Cool Fitness Getaway in Ruidoso

 Is the unseasonably warm and dry weather this spring already giving you the hot weather blues?

No problem — just load up the bike, running shoes and hiking gear, and drive six or so hours northwest to the cool and scenic mountain village of Ruidoso, New Mexico.

That’s what we did this past week and as always it was well worth the drive.

Ruidoso has some great routes for road cycling, mountain biking, and hiking or trail running. The problem for visitors is knowing where the good places are to ride, run and hike.

Having been there on multiple occasions, I was familiar with many locations but still have a bucket list of new routes to explore.

Here are some suggestions if you decide to do your own cool fitness getaway to the Ruidoso area this summer.

Mountain bikers, trail runners and hikers have two in-town options that are perfect for acclimating to the 6,900-foot elevation in Ruidoso. One of these is the Cedar Creek area, located on Cedar Creek Road just past the Forest Service office on Mechem Drive (Highway 48).

On Day 1 of the Ruidoso getaway, I explored a Cedar Creek area that was new to me but very popular with local residents for mountain biking, trail running and hiking. This area is a network of trails collectively known as the Cedar Creek-Spaghetti Bowl (http://geobetty.com/rides/el-paso-tx/34/cedar-creek-sightsee).

There are trails on both sides of Cedar Creek Road that range from beginner level (except for the altitude) to intermediate with a few steep and rocky sections. I rode many of the trails and adjoining forest service roads on a cyclocross bike with 700x35 tires. It would have been easier and probably more fun on a mountain bike.

I also did a trail run in that same area later in the week and thoroughly enjoyed the rolling trail that gradually climbed through the pine trees and then descended back down to the parking area.

The second trail area that I would recommend for mountain bikers and trail runners is Grindstone Lake, located in the south part of Ruidoso off Resort Drive. I’ve biked and ran on this trail during previous visits and would rate it as being intermediate in difficulty.

Grindstone is a beautiful six-mile loop that starts and finishes at the lake, with the trail gradually climbing as it winds through pine forest before descending back down to the lake. Local mountain bikers meet at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesdays during the summer for a group ride on the trail.

Visit discoverruidoso.com/Grindstone-Lake-Trail for a map and details on Grindstone. Competitive trail runners might want to visit Ruidoso on July 24 this year for the Grindstone Trail Run (http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=27840).

There are many other mountain bike and trail run options in the Ruidoso area such as the gently rolling Bonito Lake Road a few miles north of town. Go to ruidoso.net/visitors/outdoors/biking.html and http://geobetty.com/ruidoso-nm/mountain-bike-trails to access information on this and other routes.

Road cyclists have multiple options for rides in the Ruidoso area, ranging from rolling low-traffic roads such as Highway 220 from Alto to Fort Stanton and back or more difficult loops such as the Ruidoso-Capitan-Fort Stanton-Ruidoso loop that begins on Highway 48.

Although the ride north on 48 from Ruidoso is beautiful, be forewarned that these roads tilt up more than we’re used to in West Texas. You’ll encounter some 1-2 mile long climbs headed north from town that have grades of 6-7 percent, so it’s advisable to have your bike set up with lower gears to make the climbing easier.

When visiting Ruidoso and other mountainous locations, I typically use a bike that has a 50/34 front chain ring combination and a 12/32 rear cassette. A bike with a triple front chain ring would also work great since the combination of higher altitude and steeper roads makes climbing significantly more difficult.

On Day 2 of the Ruidoso fitness getaway, I did an out-and-back road ride that started in town, headed north on Highway 48 to Alto, and then turned west to head up Ski Run Road (Highway 532).

This challenging route is about 30 miles long and includes a 1.5-mile long category 5 climb headed north to Alto (which you’ll have to go up again coming back south into town) plus an 8-mile category 1 climb on Ski Run road. You’ll be climbing most of the way headed toward the ski area gaining over 3,000 feet of elevation as you grind your way up grades of 5-7 percent to a little over 10,000 feet above sea level at the turnaround point.

Unfortunately, I did not make it to the top on this visit due to strong winds on the upper part of the climb that made cycling next to steep drop-offs more dangerous than I wanted to risk.

There are many more rides and runs on my list waiting to be conquered during future visits such as the dirt road route up to Monjeau Lookout (http://geobetty.com/rides/el-paso-tx/95/monjeau-lookout-climb). That ride will be on the top of my list for the next Ruidoso visit.

Remember — Ruidoso is a great destination for a cool summer fitness getaway.

Upcoming Events

June 5: Road bike time trial series, angelobike.org

June 7: Run in the Sun 8K, roadlizards.org
June 14: Tour de Burma, http://angelobike.org/tour-de-burma/
June 21: Stop, Drop and Roll, roadlizards.org
July 12: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
July 26: Goodfellow Triathlon, roadlizards.org
Aug. 10: Olympic and sprint distance triathlon, Spring Creek Park