Three Types of Mountain Bike Rides

At Chasing Epic, we’re lucky enough to ride just about all of the top trails in the desert southwest and Rocky Mountains:  for the most part, that means we’ve “seen it all”.  From 25 mile epics in Crested Butte to the short-and-sweet Zen Trail in St. George, we like to expose our customers to a little bit of everything.  Our goal is to make sure you ride the bucket list trails, but also that you experience riding days that are more off-the-grid where we don’t see another soul for hours.  Trust us, we can make that happen even on the busiest of holiday weekends.

That said, everyone has their favorite “type” of ride.  Some like the all-day epics with eight hours in the saddle, some like technical, challenging terrain, and others like to ride for the breathtaking views.  On our trips, we like to mix it up so you get a little bit of everything:  a potpourri of mountain biking, you might say.  Here are three of our favorite types of rides, with a couple examples of each:

 

All-Day Epics

 

You know what we’re talking about… this is why you ride with Chasing Epic.  On each of our full days (typically the middle two days of a 4-day trip), we aim to blow your mind.  These rides will give you a true backcountry experience while mixing in extended downhills, long climbs, and views you’ll remember for the rest of your life.  We classify epics as 20+ miles (usually closer to 30) with significant climbing… and descents that are always worth the suffering.

 

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These rides are tough to train for, because likely they’re longer, steeper, and have more climbing than what you typically ride at home.  That’s OK, don’t fret- we’ll pace ourselves to make sure every last inch of the trail is enjoyable.  As a photographer, these are the bucket-list rides because the views are never-ending, and the terrain is mixed and always interesting.  Our favorites?  The Kokopelli Loops in Fruita, RFBDDoctor Park in Crested Butte, and the South Boundary Trail in Angel Fire.

 

Technical Challenges

 

You’ll get frustrated.  You won’t clean sections.  And you might even fall and get hurt.  Sometimes it’s OK not to ride 20+ miles in a day.  Certain trails are built for the challenge: to keep you coming back, trying to clean a certain rocky section or roll-over.  On these rides, we’ll struggle- both on the climbs and on the descents, but with the right attitude, the struggle can actually be fun.

 

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Trails like these are why suspension was invented, and it’s why we partner with Ibis for our demo fleet: you’re going to need the quickness and forgiveness of some of the best bikes on the market.  After a long day of riding smooth, fast singletrack it’s always nice to mix it up with a challenging technical trail.  It might be frustrating at times, but when you’re cleaning a line you thought impossible, you’ll thank us.  Our favorite technical rides are Hiline in Sedona, the Zen Trail in St. George, and Holy Cross in Fruita/Grand Junction.

 

Just Damn Fun

 

Other than the all-day epics, these are our favorite for obvious reasons.  Whether it’s an extended downhill, an other-worldly landscape, or rock features that push your limits, these trails are there to put a smile on your face.  All of our destinations have them, and of course we’re sure to add them into each itinerary appropriately.  Buckle your seatbelt and get ready to grin from ear to ear.

 

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Some of these “just damn fun” trails are part of a bigger ride, and some stand-alone by themselves.  It’s the reason we ride- to be a kid again, to have fun on a bike  and remind ourselves that life is too short to take ourselves seriously.   We picked our destinations for a reason, and most of these trails are a big part of that rationale.  Our personal favorites?  Zippity Do Da in Fruita, the 401 Trail in Crested Butte, and Gooseberry Mesa in St. George.

 

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AUTHOR: Steve Mokan

Steve is the owner (and founder) of Chasing Epic Mountain Bike Adventures, and contributes regularly to our blog. He's passionate about providing customers with incredible mountain bike vacations, and he loves photography and travel when he's not working. Truthfully, he loves those things when he is working too.