Shake Off Winter

Is it just me or has winter been harsh this year? I still have snow from December in my yard. This winter season seems to have brought more than its share of snow and cold. I am about done with it. I am looking forward to warmer weather...and riding!
On the way to warm weather riding though, there are still a couple of stops along the way. First, I need to hear from you. Who wants a maintenance "Ride Like a Girl" in March? And if you do, what do you want to cover? How to "Stan's" a wheel? Change a tire? Fix a chain?
And mark your calendars for Thursday, March 24th. That is going to be Mad Doc Cycles "Ladies Night Out". They have some big plans this year. So even if you have been in the past, you will want to come again this year. It should be awesome.
And I am trying to put together a Facebook page--MTB Ride Like a Girl. This will hopefully will make it easier to stay informed.

Almost done with this type of riding

Riding the Ridge

Carrie, Wendy, Beth, Janalyn, Jen

Everyone calls it something different. I have always known it as the "Ridge Trail". We met at the top of the loop and crossed the road. We climbed for a bit and did some descending, ending up at Mud Springs. We took a right and climbed up and then flew down the what is often referred to as "Joy" (for good reason). There were some puddles up to that point and we thought the climb could be pretty wet, so we skipped the dirt climb and came up the road from Cascade Springs. We were back before we knew it. The temps were cool, the trails were just damp for the most part, and it was a great evening to be riding bikes with the girls.
I have been asked about whether we are going to do it next month. It is not necessarily scheduled, but if I have interest and trail suggestions I could be talked into it. Leave some comments and let me know.

August!?

Wow, I cannot believe it is almost August. Where did the summer go? For our Ride Like a Girl on August 5th, we are going to head up the Canyon. I will be going up Provo Canyon because it is closer to Mad Dog Cycles (in Orem) where we will meet at 5:30 pm. We will leave promptly and head up to the top of the Alpine Loop. We will hit some sweet single track in that area. It is going to be fun.

Good Group and Good Times

We had a good group last night out at Dutch Hollow. Some of the regulars from last year were back in attendance, like Jen, Jessica, Jolene. Anderea, this year's die hard was definitely there. Then we had some great new comers Leslie, Beth, Stephanie, and Kathy.

 Jen, Stephanie, Kathy, Andrea

 Leslie, Beth, Jess

 Jen, Jess, Beth, Andrea, Leslie, Jolene, Stephanie

 Andrea, Jess, Jolene

 Jen, Beth, Leslie

 Grandma's Stephanie and Kathy (yes, Grandma)

Andrea, with input from Jen and Jolene, picked a nice route. Some steady climbs and super fun descents. We hit Aqueduct and Barrell for some down hill whoopee flow. Twice. It was that good. We also hit part of Sage and Cottontail. In all it was a really fun group. Hope to see everyone again!

Jen

Andrea

Leslie

Beth

Jolene

Stephanie

Kathy (on her 1st MTB ride)

July 1st Plan

We are going to ride Dutch Hollow. More info can be found here. I have only been there one time, but it is a cool little network of trails. Andrea is well acquainted and has volunteered to help guide this ride. (Right, Andrea?) While we are going to meet at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem at 5:30 pm, I included directions below. I will see you there.

From Provo Canyon, drive east to the end of Deer Creek Reservoir. Right where the water ends, turn left (north) on U-113. Zero your odometer. Drive north 3.8 miles into Midway, and turn right (east) as U-113 turns right in the middle of town. 0.4 miles later (mile 4.2), turn left (north) on 400 East (River Road). This is the road that goes just to the west of the memorial hill. At mile 5.4 you'll hit a traffic circle. Take the first exit (not the driveway, though), so you'll turn from north to east. At mile 6.1, a sign points you to Dutchman Hollow - Dutch Canyon. Turn left and drive 0.5 mile on pavement. The pavement ends at a turnaround where the Dutchman Way trail begins, GPS N 40° 32.495' W 111° 27.224'. Turn right downhill at the sign for Wasatch Mountain State Park. The preferred parking area is 0.3 miles down the gravel road to your right. Trailhead info (and bathroom) is at GPS N 40° 32.704' W 111° 27.187'

A couple of riding opportunities

So this Thursday Mad Dog Community Ride is going to be at Lambert Park. This is open to all who are interested, but it is a good trail for those who don't enjoy the climbs so much. Standard protocol though--meet at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem at 5:30 pm. Departure time is usually by 5:40 at the very latest. Jessika is one of the ride leaders this week so look for her. It should be a good time.

If you are looking for an all girls ride, there is a ride in Corner Canyon at 5:30 pm also on Thursday. If you have never ridden in Corner Canyon, it might be fun to see how the other half ride. While UT County is primarily old hunting/deer trails, Corner Canyon is all man created. So while there are some steep pitches here and there, it is much more flowy both up and down. There are not quite so many sustained steep climbs. It is a really nice area. They are meeting at Corner Canyon Equestrian Center (maps.google.com) 1266 East 13400 South, Draper, UT 84020-9767.

Just keeping you in the loop.

Big Springs

Andrea, Jolene, Kathy, Janalyn, and Jessika joined my on Thursday for a lap or two at Big Springs. The weather was ideal. It was warm in the valley, but a bit chilly getting ready. I even tossed some arm warmers in my jersey pockets just in case. I did not need them though.
We stopped at the road crossing and practiced unwaiting the front wheel and/or bunny hopping a small log. Everyone made the first steep section past the road. We regrouped before the descent and before entering the meadow.
It was a great group. I took some pictures, but they were with my phone so some of them did not turn out so well.