! One hundred free helmets were
also given to children whose families could not afford the
expense. Bicycle rodeos also exposed over 1,200 children
to road rules and bicycle safety.
Youth Mountain Bike Program
This developmental mountain bike program taught
children riding techniques, trail etiquette and team
building skills throughout the summer weekdays from
9am-4pm.
come visit us at
FBO Income – 2005
$4,018.50
David Bednar
Douglas “Leigh” Campbell, DDS
Jim Gibson
David Kumasaka
John & Deb Ledington
Kip Moyer
Kyle Norris, MD
Associates ($250 - $499):
$5,300.00
$7,332.89
Event Income
Program Sponsors
Memberships
Sales
Grants
$2,849.00
Winter 2007
Christie Dennis
Len Garrambone
Rob Lloyd
Annabelle Nelson
William Twomey
Stephen Ward
Jack Welch
Duffie Westheimer
Karen Whitten
$31,800.00
Trips for Kids Flagstaff
As a local chapter of the national Trips for Kids Program,
children from diverse backgrounds and socio-economic
situations were exposed to mountain biking through
FBO’s Trips for Kids program.
www.flagstaffbiking.org Website
With over 2,700 registered users, the Flagstaff Biking
Organization website serves as an information tool for
bicycle advocacy, trail and event information and useful
forums for citizens of Flagstaff to voice their opinion on
cycling related issues.
Bi-Opic Newsletter
This quarterly newsletter is currently distributed to over
25 businesses in Flagstaff with a circulation of over 3000
per cycle at not cost to its readers.
“Share the Road” Safety Campaign
With the help of Visual Communication students at NAU,
FBO developed a series of television Public Service
Announcements and newspaper advertisements that
continue to educate the public about bicycle awareness
and safely.
Group Riding and Advocacy Events
Our first annual Giro de la Luna offered a guided night
ride on our Urban Trail Systems during a night of a full
moon and drew over 60 people. Also, four Pancake
Rides during the summer offered guided advanced,
intermediate, beginner and kids rides as well as free
breakfast trail side!
These programs are inherently valuable in promoting
bicycle advocacy, but, they come at a financial cost. FBO
counts on membership donations to maintain a financially
stable organization to make all of these programs a
reality.
Sustaining ($100 - $249)
David Blanchard
Pamela Cady
Alexandra Carpino
Charels Demilner
Robert Friend
Chuck McDougal
Mark Gullo
Chad Johnson
Stephanie McCarthy &
Anthony Quintile
Chuck McDougal
John McGregor
Kevin & Paula Rand
Tom Sisk
Anita Switzer
Russell Tweed
Jim Wilson
Program Sponsors & Business Partners
Absolute Bikes
Aspen Sports
AZ Bikes
Biffs Bagels
Bookman’s
Campus Coffee Bean
City of Flagstaff
Coconino County
Cosmic Cycles
Drunkcyclist.com
Flagstaff Adventure Sports
Flagstaff Bicycle & Fitness
Four Season Outfitters &
Guides
Friends of Flagstaff’s Future
Flagstaff Medical Center
Kyle Norris, MD
Late for the Train
Law Office of
Luke Mulligan, P.C.
Mountain Sports
NATRA
Pay N Take
Pilates North
SCA Tissue
North America, LLC
Shephard Wesnitzer Engineering
Teva
Trip Choice
U.S. National Forest Service
FBO would like to thank our members for their financial
support which makes our work possible. All memberships
are annual and can be renewed by mail or via credit card
on our website. If you have any questions regarding
membership, please call Melissa at 606-1533 or
email her at [email protected].
Thank you!
Volume #2, Issue #1
How your membership and donations
further cycling in our community
Are you tired of hearing about how long it takes to get things done? Help us speed up the
* process.
Coordinating a regular volunteer trail program requires resources to be successful.
Advertisements, lunches, incentives all add up but help make the events fun. Big turnouts = new
trails. Putting on a fun and productive large-scale event costs roughly $1,000.
Facilitating the outreach, design and implementation stages of our 42-mile Loop Trail is an
* ambitious
endeavor. Driving this project in a timely manner will require an investment from our
organization.
Financial resources enable us to make Bike to Work Week have lasting impacts. Regular
* programming
funds are required to support efforts like bike recycling, Safe Kids, and Trips for
Kids - initiatives that are designed to provide fun healthy opportunities for kids.
An organization with a huge number of paid members has a loud public voice that guarantees
* significant
influence with agencies, grant bodies, and elected offficials.
To fulfill our mission requires both grassroots support and full-time, professional focus. Effectively
* advocating
cycling interests requires constant vigilance.
Supporting ($50 - $99)
Mitchell Adair
Susan Amon
David Anning
Nik Antestenis
Sean Anthony
Shannon Auckly
Brad Bippus
Tim Bonatus
Chuck Bruni
Chuck Budden
Jody Burford
Michael Bussmann
Gay Chanler
Paul Colf
Ken Collier
Jeff Eisner
Nancy & Joe
Evans & Hazel
James & Danielle
Fazio-Lapre
Kathy Gallagher-
Bergland
Bob Gaylord
Edwin Goff
Melissa Grimes
Kenton Harman
David Hayes
Stuart Henderson
Susan Hueftle
Chris Johnson
Darrell Kaufman
Gabriel Keck
Todd Kennedy
Ken Koch
Alexender Koss
Dale Kremer
David Laing
Damion Lapier
Dara Marks-Marino
Jim Marzolf
David McKee
Wayne McLellan
Amanda & Scott
Miller
Joe Murray
Michael Ort
Tim Phillips
Tobin & Christi
Purslow
Neil & Wendy Ross
Michael Satterwhite
Aaron Seifert
Tim & Erika Steffen
Joanne Steigerwald
Bruce Steinhaus
Julie Taylor
Erin Trubue
Chris Warehaum
Collin Weller
Kim & Jens Westcott
Laurence Whelan
John Zimmerman
Individual ($20 - $49)
Aaron brams
Joel Agena
Carol Alex-Horowitz
Craig Anderson
Mary Beth Bailey
Bev Barbarisi
Charlie Beadles
John Benson
Daniel Berry
John Bertko
Josh Biggs
Patrick Black
Charlie Bongo
James Brooks
Katie Brown
Peter Bungart
Sharon Cardenas
Robert Cheesman
Erik Cole
MariBeth Copeland
Warren Cronmiller
Pete Czerpak
Perry Davidson
Mark Despain
Jeff Dillon
Judy Draper
Kim Duncan
Grant Dunstan
Ann Eagan
Aaron Ells
Cory Fagerholm
Michael Falk
Art Farmer
Julie & Scott Frost
Mackenzie Gardner
Lisa Gelczis
Dan Gittomer
Robert Gooch
Katie Graham
Lila Hope Greer
Kristin Guaziano
Joanne Gullyes
Dan Gwinn
Kristi Hagen
Richard Hall
Charlie Hawk
Dave Hicks
Tom Holden
Rose Houk
Sam Hull
Denise Hudson
Gary Hurst
Christina Jan
Wendell Johnson
Wes Johnson
Joel Kefuss
Art Keith &
Megan Gavin
Erik Kellerup
Brenda Kelly
Chuck Kincheloe
Gisela Kluwin
Kurt Knittle
Karen Knorowski
Klaus Kracht
William Kunkle
Valerie Kurth
Andrew Lane
Terry Lietz
David Letty
Joshua Lipton
Doug Loveday
Mary Lovejoy
Cynthia Lovely
Jay McCallum
Anne McKinnon
Rob McPherson
Stefan Mettler
Kurt & SaraMeyers
Charlie Mikulewicz
Elson Miles
Rick Mineweaser
Mary Mohr
Shanyn Money
Karen Morefield
William Mulkey
Joe Murphy
Melanie Myers
Amber Naughton
Jeannie Neff
John Neff
Hunter Neibaw
Stephan Nikolai
David Nila
Dan Overton
Cindy Perger
Gary Phillips
Paula Pluta
Craig Prevost
Cosmic Ray
James Riley
Jerry Robertson
Jen Robino
Roger Roll
Robin Rose
Sue Rose
Mara Saccoccia
Michael Sanders
Ryan Schmidt
Katie Sheridan
Alan Smith
Niki Steffen
Jim Straight
Ben Sullivan
Draper Terry
Douglas Thomas
Ray Topham
Penny Trovillion
Jeni Turgeon
John Valvo
Bruce Walker
David Watters
Scott Waxman
Ed White
Darren Williams
Deb Wilson
Alex Wisniewski
Casey Woodford
Edward White
Jonathan Wright
Jut Wynne
Mark Young
Page 11
Page 12
Trail Reviews with the Gnome:
Gardner Canyon
Winter 2007
Dave Herbold (the Gnome)
dabbles in all things bicycle mtn, road
and even unispeed (and blogging
about it on onespeeder.com), coffee
and epic rides. Can often be spotted
heading back up the trail when
everyone else is calling it quits.
Photo Credit: Troy Marino
Patagonia is a strange little sleepy town that puts up a
good pizza or two. It’s worth a night at the least. It is one
of the most out of the way places this state still has.
We are creatures of routine. Day in and day out, we seek
reassurance through anything we can call a constant: the
punch of the clock, bills, coffee, the bar, the fridge, the fork,
the mouth. And for some, a good ride is needed to maintain
sanity. As winter rolls on the throttle here in the northland,
those of us who are dependent on the two-wheeled life
must search out warmer pastures on which, we can find a
sense of our own meaning. Head south I say...head south.
It is with this mantra that I rejuvenate and refresh. There is
too much Sonoran land not to explore.
Gardner Canyon lies on the southeastern slopes of Mount
Wrightson within the Santa Rita mountain range. This is
40 miles south of Tucson. It is a beautiful high Sonoran
grassland not unlike the Serengeti in places, yet rugged
elsewhere. It is its own creation that harkens back to days
as a kid exploring and finding adventure as it presents
itself.
Gardner Canyon was an incorporated area of the
Greaterville mining district during the turn of last century.
This history of mining, although somewhat brief as it
diminished after WWII, now provides the foundation of
a ride that is atypical and supreme in its own definition.
An extinct water line from then now constitutes most of
the trail. What was once used to transport water to the
sluice boxes now surfs along a most reasonable line,
rolling through grassland that gently gives way to higher
elevation pine as it goes towards the southern face of
the range.
It is perfect singletrack.
The trail breaks away from the waterline occasionally to
descend large ravines or catch old jeep roads for sections
only to regroup onto the waterline again. Eventually,
it routes up through old tailings piles and remnants of
construction from long ago to end at a creek adjacent to
a jeep road. To get there, means a good ride in itself with
come visit us at
exceptional singletrack. At the creek however, there is the
option to head east, downhill, and back to the car, which
makes for a good 2-3 hour ride. Alternatively and better,
if you have the time and desire, set up some sort of sag
support in Patagonia and head uphill on that jeep road.
The next section of the AZ trail will begin on the left side
about a mile from the creek. The entrance back onto
singletrack is a rubble-strewn hike up to a bench, which
is equally sketchy down the other side. Once bottomed
out though, the trail joins back onto the waterline, which
tunneled under what you just climbed over. Here, it is
much the same as the previous waterline in how it flows,
but the scenery and the exposure make the difference.
It’s as if you’re in a dream, riding along the north side of
an expansive valley on a beam of trail somehow cut into
the side of an impressively steep mountainside. The work
that must have gone into this cut is staggering.
The scenery is of extinct volcanic activity and ghostly
evidence of miners from long ago. As you round corner
after corner, the view becomes larger and larger. The
solitude, greater and greater. In the field of vision are
volcanic necks, cliffs and spires followed by the Patagonia
valley and Mexico
beyond. I stop often
through this area. It
is simply remarkable.
There will come a
point in the trail where
wilderness boundary
mandates you walk for
a while up to a bench.
A small penance I
suppose. From there,
the ride is generally
downhill to Patagonia
another 23 miles of
singletrack and dirt
road. Epic as ever.
Absent of normal routine, I have always returned from
Gardner Canyon refreshed. I am thankful for it’s inherent
solitude, natural brutality and ghostly past. It is a place that
is Gardner Canyon, mysterious, desolate and beautifully
unique. I always look forward to returning. If you are
interested in experiencing it, I suggest a thorough google
search for all pertinent info. There are a ton of roads and
cattle trails out there. Getting lost takes little effort and
getting lost there is a legitimate problem. I guarantee it.
Pack accordingly for the season, and don’t forget to bring
food that is not lame.
Logging in the volume while shrouded in grey skies, grey
clouds, grey trees on the grey asphalt, it would seem mono
chromatic… but no! This is the most colorful time of a
cyclists’ year. The mind is full of the color of things to come.
This is what fends off the cold and the wind, the boredom
and the staleness of the long road ahead.
Onlookers may not relate. And to them you are a bit
touched in the head. And they are correct. You do suffer
from the most beautiful infection possible. Your mind is
living to its fullest, transforming your body into a vehicle to
feed its pallet of endless colors. In every hue of expectation
and imagination. You are a rainbow on the road to your
dream. You are a cyclist putting in your base miles for next
season. Simple and robotic to some, for they know not
what dancing spirits dwell within your head.
Volume #2, Issue #1
Page 13
Keep On Shreddin’ Steve Garro Style Dream Season
Shred: as in rip it up like you are a little bit on the kooky side (preferably smiling on a bike)
“no way” park out further, that way it will make me work
harder. I told her I’m not handicapped I’m just messed up.
If you’ve ever done an outdoor activity with Steve Garro you
know what it means to “shred” or to wish that you could
shred (and maybe just keep up). You also know what it
means to be cool to your fellow trail users. You know what
it means to help someone out when their bike breaks so
they can keep on shreddin or maybe help tape up their
wound so they can stop bleeding and keep riding.
Steve had a run-in with a truck while on his bike last year.
He was left partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair
for over a year with some serious pain that only a mutant
could deal with. Now he has stored the wheelchair and is
walking using a leg brace and crutches. Steve has been
on a journey of recovery in a number of ways. What is
inspiring to many of us is that through it all Steve is very
positive, keeps the good vibes going and is still shreddin’.
He is building amazing bike frames that carve trails all
over the world (he just sent one to Switzerland) and he is
kayaking and riding a armbike with an intensity that would
make Tinker cry.
I recently hung out with Steve at his frame building shop
and shared some great music, fine winter beverages and
talked about some of his thoughts and life skills that have
been helping him along on this journey of healing. What I
left with was a little humble Garro insight that can help us
all with our journeys and the never ending pursuit of epic
shreddin’.
Q: How do you sum up the past year?
6 surgeries and 22 bike frames; 2006 was a rough year
and a busy year. People said I would never walk and here
I am walking.
Q: What are some things that have helped you to
move on and heal since the crash?
To focus on life. It’s like the mindset of training for an ultra
endurance event, there is going to be some suffering but
it pays off in a big way. My mindset now instead of kicking
ass is the new mindset with the goal of kicking my own ass
and now I’m walking.
Q: Obviously your wife Denise is a huge part of your
world, has that relationship progressed through this?
We are closer… you appreciate things more when they are
almost taken away. Five days on the edge of living or not
will do that. A funny thing that happened awhile back was
when Denise went to park in a handicap spot and I said
Q: The armbike is pretty amazing, many people have
seen you as well as Doug Kubcz out there riding the
trails. How did you get that going and how does it
compare to other riding?
My friend Doug Hall talked to me about it while I was in
the hospital. Then Dorol Kubacz stopped by and got me
interested in trying it out. He is by far the narliest dude I
have ever known. It is a challenge because you are using
a much smaller muscle group than your legs. You use
your hands for three things shifting, braking and pedaling
and then on top of that you help steer with your chest.
The armbike is also little wider than a bike but now I’m
comfortable going fast and being on two wheels in the
technical sections.
Q: You look like you are in a “zen state” when you
are building a custom bike. Has that been fulfilling as
you look back on starting Coconino cycles?
It has given me something to focus on. Some people don’t
have any passions, I have a ton of passions and building
bikes is one of them. Building a bike is like artwork;
sometimes I’ll stare at the brazing for an hour figuring out
what exactly needs to do be done to keep the flow of the
bike going.
Q: You just had a custom kayak built, do you have an
adventure in mind already?
I’ve always wanted to kayak ever since a trip I took to Baja
in 1992. Now, I don’t have a reason to not pursue it. Denise
and I are taking a trip soon to one of the lakes in the valley
and then a section of the Mississippi in August. Hopefully
we will do a Mexico trip soon after that.
Q: When you come in contact with other people
experiencing a similar journey how do you help them
out and how have they helped you?
Look around and you see people, who have it much
worse. As far as advice; get on it, there are no freebies
- straight up, get working on it, and when it hurts keep
doing it. Really most people handicap themselves.
My physical ability let me survive but it is not what
got me back to where I am now. What got me back is
perseverance and will power. Everyone has the ability to
use their perseverance and will power.
Well it tis that season upon us once again. No, not
Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year’s. Not Superbowl
or even ski season. It’s cycling dream season.
What’s cycling dream season you ask? It’s that old
nostalgic feeling of emotional anticipation swelling up
within. It’s that “loneliness of the long distance runner”
feeling. It’s the smell of those old winter gloves which have
been used in place of Kleenex one too many times. Or that
similar smell of the salty skull cap you use to block the
chill under your multi-ventilated helmet.
It’s the time to bust out the rollers, or mag. trainer. Break
out time for the 1987 Tour de France video, or perhaps the
1986 Paris Roubaix. If you are old as me you may have
them on homemade VHS, even better. Remember that epic
87 battle between Stephen Roche and Pedro Delgado…..
Roche, having to receive supplemental oxygen at the
summit finish after his all out effort to minimize his time
losses to Delgado who would eventually loose the tour in
the final TT? That’s good for a 5 hr. day in the saddle no
problem.
These are the ingredient of winter base training fuel. 1
part Tour de France drama, 1.5 parts Euro-classics mettle,
2 parts personal racing memories, and 5 parts anticipation
of things to come. Yeah, things to come! The new team or
teammates, the new kit, the new goals, the next statement,
the next chapter of your personal cycling chronicle.
One more calendar, complete with training log and race
results, is retired to the filing cabinet and the new, fresh,
blank calendar hits the table. Laying there looking up at
you like a faithful bird dog ready to run when its owner
pulls on that camo vest. How will the days of your calendar
fill in this coming year? Will La Vuelta de Bisbee grace the
last weekend in April? Will Valley of the Sun be highlighted
in your mid February? How about March’s Tumacacori,
Arizona’s own “berg” riddled classic. Perhaps the 4th
weekend in August will have a star which stands for the
Arizona State Road Race Championships. Or is the fall your
blessing for 2007? Will Mt. Graham and the climbing gods
bestow upon you a 1 day miracle of un-paralleled ascent
skills? Or are you a Pro World Championships kinda rider
shooting to salvage the season in the eleventh hour.
You pick your own quality of life.
Then November is for you with Arizona’s Holy Grail: El Tour
de Tucson?
David McKee
is a local artist, biker demon and
trail runner.
Doug Loveday
resides in Flagstaff with his wife
Tanja and son Tristan. He is pursuing
his Masters degree in Exercise
Science at NAU while running
his coaching business: www.
cyclingperformance.net.
Page 14
Gear Junkie: Winter Riding Tips
Stranger: “It’s a little cold to be riding a bike right now
ain’t it?”
Me: “Heck no! You just gotta have the right stuff.”
Stranger: “Hehehe.” Then he shot me crazy eyes. I can’t
blame him for the crazy eyes. He had just noticed the
size of the tires on my Pugsley.
I love riding my bike in the snow. And if I had a dollar for
every mile I have ridden in the cold… that would be a nice
pile of cash. But training for racing is different than just
riding off road in the snow or commuting. Which is why I
Here is a list of equipment you may find useful as well:
• Ski helmet – I use a Giro model that covers my ears
and very warm.
• Studded tires – buy then ready to mount or make
your own using a drill and hardened #8, 3/8”, panhead sheet metal screws. Check out this website for
more on making your own: http://www.silentsports.
net/stud_your_own_bike_tires.html
• Fenders – full coverage fenders keep slush off your
backside and out of your mouth.
• Lights – lots of flashy red and white lights will keep
cars from coming too close and spraying you at
night. Also use a light that allows you to see well at
night when the ground is covered in snow. Also look
for reflective tape to put on your bike and clothing
with reflective panels.
• Gore tex boots/shoes – I have had good success
with a light Merrell hiking boot with Gore-Tex ™
and a Vibram™ sole. I prefer to use flat non-clipless
In Flagstaff, riding a fixie is like having
a pint of beer after work. It just fits.
It’s right. It works.
It’s not always the easiest way, but it certainly can be the
most fun. If that’s not the most accurate reflection on the
town itself, I’ve been hard-pressed to find better. And the
fixie culture is just as challenging and rewarding as the
steeds themselves. No, it’s not enough to simply ride a
fixie. You need to learn how to ride one without brakes.
Then, you need to learn to pull off the always-impressive
skid-stop. But wait, now that you’ve mastered that, try
doing the skid stop with no hands. Oh, and it is simply
unacceptable to put a foot down while waiting at stop
lights or for the train down on Route 66. No, you must
trackstand. Easy enough? Do it with one hand. Then no
hands. Then one foot. Ride the fixie backward in a circle.
The fixie dares you.
Of course, ending up on the hood of a car or scraping your
come visit us at
John Benson
A gear freak his whole life, he has
been riding and racing mountain
and road bikes since 1988. Now
working in bicycle product
development with manufacturer
VooDoo Cycles.
can enjoy the latter two now! Unfortunately snow and cold
go together so being prepared is important and can be
rather tricky.
First thing to remember: don’t over dress. There is nothing
worse than leaving the house warm only to get roasting
hot inside your jacket. Then sweat builds up and every
piece of clothing is soaking wet. Be sure to use layers
that are breathable and don’t restrict movement. Also
make sure you have a windproof outer layer with you at
all times. You may also want to bring extra gloves that
are thinner in case it becomes too warm for the heavy
ones. And if you are commuting, carry a backpack or
messenger bag to carry the layers you need to shed until
you get home.
pedal going around a corner and sliding to the pavement
are the risks you run. They are the scars you earn. They
are the stories you tell and the moments you dread, but
it’s all part of the fixie game. So why, in Flagstaff, is riding
a fixie such a natural thing? Why is it so important? For
the bicycle purists among us, the allure of simplicity and
the look of barebones beauty are certainly part of the fixie
mystique. For others, it is a matter of taking a step forward,
climbing one more rung on the ladder toward becoming
a cycling deity. And for others still, it is just a matter of
having fun on a simple bike that is more than just a bike:
it is also a challenge, a hard lover that hates as much as
it loves.
So, how do we Flagstaffians know if we’re simply biting
into a fad or if we are genuinely part of the fixie culture at
large? It’s hard to say, really, because there are so many
types of folks riding so many types of fixies for so many
various reasons. The cycling cap-wearing, Converse AllStar-sporting, messenger bag-toting, tattooed hippiepunk riding the sparkling new fixie straight out of the bike
catalog may be a poseur with no knowledge of what he
is pedaling or why he is pedaling it, but it’s also no secret
that Flagstaff is also home to some of the most hardcore,
Winter 2007
•
•
•
•
platform pedals. These offer lots of grip and you can
add Power Grips™ pedal straps for more control.
Look for a large platform with metal teeth.
Good gloves – these need to allow movement for
shifting and braking. I prefer a lobster type glove.
There are several clothing companies that make
good gloves made especially for cycling that have
good ease of movement. Some have removable
liners as well. Mountaineering gloves also do a
good job. Just make sure you have a waterproof
and windproof outer layer with you at all times.
Glasses with full coverage and interchangeable
lenses: dark for sunny days to prevent snow blindness
and clear for night time (or goggles can be used with
a ski helmet. It may look funny but keeping driving
snow out of your eyes is a good thing!)
Balaclava or neck gaiter to pull up over your
mouth and cheeks and a Windstopper™ or other
windproof cycling hat.
Waterproof helmet cover and ear covers that
mount to the straps of your cycling helmet.
All of these tips and equipment ideas are just for starters.
Trial and error is always the best way to learn what works
best for each of us. Just remember to avoid cars even
more in winter riding. And never, ever hit your brakes in
a corner on snowy or slick roads!
old-school bike gurus around. Who’s to say what’s trendy
and what’s just plain ol’ fun? In this town, maybe those
two ideas go hand in hand, or maybe Flagstaff has an
identity all its own—one that has shown its true colors by
its cycling community. If the Flagstaff cycling community
has embraced fixies the way some communities embrace
satellite T.V. or line dancing, then maybe fixies just fit. And
that’s just fine with us.
So hop on that old refurbished steel frame, pedal (but
don’t coast) on down to the Pay n’ Take, hang that bad boy
in the tree and know that you made it from work to the bar
with the sole intention of relishing in that post-workday
beer the only way one should: the difficult—but undeniably
fun—way. And when another bike nerd comes along and
sits down next to you to discuss the finer points of your
four-cross track wheel or your lugged steel frame from
1962, strap on a smile and ask that person if they’d like to
take you on in a trackstand competition out front of the
bar: one hand on the handlebars and the other holding a
pint. Your fixie will thank you for it.
Volume #2, Issue #1
Coe’s Law: That’s right.
My old friend Chris studies fish in Canada. He is not fond
of Atlantic salmon raised in Pacific hatcheries. I never
buy farm-raised salmon anymore. He is getting married
soon. I haven’t met Kara, but she seems nice; her smile is
friendly in pictures.
It’s been a while since I spoke with Chris. But a few weeks
ago he tracked down my Flickr account and left a comment
and a link-back to his Flickr page. That’s how I found out
he was getting married.
His name came up the other morning, while driving with
Jay and Lyndon out to ice-skate at Lake Mary. We were
talking about Navajo sandstone and riding bikes out on
the reservation.
“The biggest, baddest crash I ever saw happened out on
rez slickrock,” I recalled.
“We were riding near Chinle on this section of rock that
Wade said the locals call Slickrock Right, big waves, bowls
of rock, arches hidden in giant coves.
“It’s neat out there; no one around, no trails to follow. Not
like Moab. Totally empty of people. Sometimes, a sheep
camp or a stock tank; but otherwise, no reason to believe
that anyone’s ever around.
“We’d been riding all day, across miles of rock, when we
stumbled upon the biggest bowl of slickrock we’d seen, an
absolutely massive 360-degree depression, huge, smooth
sides, steep entry and exit. It was fast going in, and you
had to be going fast to get out.
“We’re all riding into this thing, one at a time, Wade, Huge,
Chris, and me, whooping and hollering at each other,
shouting out ‘That was rad!’ and stuff.
“But, at the bottom of this bowl there was this maybe 6inch-tall little rock blip running right
across the bottom of the bowl, right in
the middle of the thing.
“When you got to the base of this bowl
there was quite a bit of compression
as you bottomed out, and that little
blip was right in the way, at the lowest
point.
“Chris rides into the bowl again and
angles toward the bottom like he’s on
rails, crouched over his bike like he’s
flying! And right at the bottom he nails
that blip. Bam! It throws him over the
front of his bike and he gets launched,
augers into the far side of the bowl fullspeed.
“He hits hard. His helmet completely
explodes! Pieces fly every direction.
Chris is lying there. He’s not getting up.
He’s just sorta quivering, twitching, his
I’m John Coe.
Page 15
John Coe
arms and legs splayed out randomly at wrong angles.
“Everyone around the rim bails into the bowl, sliding down,
to get to Chris fast as we can. We get there and nothing’s
changed, he’s still unconscious, twitching a little bit less
maybe.
“We’ve all got our hands on him; saying, ‘Chris! Chris!’ We
don’t have a clue what to do. We’re just kneeling around
him, at the bottom of this bowl, isolated from the entire
world, waiting for something to change, for a clue what
to do.
“Eventually, Chris begins to moan; he starts to come
around. He opens his eyes groggily. Wade says to him,
‘What’s your name?’ Chris says, ‘I don’t know.’ Eugene asks
him, ‘What year is it?’ Chris says, ‘I don’t know.’ Then I ask
him, pointing at Eugene, ‘What’s his name?’ and Chris
says, smiling, ‘Huge.’
“After a while Chris seems a little better; he can’t move his
right arm at all, but he says he thinks he can walk. We
pick him up, what’s left of his helmet and his bike, and
we carefully climb back out of the bowl and begin to limp
across the slickrock toward the road. Along the way, we’re
asking Chris, ‘What year is it? What’s your name? Who’s
the president?’ and slowly, one at a time, he gives more
answers. He remembers Wade’s name, his own name, Bill
Clinton’s name, that it was 1990-something... but not my
name. He has no idea who I am.
“I’ve got the keys to the truck. We get to the road, I hop on
my bike and ride back up the road, throw my bike on top
of the truck, and race back down the road to where I find
them. We get Chris loaded in; he’s all kinds of bloody, still
can’t move his right arm, says he has a headache. And we
high-tail it down to the Chinle hospital.
“The place is queued
up for hours. So we
rush over to Wade’s
You can often find the author
spending time with his daughter,
riding a bike or watching television.
He’s lived in Flagstaff since 1991
and occasionally writes about
cycling for newspapers and
magazines, most notably Bike.
friend’s house. He’s a doctor. He comes out, gives Chris
one glance, a small bottle of Tylenol and a pat on the back
and says to me, ‘Drive him to FMC,’ which is hours away.
“I think we made record time across the rez. We take Chris
straight to the hospital ER and wait around until his mom
and his sister show up.
“The x-rays show that he’s completely busted off the end of
his elbow; and he’s got a serious concussion. “They kept
him at the hospital overnight and scheduled a surgery for
the next day. Gibson did his anesthesia.
“He’s all healed up now. I don’t think he’s any the worse
for wear today.
“But it was kinda funny. While we were speeding across
the rez into the setting sun, with Chris sitting there holding
his arm gingerly and asking for more Tylenols every 5
minutes, no one talked much, and there’s no radio or CD
player in my truck. It was quiet. It’d been a sobering day.
“We’d been on the road for hours: passed a few lonely
outposts, some weather-beaten horses, and we were
getting close to Leupp just as the sun went in.
“And then we hear Chris’ voice, hoarsely, out of the
darkness. ‘John Coe,’ he says.
“‘What?’ I ask.
“‘That’s your name. John Coe.’
“‘That’s right, Chris. I’m John Coe.’”
Volume #2, Issue #1
Flagstaffbiking.org Board
Kim Duncan
Mark Gullo
Susan Hueftle
Jon Kircher
David McKee
Anthony Quintile
Neil Ross
Ben Sullivan
Jack Welch
Melissa Grimes, Executive Director
Bi•opic Production
Jon Kircher, Editor
Stephanie McCarthy, Graphic Design
Dave McKee, Contributing Artist & Photographer
Neil Ross, Contributing Photographer
Troy Marino, Contributing Photographer
Comments, suggestions:
[email protected]
Flagstaff Biking Organization is
looking for 2007 Bike to Work
Week Worksite Coordinators.
Duties to include the following: Encouraging your
coworkers to ride; track participation of coworkers and
record mileage; record the total number of employees that
worked at your work site each day, drivers and walkers as
well as cyclists. Watch our website for further updates
and contact information.
Bashas’ Thanks a
Million Program
Support FBO by buying groceries. During the last
campaign, FBO supporters raised over $325. From
September 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007 when you link
your Thank You card to our ID number, 24120, Bashas’
will donate one percent of the total sales, up to a $2,500
donation. You can link your Thank You Card at: www.
bashas.com/charity.php
Winter 2007
IMBA Awards
Bicycles to FBO!
Flagstaff Biking Organization
was recently awarded two
Schwinn bicycles from
IMBA for the Trips for Kids
program. This addition to
the program now brings the
bicycle fleet to seven bikes!
Trips for Kids Flagstaff’s
mission is to offer guided rides
to children that might otherwise
not have the opportunity due to
financial reasons or life situations. FBO supplies
the bikes, helmets, food and experienced, background
checked adult guides. If you would like to know more
about the program, schedule a ride, or become involved,
please contact Melissa Grimes at (928) 606-
1533 or [email protected].

Content Highlights - Flagstaff Biking Organization

Transcription

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