{"id":415969,"date":"2015-08-02T20:56:43","date_gmt":"2015-08-03T02:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/14erskiers.com\/blog\/?p=415969"},"modified":"2015-08-04T23:11:27","modified_gmt":"2015-08-05T05:11:27","slug":"july-mountain-biking-in-crested-butte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/14erskiers.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/july-mountain-biking-in-crested-butte\/","title":{"rendered":"July Mountain Biking in Crested Butte"},"content":{"rendered":"

July is admittedly a very busy time in Crested Butte. This year has been no different, and perhaps even magnified from previous summers. In the course of a day, I went from the flurry of traveling to ski 3 days a week to the fury of working – nearly every day. Yes, of course we got out to play. But that was very much in between work.<\/p>\n

And then there was the thumb. Ah, yes, the thumb… On a beautiful evening, I was pedaling furiously back into town from the Lower Loop. It was quickly approaching dark and I clipped a rock on my pedal that I did not see. In an instant, I laid on the ground, all fine except for a throbbing thumb. Yes, I had one of the worst crashes I’ve had in years on one of the easiest trails in Crested Butte. Such is the way of life.<\/p>\n

I’ve done this before, except in the previous incident, after the fall I could not hold on to anything without my thumb flopping backwards. No joke here. It was obvious a ligament was missing. Many years later and one UCL reattachment surgery complete, I reinjured the same thumb and the same ligament, but this time, just a sprain. It will be fine in the course of weeks, but in the meantime, it’s putting a small damper on my riding. The uphills are fine, but the downhills have proved challenging. Holding on to my bike while braking is a difficult task for a dysfunctional thumb. But, it’s healing, and I’ve still been riding.<\/p>\n

The fact is, we have been riding, even though we don’t post about it all the time. Sometimes, we take the camera too. Below is a collection of photos we deemed worthy from our July mountain biking in Crested Butte.<\/p>\n

Enjoying Wildflowers on Point Lookout<\/h2>\n

Frank and I headed up Point Lookout to enjoy the scenery and wildflowers.
\n\"Brittany<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

\"Mountain<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

After riding Point Lookout, we descended via 409.5 and tacked on Strand Bonus at the end.
\n\"Brittany<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

We watched rain clouds glaze by Mount Gothic as we remained dry on our trail.
\n\"Mount<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

Riding 401<\/h2>\n

My friend Sonya and I rode 401 one weekend and avoided the majority of road traffic (Gothic Road can be really bad this time of year, especially on a weekend) by ascending via Washington Gulch and over Paradise Divide.
\n\"Mountain<\/p>\n

\"Sonya<\/p>\n

\"Sonya<\/p>\n

The Beauty of Teocalli Ridge<\/h2>\n

The Teocalli Ridge Trail simply isn’t the same since it’s closure a few years back and reopening last year. Though the re-route is considerably less technical and less flowy, the Ridge is still fun. And what it lacks in flow is definitely made up for in scenery. I found it to be a great ride for my dysfunctional thumb, since the descent is more or less smooth and has very few technical sections.<\/p>\n

Frank.
\n\"Frank<\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/p>\n

Me.
\n\"Brittany<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

The one technical section on the descent.
\n\"Brittany<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/p>\n

It’s August, but the riding is still great! So, get out on your wheels and enjoy!<\/p>\n