Winter

Winter came early (during the festival in October), let up for a bit, and now . . .

Winter has grabbed ahold of us and doesn't look like it's going to let go anytime soon.

The ground is rock hard and open water is frozen solid. Back in November, I was hoping that we would be riding well into the new year. High temperatures in the teens and a recent blast of snow have ended those hopes for now.

Tis the season for bike maintenance. The Turner is in pieces and getting a thorough cleaning and lube job. Something special is happening with the rear shock and front fork, but I can't spill the beans on that one yet.

The workbench shows the effect of dirt withdrawal. OK, so the Sultan is not the only bike in pieces. Everything but the single speed is in pieces, but the old SS will get its turn in good time.

Another 29er Believer

I recently received a note that Kelly Klein is has complete the build on his 29er. He was rewarded for his trek to the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo through road conditions not seen in ages. He braved the snow joined the crew for pancakes.

Kelly's journey was rewarded with him being the recipient of the generously donated (by Price Point) Sette Razzo 29er Frame. He and Patty of Cyclesport in North Platte spent some time getting the frame built up into a stunning bike.

I don't know the exact specs, but the pictures show it to be one smart looking ride. Looks like an amazing rig just sitting still.

Kelly Klein writes; "I just wanted to thank Price Point and Matt G for sponsoring Ballyhoo. I’m very appreciative for winning the frame and had a great time building it up. Big thanks to Patty at Cycle Sport for some great help putting it all together. I really ended up with a great ride. We made it a 1x9 with mostly race components. Its super light, fast and a blast to ride."

Late Fall Trail Report: Saturday

Met up with Paul on his new Fuji 29er. The Fuji Tahoe is a really sweet rig. The price is reasonable and the parts spec is great. Even though we ran into a number of trail issues due to downed trees, Paul was loving life on his new 29er.

Church Grove is buried under a number of downed trees. Both the cut off and upper sections were hike-a-bike adventures.

We have no idea what makes mounds like this. Paul dug down into some of the deposits and couldn't find a hole of any kind.

Paul rolling the big wheels.

The new Fuji up close.

Return of Fall . . . Again

The 14" of snow in the Brady area from a week ago has almost fully melted. The riding is great if you are selective with your trail choice. There are a lot of downed and uprooted trees, so a hike-a-bike becomes necessary in some areas until we get them cleared.

The ridge trails and those with good exposure and drainage are perfect (minus a few deep hoof marks).

Shaded trails like Rhems Way are sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

Evidence of the major snow storm is still present, but should be gone in another week if the forecast holds.

If you take the correct line, the valley is dry enough to ride.

New Trails

A beautiful day for riding. Highs in the 70s and the trails are now mostly dry. Hard to believe that a week ago we were digging out from the snow. We've been using a few new/rediscovered trails lately. The Mormon Trail to Crack-a-Lack to First Way to Reaper's Ridge is an awesome route to include. I've been doing more riding than picture taking . . . sorry folks. I'm hoping to take some time on Friday and take some better pics of the previously mentioned sections.

Buck and George herding cattle on the way to the new "Damn Climb".

One section of Crack-a-Lack.

Fall is Back!

After the snowfall last weekend, thoughts of an unfortunate early end to the riding season were everywhere. Fortunately, everything has thawed and the fall riding is back in force. Not a whole lot else to say. Ride while you can.

Ballyhoo Report

The weather forecast called for 1-2 inches of snow for Ballyhoo Weekend. Although some folks bailed at the thought of the white stuff, a number of intrepid souls continued on. The weather on Friday was beautiful and the night ride was epic as snow started to fall about a third of the way into the ride. Eight riders, lights blazing into the snow as we dropped down chutes and climbed over ridges . . . amazing. The 1-2 inches turned out to be 10-14 inches and we were all caught off guard . . . except for the Minnesota dudes who were walking around in their snowmobile suits.

Here are a few before and after pics of the event. Chad should have a few to post as well. If others have pics, send them to Chad or myself and we'll get them posted.

The pancake breakfast was one to remember.

The guys from Cycle Works in Lincoln were great guys and troopers to make it out and join in the festivities. If you are in Lincoln stop by and drop a few bucks at the shop. These guys "get it".

Pay Off

The summer months have been spent whipping all the trails into shape at the pasture. Never have things looked as good as they do right now. There are still issues to address, but the trails are ready for all who will make their way out to the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

Paul pushing the mower to create access to the test loop from the festival camp.

Taking tree trimming to new heights.

The pay off - beautiful trails and endless riding possibilities.

Trench Warfare

It's always interesting to get the opinion of newcomers when they visit the trails at Potter's Pasture. The trails are so different from anything else that comments are sometimes comical. A few weeks ago, during a visit from Guitar Ted, he said something to the effect of; "This isn't a rut, this is trench warfare!" I went through the archives and found a collection of trench art, enjoy.

Chad Quigley climbing (and cleaning) the entrance to "Sweetness".

CQ on the bone yard section of "Hornitos"

Kyle Vincent on a cut near the end of "Hornitos"

CQ climbing near the middle of "Hornitos"

Looking down "Harris Hazard"

Looking up "Team Trail"

CQ climbing the bottom of "The Desert"

Somewhere along "Susan's Singletrack"

Holiday Weekend

CQ and I spent most of Saturday working on trail maintenance. The Ballyhoo "Test Loop" is now open with a short option and an longer expert option. CQ worked the lawn mower most of the day and Horse Shoe Canyon is now 100% done. Hornito's still needs some tree work, but is in fine shape as well. First Way needs a lot of help . . . if you are looking for a project, head on over there and get to bushwhacking.

The morning fog held on for most of the day.

The test loop follows the contour of the land West of the corral and works back up to the ridge at the junction of Team Trail and Highline.

Monday brought out Claire on her 09er for a ride through camp with CQ and Llama (Dad) on their 29ers.

For the rest of the day, she didn't stop talking about how she "rides bikes on dirt with Chad".

She didn't want to stop with the easy trails, Claire kept on climbing out of camp. She'll make a great riding companion until she turns 13 and I'm no longer cool.

Visitors

Late Saturday night, Matt Gersib and Mark Stevenson aka Guitar Ted rolled in to the pasture. They were fresh off of races in Eastern Nebraska and eager to get some rest before hitting the trails Sunday morning.

That's an odd place to leave a sleeping bag.

It's Matt Gersib . . . sleeping on a table.

Here's Matt again, a little more awake, on the first chute up "Sweetness".

The Salsa Big Mamas were out in force. Chad, Matt, and Mark were all piloting orange Salsas. There was a bit of confusion before the rollout as the guys momentarily lost track of which bike belonged to whom. The Big Mama is the perfect bike for trails like Potter's. It takes the hoof marks and root steps and simply makes them disappear . . . or so I'm told. I've never ridden one myself, but the three mamas boys seemed to have a blast.

Chad Quigley, followed by Matt Gersib on "Horseshoe Canyon".

Mark Stevenson chasing down MG and CQ from the pic above.

This weekend's ride was mostly a scouting trip in preparation for the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, a 29er festival like no other for all (26ers are welcome, but prepare to be converted). It looks like things are shaping up for a great time at some truly special trails.