Hello all! I am pleased to be the new owner of this group; Mark just did not have time to run it any more. Needless to say, I will be changing some aspects of the group, but I intend for it to continue as a mellow, relaxed mountain biking group. I'm retired, live in Denver, and ride in Winter Park a lot, so you can expect to see mostly weekday rides, some of them in Winter Park. I invite you all to join me for this one.
This is a popular intermediate ride that starts in the Fraser Experimental Forest. Since it's in a National Forest, e-bikes are not allowed; please observe this Forest Service regulation. We'll start at the St. Louis Creek Campground parking lot, ride briefly on Creekside, up the north side of Chainsaw, up Broken Spade, out and back on Upper Iko, descend lower Iko, up the south side of Chainsaw, and back down the north side of Chainsaw: 12.6 miles, 1482 feet, 98% singletrack, and 2:00 in motion for me, technically easy but a good workout. There's a beautiful view of Byers Peak and St Louis Creek at the end of the ride.
The description does not say how beautiful and enjoyable this ride is. The trails are nicely buffed and bermed, set in a mix of lodgepoles and aspens, with many flowers and beautiful views of the Divide. Of course it climbs, but almost never steeply, and never for very long. Both the tech and aerobic requirements are solidly intermediate, a real Baby Bear gem of a ride. This is one of my favorite rides up here. Come and you'll see why. This will be a relaxed, no-drop ride, with stops as we please to regroup, eat, and enjoy the view. Faster riders will find the ride to be a little tame, but beautiful nonetheless. With any luck, there will be some color in the trees.
For the record, I am not a professional guide. By signing up and/or participating in this event you agree to the conditions outlined here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wmdo10r74vc0tpp/Assumption-of-Risk-and-Waivers-Oct-3-2022.pdf?dl=0
I offer my apologies for making everyone drive so far, but I think you'll find it worthwhile.
