Updated CX Series results

Local CX Series Heating Up

(Start of the A race)

The local cyclocross series that I’m directing (ASUFit CX Series) is going well and starting to heat up. With two races completed, Scott White is leading the Men’s category and the two Christina's (McBride and Wilson) are currently tied for overall Ladies honors.  The first race of the series took place on Nov.21 at Angelo State University with a good mix of roadies and mountain bikers competing bragging rights.

(Jeff McBride and Mars Torres kick up the dust)

Scott White, fresh off of his Cat 2 2nd place finish the fall TMBRA mountain bike series, took the overall victory with Christina Wilson leading the ladies home.  White and Devin “Fixed Gear” Gustafson battled for the lead through the first seven laps, with Gustafson having a slight edge on the straights and White making up ground through the corners and rough sections. Gustafson flatted on lap #8, ran his bike around the course to grab his spare bike in the pits, and hung on to finish 3rd in the race.

(Yours truly demonstrating an awkward barrier crossing)

In the Ladies category, Christina Wilson rolled home with a slight race #1 advantage over mountain biker Christina McBride of MAC Racing. Both of these ladies are strong cyclists, with Wilson being the winner of the 2010 Triple Treat event at the HHH 100 and McBride fresh off of her the Cat 1 win in the ladies division in the fall TMBRA series.

The 2nd race of the four race series took place on Dec 4 with Scott White taking his 2nd series win in the Men’s A division.  Lance Bowers, riding for the Midland-based One Hour Racing team, rolled in 2nd to solidify his 2nd place in the series standings. The two Christina's battled again for the Ladies win, with McBride taking race #2 win for Team MAC. Race three of the series will take place on Saturday, December 18 at ASU on a new and longer 1.2 mile course. Series awards are based on the best 3 out of 4 events, so people can still jump in and have a shot at placing in their category. Full information on the series is posted at angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf.

Full results through the first two events are posted at http://angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Race2_Results_2010.pdf, with pictures from race #1 on-line at http://s722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/ASUFit/Cyclocross%20Series%20race%201/ and race #2 pictures posted at http://s722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/ASUFit/Cyclocross%20Series%20race%202/.

Upcoming Events


Dec 11: Run Rudolph Run (Christmas lights along the river), www.angelo.edu/asufit

Dec 18: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #3, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Dec 15: ASUFit Brown Bag luncheon with speaker Ashley Gay, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/seminars/December2010_Cookies_Gay.pdf

January 8, 2011: ECVFD Resolution Run, East Concho Volunteer Fire Department, roadlizards.org

Jan 15: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #4, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Fall events and races





Racing in Webberville



It's been a busy fall, with cyclocross season in full swing and multiple events to direct. I raced two out-of- town CX events (Webberville and New Braunfels), and I'll be racing again in Austin on Dec 12 to prep for the Texas Cyclocross Championship in Dallas on Dec 18. I'm not as strong on the bike as I had hoped (two 3rd places thus far), but I keep reminding myself about what my oncologist said ("It will take 12-18 months for you to recover from the chemo treatments and be back to the pre-cancer fitness level"). I’m hoping for wet, cold, and muddy conditions for the state race, as I tend to do better in rough conditions.



Turkey Trot start

 I've been busy putting on events over the past several weeks. The big event was a 5K race on the Angelo State University campus on Nov 20 (3rd annual Turkey Trot). The 2010 race was really a nice success, with double the number of participants compared to 2009. I designed a new "runner friendly" course this year, and then measured it using USA Track and Field procedures so we can submit if for certification. We also partnered with the ASU Sports Medicine club for this year's event, which helped attract more students.



Christina McBride racing at ASU



The 2nd event that I'm currently directing is the new cyclocross series. This series will consist of four races in Nov, Dec, and Jan . The first race of series took place on Nov.21 with a good mix of roadies and mountain bikers competing for race one bragging rights. Scott White, fresh off of his 2nd place finish in the TMBRA mountain bike series, took the overall victory with Christina Wilson leading the ladies home.  White and Devin “Fixed Gear” Gustafson battled for the lead through the first seven laps, with Gustafson having a slight edge on the straights and White making up ground through the corners and rough sections. Gustafson flatted on lap #8, ran his bike around the course to his spare bike in the pits, and hung on to finish 3rd.  In the Ladies category, Christina Wilson rolled home with a slight advantage over mountain biker Christina McBride of MAC Racing. Both of these ladies are strong cyclists, with Wilson being the winner of the 2010 Triple Treat event at the HHH 100 and McBride fresh off of her the Cat 1 win in the ladies division in the fall TMBRA series Full Race results are online at angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Race1_Results_2010.pdf and pictures are posted at http://s722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/ASUFit/Cyclocross%20Series%20race%201/.  Full event information for the CX series is posted at www.angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf.

The good news is that more local people are cycling and running, which – I hope – bodes well for the future related to San Angelo becoming a more active and healthy city. We’ve got a long ways to go before that goal is achieved, and we’ll need some attitude changes in city management related to infrastructure such as bike/ pedestrian trails. It was interesting to see City Council discussing Health Risk Assessments for city employees this past week … a definite step in the right direction.

Upcoming Events

Dec 4: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #2, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Dec 5: Christmas Lights bike ride, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com//.

Dec 11: Run Rudolph Run (Christmas lights along the river), www.angelo.edu/asufit

Dec 18: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #3, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Dec 15: ASUFit Brown Bag luncheon with speaker Ashley Gay, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/seminars/December2010_Cookies_Gay.pdf

January 1, 2011: ECVFD Resolution Run, East Concho Volunteer Fire Department, roadlizards.org

Jan 15: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #4, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Another year ...

I turned 62 a few days ago ... another milestone reached, and I'm now officially "social security age."  The only logical way to celebrate the birthday was to hook up with a group of friends and go hammer through a hard ride.  The route was a local ride called Burma Road, a nice ride that has some good short steep hills in the middle.  After 2 1/2 hours and 46 sweat-drenched miles, I convinced myself that, even though I can't hang with the kids anymore, I'm still able to roll down the road at a decent pace. 

 

For me, the "real" cycling season is about to begin. Although I ride my cyclocross bike a lot all year, I start to feel energized when the weather gets cooler, CX races show up on the schedule, and I get to enjoy those rare days when it's grey, overcast, and muddy.  More on CX season in an upcoming post, but for now ... it's clinic time so we can introduce a few more people to the sport. Check out the links below, and then scroll down to the clinic flyer. 

• http://bigshark.com/articles/an-introduction-to-cyclocross-racing-pg68.htm
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_W8AsilPMM
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJkzC1JFrkw&feature=related http://vimeo.com/8811844

 

Fall is (finally) coming!

This has been a hard summer to get through. I'm either getting too old for hot weather (maybe), or else I'm just getting soft and lazy (most likely).   In either case, the endless days of greater than 100 degree temps with abnormally high humidity is just getting painful. It didn't help any that we spent two weeks on vacation up in the cool (did I mention cool?) high country of northern Colorado.

The goals for the Colorado vacation were to relax, visit kids, grandkids, and friends, and (for me) to get in as much riding as possible on routes with hard climbs. As part of the "master plan" for the coming cyclocross season, I wanted to rachet up my ablity to tolerate heavy doses of lactic acid.  Doing hard climbs is one way to develop that ability; in fact, I think that not having long climbs here in West Texas is a significant problem related to me staying strong on the bike.   Maybe it's just that riding climbs in a pretty area is a lot more fun that doing long upwind intervals into the hot, dry West Texas wind!

A high point (no pun intended) of the Colorado trip was a 5,000 foot climb up Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park to an elevation of over 12,000 feet.  This ride ended up being about 40+ miles over 4 hours, and even better - it happened on a 50 degree day with light rain for the first couple of hours.  The last time I rode this route was about 15 years ago, so I was pleased to see that my 61 year old legs and lungs still could handle this type of ascent.  The 22 mile descent back down around curves and switchbacks was another story ... age has not improved my descending skills or courage.

The focus now is on ramping up the interval training to prepare for the upcoming cyclocross season.  As an intermediate goal, I'll race the Texas road championship event in October, where (hopefully) the climbing I did in Colorado will help me handle the hilly state course.  Since I haven't done much road racing for the past several years, I honestly don't know hat to expect.  Sit in, cover what appear to be serious breaks, and see how long the legs hold up.

Cyclocross season will be a dichotomy.  On one hand, I'm looking forward to CX racing and the associated (short-term) pain.  The down side is that, with the exception of the state CX race and possibly nationals, there probably won't be many events that offer a 60+ category.  That means I'll race against the 40+ or 50+ crowd and get dropped fairly quickly.  The key is to keep focused on the long term goal, that being 2012 and 2013 when the Master's CX Worlds are held here in the US (Louisville, KY).   That's one thing I miss about no longer living in Colorado ...they have larger fields racing in all of the Master's categories.

So the rest of the late summer and then early fall will go like this: start doing more short but very hard intervals (60 sec on/off type stuff) plus some short tempo rides with 10-15 min hard.   One workout per week will be a CX race simulation, and I'll also do an endurance ride using the CX bike on trails.   Other than a couple of short running sessions with short uphill sprints, the remainer of the workouts will be relaxed recovery rides.   The first CX race of the season will be in late October .... time to get serious and (hopefully) have some cooler and wet weather.   I'm also in the process of building up a new CX bike, so I'll update with pics when it's ready to be seen publically.

Upcoming Events


Sept. 4: Hot Dog Run, www.roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/HOTDOGRUN_Flyer_Sep_2010.pdf

Sept. 11: Burma Road Time Trial, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

Sept 11: Run to Remember, roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/Run_to_Remember_Flyer_Sep_2010.jpg

Sept 18-19: Fort Davis Cyclefest, www.active.com/cycling/fort-davis-tx/fort-davis-cyclefest-tour-2010

Oct 9-10: Texas Cycling Championships, http://www.txbra.org/

Oct 16-17: Season Opener, Texas Cup cyclocross series, http://www.txbra.org/

Oct. 30: Six Hour Mountain Bike Race, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

Don't Forget Local Residents

San Angelo’s community leadership is very pro-economic development, with tourism being a large segment of that development effort. That’s a good thing – tourism brings outside dollars into our community. When people spend money in local businesses, it adds to the ½ cent sales tax revenues that San Angelo has available for projects related to more economic development.

However, there’s another aspect that I think our city fathers overlook at times, that being activities that enhance the quality of life for those of us who live here all year. Given that a high percentage of local tax revenues are paid by residents (not visitors), the needs – and wants – of residents should be high on the list for spending priorities.

During the past few weeks, I’ve listened as our mayor, city council representatives, and city staffers discuss how we can leverage the economic development tax revenues to attract more visitors. Some of the targeted areas include the Concho River near downtown and the Lake Nasworthy area. There’s been a lot of discourse related to improving these areas to enhance tourism, but … I haven’t heard much about what could be done to improve quality of life via making these areas better for local residents to use.

Here are a couple of examples of what I’m referring to. The downtown River Trail is widely used by local residents as they walk, jog, or just visit the river banks on a nice afternoon. The trails need to be improved (yes) and they need to be expanded (yes), but that area DOES NOT need to become another San Antonio-style river walk. Think about trying to go for a relaxed walk or jog through San Antonio’s river district and you’ll see what I mean.

A second example is development at Lake Nasworthy that’s intended purely to attract big events or tourists. Granted, more beaches, RV campgrounds, and maybe a few lakeside condo’s would be great, but … if we focus on developing that area solely for big events such as the drag boat races, then we’ll be depriving locals of their ability to access and use the most popular recreation areas in San Angelo. What we do need is a good network of bike/pedestrian trails to circle the reservoir and connect area neighborhoods to parks and beaches. Problem is, local users don’t bring in additional tax dollars (but, … we do already pay taxes).

San Angelo’s biggest need for quality of life is an integrated network of “Recreation Destination Resorts.” What I mean by that term is areas such as parks, the downtown river trail, etc. that serve as venues for recreation and exercise for residents. Ideally, these would be accessible via bike/pedestrian paths to encourage residents to walk, run, or bike as they journey to and from these “resort destinations. Each magnet location should have restroom facilities, water fountains, and some shaded green space.

If you don’t thing there’s a demand for this type of local infrastructure, I suggest that you go visit Gun Club Road (the KOA loop) on any evening or on a weekend morning. The area is typically crowded with people who are out for a walk or run. Imagine our city if we had multiple “KOA Loops” scattered throughout San Angelo, and – more importantly – think about the impact on fitness and wellness if those areas encouraged more people to get out and exercise. Our city fathers need to remember that we (local residents) live here year round and we all pay taxes.

Upcoming Events

July 31: Bulldog Run 10K, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/BulldogFlyer_2010.pdf

Aug. 7: Road Bike Time Trial, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

Aug. 8: Wool Capitol Triathlon, www.ironheadrp.com/woolcapital/index.html

Aug. 8: Biscuits & Gravy Rotary Ride for Hunger, http://www.rotaryrideforhunger.org//

Aug. 21: Goodfellow Triathlon, http://www.roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/GAFB_Flyer_2010.pdf

Sept. 11: Burma Road Time Trial, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

Sept 18-19: Fort Davis Cyclefest, http://www.active.com/cycling/fort-davis-tx/%20fort-davis-cyclefest-tour-2010

Oct. 9-10: Texas Cycling Championships, http://www.txbra.org/

Oct 16-17: Season Opener, Texas Cup cyclocross series, http://www.txbra.org/

Oct. 30: Six Hour Mountain Bike Race, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/

We Need A Good State Park

We have a state park in San Angelo. Problem is, we need a good state park – one that does a better job of serving as a venue for fitness activities in the Concho Valley region. That’s understandably a provocative statement, so let’s take a closer look at the issue.

The mission statement for Texas State Parks is “Manage state parks and historic sites to conserve natural and cultural resources, provide recreational and educational opportunities, and foster an understanding of the diversity of Texas' lands and heritage for all generations” (source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Division web site).

How does San Angelo State Park (SASP) support that mission, and – more specifically- what are the specific goals for SASP? Is the purpose of SASP to be a large open space area where the buffalo roam and longhorns thrive, or is the local mission aimed more at being a recreational venue? Is the park intended to be an area where the Native American petroglyphs and prehistoric reptile tracks are preserved and studied?

Compared to some of the other state parks that come under the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division’s management, San Angelo State Park (SASP) doesn’t have much to offer. It doesn’t have scenic mountain vistas, flowing rivers, or a lake suitable for recreation.

The park doesn’t have shaded forest areas that attract people; instead, the primary vegetation within the park is mesquite and cactus. In short, it’s located in good country for some types of outdoor activities – especially those that don’t require much water, shade, or spectacular scenery. Cycling, hiking, and trail running are some of the activities that fit well within the geographic limitations of where the park is located.

Ten years ago, the predominate activities in SASP were mountain biking, hiking, hunting, horseback riding, and a limited amount of RV and tent camping. Cycling trails in the park were generally well maintained (at that time), with volunteers from the community providing their time to work on those trails. There was a general “come on out and enjoy” atmosphere.

The State Park was also once considered a premier “go to” location for cycling within Texas. The area served as the venue for state road cycling championship events, and also hosted West Texas Championship series mountain bike races. Although some smaller local events still take place in the park, the larger events (and associated tourism revenues) have moved on to other more inviting venues.

So, what has changed over the past few years? Is SASP underfunded? Are more employees needed? More importantly, is there a clear vision, a strategic plan with associated measurements, and a correlation between primary user group needs and how the park resources are managed?

It's not as if the State Park management hasn't been offered suggestions for improvement.  The park manager was presented with a detailed proposal in 2004 (and again in 2007)  that included suggested action items to help improve the park and generate more usage.   None of the suggestions have been implemented; in fact, some park conditions and policies have arguably gotten worse since then.  Those suggested strategies are listed at the end of this blog post.

According to records supplied by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division, SASP has a staff of 11.33 FTE (“Full Time Equivalent”) employees and a 2010 budget of $376,150 ($264,902 salaries and $106,340 operations). Llano River State Park, which is arguably a more vibrant and better maintained area, has only 8.63 FTE and a similar budget of $393, 984 ($110, 556 operations).

Granted, Llano River SP is a smaller area (524 acres vs. 7,677 in San Angelo, but the majority of San Angelo’s acreage is simply undeveloped open space. Comparing developed area to developed area, Llano seems to do more with fewer employees.

Given that the State of Texas is facing a significant budget shortfall for the upcoming biennium, it’s critically important that we, as taxpayers, get a good return on investment for dollars spent to operate a tax-supported entity.

When local cyclists and runners were asked what could be improved at SASP to attract more users, the responses centered around common themes such as “keep trails maintained and mowed before they become unusable ….simplify front gate entry procedures (drivers license required, even when on a bike) …develop an end-to-end beginner trail …streamline procedures required to hold events in the park …change management attitudes to encourage more usage …”.

A common complaint centered on the park’s recent implementation of law enforcement techniques. As one (former) park user noted, “There’s very little traffic on park roads, so I assume the park officer with a radar gun is there to ensure that deer and jackrabbits don’t break the speed limit when they run across the road.”

The bottom line is that the park, as currently managed, is underutilized and should reach out to potential users for help in updating goals and developing strategies for improvement. A good starting point would be to ask the question “why don’t more people use the park, and what do we need to do to attract more visitors?”

(Suggested strategies, as presented to State Park management on multiple occassions)
 
1. Establish a broad based advisory committee for San Angelo State park, other than the Friends group. 
 
Problem description: The current input mechanism is either via individual user comments or through the Friends of the State Park organization. The Friends group does not effectively represent cyclists, hikers, and runners. The State Park management needs to receive input directly from user groups in order to improving venues and resolving conflict issues.

• Action item/explanation: A broader advisory group would serve to advise SASP management on issues related to cycling, hiking, and trail running. This advisory group would provide a direct connection between SASP and organizations such as the San Angelo Bicycling Association (SABA) and the San Angelo Road Lizards running club. A suggested makeup for this advisory board would be a representative from the cycling and running clubs, plus six additional people representing cycling, hiking, and running.

 2. Improve relations with park user groups and volunteers from the community.

Problem description: The State Park does not have a good track record as relates to customer service and working to meet the needs of user groups and/or volunteers. Park management needs to reevaluate strategic plans to determine if management philosophy is a deterrent to increasing usage of the park.

•  Action item/explanation: If the goal for the State Park is simply to be a repository for longhorn and buffalo herds, then that needs to be communicated to the regional community. If, however, the park’s goals include meeting the recreational needs of cyclists, hikers, and runners, then the park must be managed in a way that encourages usage by these groups. The classic example of this is closing all trails because some areas are muddy. This type of trail closing doesn’t stop the park’s animal population from damaging trails, but only prevents potential customers from using the park. In addition, policies regarding volunteer trail maintenance need to be re-evaluated. The current attitudes and procedures discourage people from doing volunteer work.

  3. Improve regional awareness of the State park and its recreational venues.

Problem description: More people need to be aware of what the State park offers in terms of recreational opportunities.

• Action item/explanation: To increase awareness, the local State Park management could deploy strategies such as an improved web site, brochures aimed at specific target populations, and a monthly email newsletter.  Example: http://parks.state.co.us/SiteCollectionImages/parks/Parks/Lory/Lory%20Area%20Bro6_09.pdf

 4. Encourage groups to promote competitive and non-competitive cycling events in the State Park.

Problem description: SASP is underused as relates to hosting cycling, running, and multisport related events. This lack of utilization is partially due to a lack of awareness related to available venues, infrastructure, and procedures.

• Action item/explanation: Although events are occasionally held in the State Park, there needs to be a planned effort to encourage and attract events and event promoters to use SASP. This could be as simple as a marketing link on the SASP web site that clearly outlines procedures, costs, and contact information related to scheduling activities in SASP.

  5. Plan and build an all weather trail that loops through the bounded by the Chaparral group shelter, cabins, Red Arroyo campground, and group shelter service road.

Problem description: SASP needs an all weather cycling, running, and walking trail that is available for day users, campers, and event participants.

•  Action item/explanation: This new trail would serve multiple user groups. Casual cyclists and parents of younger children would benefit because this trail is close to and visible from the RV area, cabins, and Chaparral group shelter. Organizers of cycling events would use this loop for short course races and for the start/finish of longer events. In addition, a trail in this area “surfaced” with crushed gravel would offer an all-weather venue to off road cyclists when the normal trails are closed due to muddy conditions.

 6. Plan and build a “Central Expressway” route that connects from the OC Fisher dam to the North Concho camping areas.

Problem description: A significant number of entry level cyclists, runners, and hikers do not use the SASP trails because of rough single track trails, and because the existing trails present a confused maze to novice users.

•  Action item/explanation: This “Central Expressway” trail would be a combination of existing service roads and new 6’ wide sections of trail that follow gently rolling routes. This recreational arterial would provide a less intimidating venue for casual cyclists, runners, and walkers, and would connect all major parking and camping areas in the park. Ideally, this route would be designed with minimal grades (i.e., no step climbs or descents), and would connect to the major trail heads and camping areas.

 7. Develop an improved trail map for mountain bikers, runners, and hikers with trails classified by level of difficulty, and a route map for on-road cyclists. Improve the trail marking signage.

Problem description: As noted in #6 above, the existing trails and map present a confused maze to new SASP visitors.

• Action item/explanation: The current maps and associated signs do not clearly show routes and/or the difficulty levels.   Other state and National parks have successfully implemented maps and route signs that categorize trails by difficulty and distance.  Example: http://parks.state.co.us/SiteCollectionImages/parks/Parks/Lory/Lory_TrailMap9_08.pdf.

 8. Improve the restroom facilities at trailheads and other areas that are heavily used by cyclists and runners.

Problem description: The infrastructure is poor at major trailheads such as the Burkett area.

•  Action item/explanation: The majority of off-road cyclists start and finish their rides at the Burkett trail head. Unfortunately, restrooms at this location are in very poor condition. It has also been mentioned that the SASP “master plan” calls for the Burkett trailhead restrooms to be demolished, which would obviously be a step in the wrong direction. The facilities at Burkett trailhead and other projected high use areas such as Isabel Harte and near the Chaparral group shelter should be identified as high priority projects for future remodeling and/or construction.

 9. Design and build an outdoor amphitheater in the area near the Chaparral group shelter

Problem description: SASP does not have a focal point for activities such as nature presentations, outdoor classes, and awards ceremonies after events.

• Action item/explanation: An amphitheater would ideally be constructed near the Chaparral group shelter or Red Arroyo RV area using existing natural terrain contours and native rock seating (i.e., a design similar to the River Stage seating in downtown San Angelo. This facility would serve as a venue for SASP presentations, concerts, cycling classes offered by Angelo State University, and activities such as award presentations after events. Ideally, this amphitheater would be within walking distance of the red Arroyo RV area and cabins, and would be located in close proximity to the all weather trail described in strategy #5 above.

UPCOMING EVENTS

•  July 11: Lake Nasworthy triathlon, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/Lake_Nasworthy_Triathlon.pdf
• July 24: Bentwood Dash 5K http://www.roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/Dash_for_Dyslexia_Jul_2010.pdf
• August 8: Biscuits and Gravy Rotary Ride for Hunger, http://www.rotaryrideforhunger.org/
• August 8: Wool Capitol Triathlon, http://www.ironheadrp.com/\
• Aug. 13-14: Rocky Mountain Bicycle Festival, Leadville, CO http://www.rmbfestival.com/rmbf_index.html