Directional DH

#followcamfriday sampling the second bike-only, directional DH trail in Denver with James Weingarten. 

Sedona was absolutely amazing over the last few months. I feel fortunate to have spent my quarantine time there, enjoying uncrowded trails, moderate temperatures, and a tight group of friends to isolate myself with. I was able to continue to work and keep my own personal economy moving in the right direction, while respecting local ordinances and the global pandemic. Very fortunate indeed. All that said, it's nice to be home. 

Colorado is home and I definitely missed the high-country riding opportunities that this place provides. I also missed riding sustained descents. Sedona is wonderful, and it's definitely one of my all-time favorite places to ride, but sustained DH is something that it lacks. Flagstaff made me realize this quickly. Sedona is highly engaging, rock smashing goodness. It just doesn't come easily. Every bit of trail is earned. Sometimes a brother just wants to ride down the hill and have the speed dictated by how much braking is necessary to avoid death, as opposed to sprinting everywhere to maintain speed. Once a downhiller, always a downhiller I guess. 

Floyd Hill Open Space has created Denver's second bike-only, directional DH trail. Longhorn was first, now we have this. The difference here is that "The Sluice" was constructed for bikes, while Longhorn was adopted into that designation, much do the dismay of the hiking groups.  Floyd Hill has some hike-only trails as well, that were purpose built. This is a model that is effective for mitigating user tensions. With so many people in the Front Range that are interested in outdoor recreation, this seems like a good thing.  I have ridden The Sluice a handful of times now and the parking lot is always overflowing. Clearly there was a need for this style of trail. Thank you Clear Creek County. Let's hope that this trend continues. 

Singletrack is aesthetically pleasing and definitely has its place. If I am being honest, I would prefer to ride trails with line choice and variation. Floyd Hill is packed with line choice and options. You can stick to the smoother bits, or jump over things and try to break your wheels. Options are key. There are definitely places to break bike parts on this trail, and that is a good thing. It's still not a true "DH" trail, but more a product of the modern trail bike and its ability to climb to the top efficiently and smash it's way back down. The bike tech is so good right now and it's refreshing to see a trail cater to that style of bike. 

The trail builders were thinking. Instead of dictating exactly where people have to ride, why not leave some options open. The obvious line is right between the rocks, but all my eye sees is things to jump. If I can sum up how my mtb brain has worked for the last 20 years, I am basically riding around, looking for jumps. Hucks to flat, natural trail doubles, even a cinder block and a piece of wood in the driveway will do. I just want to hit jumps. It's pretty simple. The 7 year old kid in my neighborhood is doing it right. He has a 6 inch mound in his side yard that he built himself and he sessions all day long. Be like that grom. That is what is fun about bikes. 

So yeah. I am stoked to be home. This summer will be very different with travel restrictions and size limits on group gatherings basically putting a halt to racing as we know it. I do love bike racing and hopefully it resumes in the fall. In the meantime, I will be making the most of my back yard. If I am being honest, I can use a break after traveling for the last 5 years to ride my bike, race and shoot videos. There are so many bits that I have yet to explore in Colorado. The snow is just starting to melt up high. Things are just getting started. As Krunk Shox likes to say " get high, stay high"