I was watching a video the other day of an upfront point
of view on Six Flags’ Judge Roy Scream and as I watched I imagined the thrill
of rolling up and down at high speed, tucked in tight as the adrenaline heightened my senses. Most
mountain bikers will tell you that the best part of climbing is the
descent. My favorite trails are those
with smooth rolling twists and turns. The
speed and the sensation you get can only be described as a roller coaster. Picture Rock is one of a handful of trails in
Boulder County that come as close to a roller coaster ride as I’ve seen. My bike would be car one and holding on while bent over the handlebars would send me back on that familiar thrill ride.
Picture Rock is located just outside of Lyons, Colorado and
this trail is a local favorite among mountain bikers at all skill levels. This is a multi-use trail so make sure to
watch out for hikers and riders on horseback. From
the trail head, the climb is gradual on a smooth single track. At about the 0.05 mile mark the trail gets a
little rough with some rocks set into the trail; great section to practice line
choice. Slowly the brown dirt turns to
red and smooths out once again. The
trail climbs gradually and as the trail passes underneath your tires you start
to get a sense of the exciting trip back.
The trail twists and turns through brush, cacti and pine
trees in direct sunlight and the scent of juniper gently floats in the air for
the next 2 miles. Somewhere near the 3
mile mark you’ll come across an old abandoned vehicle, perhaps the most
recognized landmark on the trail. From
this point you can see the remains of another old truck on the disappearing
road that was once used to access what appears to be an old homestead. The trail continues to climb on an exchange
of smooth and rocky tread with 8 switchbacks up to Wild Turkey trail-I’m still
not sure why they call this Picture Rock, perhaps I’m just too focused to
notice.
I chose to loop around Wild Turkey starting right at the
trail junction (5 miles). From here the
climb continues on rocky tread. I had
decided that I would live on the middle ring up front and the 4th tallest on
the rear. My technique had predominately
kept me on the seat so to help with conditioning I would come off the seat and
use my weight when the trail got rough instead of switching to an easier gear. It would take a lot more leg strength on this
14 mile ride but I know I’ll have to limit riding on a granny gear if I’m to
improve my performance.
On and off my seat I power through some of the rock
sections and in a taller gear I can pick up speed on the level sections. On the slight declines some of the turns come
quickly with rock and trees just out of sight so you have to keep your eyes
focused 3 or 4 bike lengths ahead. At
about the 6.25 mile mark the trail turns level and smooth; reminds me of our
local walking paths in town. This section
was a welcome relief from the previous pedal mashing. The trail leads to a scenic overlook area
where I find other mountain bikers taking in the view of Saint Vrain Canyon and
Hall Ranch.
After snapping a couple of pictures and a little
hydration I continue up Ponderosa Loop on very rocky but passable tread. I finally reach the top of my ride at 7.7
miles at another Wild Turkey, Ponderosa Loop trail junction. From here you can take the Ponderosa Loop
trail up a few meters and catch another of my favorites in Boulder County; the
Wapiti trail down to the Heil Ranch trail head.
I would continue down the Wild Turkey trail in anticipation of lower
Picture Rock.
My ride is all downhill from here with few turns. Speed and control is critical because rocks and trees are all around and you don’t want to get caught off guard. Now at the Picture Rock junction I turn and
maneuver down rocky tread. Feathering
the brakes keeps my speed steady and in control. At speed it’s easy to lose control especially
on loose tread but at the same time you want to try and avoid sliding on your
back tire.
Back on red dirt the roller coaster ride begins. The trail is smooth and loose in spots. At first it’s up and down then the twists and
turns appear, many blind corners so be ready to hit the brakes. If all clear let the bike roll, you'll find
it impossible to lose the huge smile on your face. You’re threading through the brush area and
with some skill it’s possible to make it through without ever spinning the cranks. Parts of this section will get slightly rocky
so feather the front brakes a bit at higher speeds. A couple of switchbacks are mixed in to slow
you down but don’t despair, it’s not over yet.
So you come out of the brush and the trail opens up. You’ll be tempted to roll unabated but
beware, the trail is smooth but lightly dusted in red dirt and you can find
yourself quickly out of control.
Visibility is great for the most part but there are areas with blind
turns and you may find yourself up on hikers and be forced into hard
braking. The trail is perfect, focused
on the trail I imagine rails underneath, those 26’ tires rolling, shocks
absorbing the g-forces, sticking the berms, shooting down and up-yahoo!
I did almost 14 miles on this ride but for you adrenaline
junkies, do the gentle climb up about 3 miles then turn around and enjoy the
ride. At this distance you can do it
more than once and believe me it is worth it.
Click on connect.garmin.com/activity/223673520 to view my route and click on the green arrow on the map and follow along.
Click on the g+1 icon or share on your Facebook or Twitter page, your followers will dig it. Thanks for checking in and Happy Trails!
AR
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