MTB Touring Out West

[ccrider]

Gunnison has a very clean KOA camp near the local riding area. Shuttles run to CB and Salida both of which have sweet aspen / alpine single track.
Keep in mind the end of August the high country returns to freezing temps at night.
Flying into Grand Junction or Montrose will shave money from flights.

 

[mtn-high]

A few thoughts:

You may need time to acclimate/adjust to the altitude. As sweet as it sounds...I would caution against a route that popped you off the plane and had you spinning to a high-altitude trail/pass immediately. As a 25 year resident in Ski Country..i've had numerous friends arrive to ski only to soon be in a heap with headache/nausea and worse due to pushing it to hard/coming up too fast in altitude from the lowlands...alcohol consumption... physical exertion too soon after arrival/etc. If this happens I guarantee you that riding a bike will be out of the question.

September weather can go both ways but exteneded cold/snow isn't the norm. Days are often warm and nights, *crisp*. Frost usually arrives the first week or so of the month..especially above 10K.

Crested Butte is a mountain biking heaven, for sure. You do, however, take a chance *if* the weather were to turn off cold/wet....and there isn't any low ground for miles if that were to happen to bail out to without a long ride West.

I've vote Durango...maybe Moab. While it will be hotter in moab..the 4000ft elevation is less likely to have a negative effect...and in this area there's everything from the "slickrock trail" to the Manti-La-Sal forest where you can traverse from the desert to a high-alpine environment @ 11K or so with a view that will knock your socks off.

Another place fast gaining popularity is Fruita..near Grand Junction. Koekepelli trail...

Durango is higher....but you could head south there if the weather closed in on the peaks or the altitude proves too much/etc.

look for local links...bike shops//etc...some of which will have local trail info/etc.

good luck!

 

[jh504]

Thanks all, altitude sickness has been in the back of my mind. I have been thinking of going to GSMNP before I leave and spend some time in the 5,000ft air. I will definitley be focused on slow ascents and descents when I get out west. I have been in high altitude areas before (Denali NP) and have not ever had any trouble. But I will e'r on the side of caution.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I find sleeping one night at altitude helps me tremendously.

I am lucky though, living in Tucson I have 8000' mountain in my back yard. I go there just about every weekend to hike or bike, to prep me for Colorado.

Those short romps up to 8,000ft don't actually aid in your acclimation, but they do help bolster your aerobic efficiency. Most likely, those trips up to 8,000ft reap positive gains with increasing your Vo2Max. If you're riding and hiking, it can also help improve your lactate threshold level a teeny bit. This is all part of the train high, sleep low method replicated by altitude tents.

True acclimation takes anywhere from 5 to 9 weeks and comes from sleeping at high elevations. Everyone is different. I do great on day one. Day two blows.

There's a product called EPnO that helps build good blood health. Paired with a highly aerobic preperation period prior to your trip, it can help with your aerobic efficiency enough to stave off some altitude woes.

 

[Twenty-niner]

It took me a year to start feeling good on the bike here in Preskit.

 

[Bad Voodoo]

Be a shame if you came all the way out here and limited yourself to CO. Yeah, yeah, CO is great and all, but depending on what kind of riding you do, you should come ALL the way out west, and do Santa Cruz, Marin, and/or Tahoe. You'll be kicking yourself for not carving out an entire month to ride once you experience Norcal!

http://ogrehut.com/

C'mon, you know you want to:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=434457

 

[Christophe Noel]

It took me a year to start feeling good on the bike here in Preskit.

But you sure make'er go now, don't you! Good ride at G-mountain wasn't it?

 

[Twenty-niner]

But you sure make'er go now, don't you! Good ride at G-mountain wasn't it?

That ride was incredible. Eddie said it best: "majestic." We don't get many of those days here in C. Arizona.

That one may just prove to be my favorite ride of 2008, when all is said and done. The excellent singletrack of Arizona combined with the ethereal weather of the Tongass.

:elkgrin: