no country for small wheels

one of the problems with living in Colorado's cycling Mecca (actually, there are several) is that it is all too easy to be homebodies and seldom venture much beyond the confines of the Grand Valley.
Jen has never been to Gunnison county and we decided that it was well past time to travel around to the other side of the Mesa to see what sort of riding was on offer. we went to Hartman Rocks BLM recreation area just outside Gunny for some high altitude, singletrack, and sage brush. we found all of that in great abundance and encountered a grand total of 3 other riders out on the trails. it really doesn't get much better than that.

back in the day, the bike trails were just following the cow trails (such as the one at the center of this image). nowadays the trails have been laid out with a great deal of consideration for topography, sustainability, and rideability. they are well marked now, too.

look out for a fast rolling 650B-rrraaaap!

a really nice climb is topped off with a few technical moves over this rock outcropping.

a small part of the vast sagebrush desert of Gunnison county, Colorado

both the approach and exit between these rocks are much steeper than what this image would indicate. Jen abides.

there is a lot of singletrack dedicated to non-motorized use in this BLM management area, and the trails are quite buff as a result of this policy. even the shared-use trails were amazing.

these are some of the trails used back in the day when the Rage in the Sage MTB stage race was held out here as part of the legendary Colorado Offroad Points Series. this was one of my favorite events of that series, and i participated in 7 or 8 editions. it was a lot of fun to be out here riding again and it brought back a lot of great memories of those races.

the big 29'r rolled nicely over the obstacles. the thing has way more tire, fork, and dropper post than what i traditionally would ride, but after a few miles i was able to get some nice two-wheel drifts going through the s-bend singletrack.

take only pictures, try not to leave any tracks. and a big thanks to all of the folks wh have worked so hard over the years to make gunnison county the great riding destination that it is.