Monday, October 1, 2012

Ned’s Secrets

From the pages of:

Ned Overend’s Secrets to Riding Forever
At 57, Overend is still one fast rider. The Energizer Bunny of mountain biking tells you how he keeps going, and going, and going...
By Brian Fiske



The Expert: Ned Overend (Specialized) has been winning races since the ‘80s, and even though his travel schedule keeps the 57-year-old from racing as much as he used to, it doesn’t keep him from winning tough events: “Deadly Nedly” won the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in 2011, and is the current Masters World Champion in Cyclocross. We caught up with Ned—a guy who won his first National Championship 26 years ago—on his way to Brazil for aSpecialized dealer launch (he does marketing and R&D for the company, as well as racing) to learn his secrets to staying passionate for the long haul.


Drop the Obsession: “I love to train hard and race, and I’m still passionate about riding,” Overend says. “And I think that’s because I’m not obsessive about my training.” According to Overend, a lifelong passion for riding can be hard to develop if you constantly push yourself to the limit, and then continue to push even when your passion starts to wane. Keep it up and you’ll put away the bike and take up golf.

Listen to Your Body: Rest makes you stronger, and your body will tell you when you need morerest. Your job is to listen. “Let’s say Tuesday is an interval day,” Overend says. “You can judge your rest by how you feel. Not on the first interval, because that’s always a shock to the system, but on the second, if things don’t start to improve and you still feel terrible, pull the plug and go for an easy hour-long spin.” The worst thing you can do, Ned says, is continue to push when your body’s not recovered—and that means no two-hour “easy” rides, either. “With that, you aren’t recovering, and you aren’t getting intensity,” Overend says. “You’re just getting more tired.”

Eat Well: Overend admits to liking healthy foods—he eats a lot of salad, pasta with red sauce, and lean meat—though he also has a sweet tooth and a taste for beer. Regardless of your personal preferences, though, Overend says the trick to staying energized is simply to keep your body supplied with the right balance of nutrients. “I’m not that strict, but I make sure I get the right things,” he says. “High-quality protein, fruits and vegetables, and I take a vitamin and mineral supplement, too.”

Do Something Else: “Back in the day, I used to cross train in the off-season to rebuild—trail running, swimming, and gym work ,” Overend says. “Now that I’m older, I do it throughout the season, too.” Why? Bikers tend to have overdeveloped quads and weak…well, most everything else, especially the upper body. And that makes us prone to injury. Overend’s gym routine consists of situps, back raises, pull ups, dips, bench press, curls, and lateral stability work—basically 15 exercises with lots of push and pull, in a workout that he can get through in 30 to 40 minutes. During riding season, it’s mostly maintenance work with lighter weights (strength development is for the off season). “You can’t get your ego involved,” Ned says. “A 100-pound woman gets off the machine and you’ve got to drop the weight down a couple notches. Yeah, that happens.”

Work with Your Body: Older cyclists aren’t necessarily slower cyclists—Overend is proof of that. But certain things do change, and you need to work with the change. One example Overend gives: His eyesight. “I bring reading glasses with me when I ride,” Overend says. “If something isn’t right on my bike while I’m riding, I like to fix it right then. I can fix a flat without reading glasses, but if I’m trying to see derailleur screws, I know I need the glasses.”

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Long Live the Queen!

From the Durango Herald - September 22, 2012:

City Takes Top Honors at Transit Conference
Durango’s Multimodal Chief Earns Transit Employee of the Year Award
By Jim Haug, Staff Writer

Increased ridership, commuter incentives and a new Multimodal plan all propelled Durango’s transit system to top honors this week at the fall conference of the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies in Grand Junction.

Durango earned the Medium Transit System of the Year award, which goes to systems with 10 to 25 buses. The city’s multimodal administrator, Amber Blake, also was honored as the Transit Employee of the Year.

Amber Blake was recognized for completing a new Multimodal Transportation Master Plan, which was adopted by the City Council in July, and for her management skills and success in getting state and federal grant funding. In her 3.5-year tenure, Durango has received nearly $5.2 million in grants.

Click Here to Read More of this Article...

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Multi Modal Plan Gets Green Light


by Tracy Chamberlin and Missy Votel

After more than 75 public meetings and three years on the ground, Durango’s Multi Modal Transportation Master Plan is a done deal. City Council unanimously approved the plan at its regular meeting July 17.

“It’s a significant step forward,” said councilor Dick White, noting that he campaigned on a platform of sustainability. “I commend the effort that’s gone into it.”

Fellow councilor Christina Rinderle echoed White’s sentiments. “It’s such a great asset. I can’t say enough about the collaboration,” she said, adding that she has already noticed changes around town, such as the newly revamped Florida Road. “It’s a complete street, with bike lanes, medians, sidewalks and trees,” she said.

The lone voice of caution came from councilor Paul Broderick, who referred to the plan as “lofty” and warned future councils about the costs associated with it. “If we were to add up all the costs of this plan, there wouldn’t be enough numbers on the calculator,” he said. “We need to be careful. Policy can have unintended consequences and huge costs.”

Mayor Doug Lyon defended the plan, noting that it is not set in stone, but rather a blueprint which could help facilitate future funding. “It’s a roadmap to the future and a good set of aspirations,” he said. “If we have the plan on a shelf, we can go out and get money to implement it.”

At the urging of the community, the city began work on a Multimodal Master Plan in 2009. The vision of the plan is to create a fully connected public transportation system that anyone can access with ease.

“The rule of thumb is if a middle school-aged child can walk or bike independently through Durango,” said Multi modal Coordinator Amber Blake.


Among the ideas  to achieve these goals are: bicycle boulevards, low-volume, low-speed streets; signed bike routes; extended bike lanes at intersections; additional bike lanes and “buffered” bike lanes; curb ramps; and facilities such as transit stops, bus storage, bicycle and vehicle parking and multi-use trails.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Ned Overend, Private Eye

22 Year-old Mystery Solved
Biking legend finds lost championship banner in France
Story from the Durango Herald
By Jim HaugStaff writer

A banner from the 1990 World Bicycle Championship was missing for 22 years until it was recovered by Overend at a mountain biking celebration in France in June.

On the night of one of Durango’s biggest triumphs, hosting the first-ever world championship of mountain biking, the sky above Purgatory Mountain “let loose” with a deluge, recalled participants. People scattered from the storm at the Durango Mountain Resort. By the next morning, Purgatory had gained 18 inches of snow, but had lost the race’s start/finish banner that had been strung between two 40-foot tall poles.

Designed by local artist Metja Swift, it was one of the event’s two banners. The other was hung across Main Avenue and has since become a wall fixture at the Mountain Bike Specialists shop. A thief in the night apparently had taken the banner that had been photographed with champion Ned Overend crossing the finish line.

“The local organizing committee felt violated by the ‘prank,’” said Ed Zink, the committee’s chairman and owner of Mountain Bike Specialists. Efforts were made to “ferret out the culprit” and return the banner to Durango, but leads went cold and hope was fading, Zink recalled. “We feared the banner was just lying in the back of someone’s closet, or worse had been thrown away by an embarrassed middle-aged couch-surfing ex-racer,” Zink said.

Then came a rendez vous in the French Alps when Durango mountain biker Ned Overend went to the town of Villard-de-Lans in June to commemorate a mountain bicycling championship he won 25 years ago. Incidentally, the French competition also claims to be the first world championship for mountain biking, but the Durango bases its distinction on being the first competition to be sanctioned by an international governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale, Overend said. Because the 25th anniversary of the French race celebrated the history of mountain biking, it was fitting that Overend found Durango’s lost banner strung across the main street of Villard-de-Lans. “It was a surprise,” Overend said.

Overend got the banner back during the festival’s ceremonial dinner, but this piece of Durango history has been not been hiding in a trunk in Europe for all these years. Rather, the banner has been as close as Southern California, stolen by one of the racers from the Durango competition who thought of it as a “big souvenir,” Overend said. He became remorseful, but did not know how to return it.

Overend got the story from Hans “No Way” Rey, a German mountain-bike stunt performer and celebrity who lives in Los Angeles. “He knew who this guy was and got him to give it up,” Overend said. “Hans thought it would be cool to display the banner at this festival (in France).” Rey has kept the identity of the thief a secret. “What difference does it make as this point? It’s just nice to get the banner back,” Overend said.

Zink said there are discussions to display it at the Cycling Village at Fort Lewis College during the USA Pro Cycle Challenge in August. Durango is the starting point Aug. 20 for the professional bicycle race across the Rockies. The banner will remind people of Durango’s role in mountain-bike racing. The world championship in 1990 “is key not just to mountain-bike racing, but also to Durango’s part in mountain biking,” Overend said.


Saturday, July 7, 2012

Fans of the Tour

Rare and previously unpublished Life Magazine photos from the 1953 Tour de France, won by Louison Bobet. You can see all 25 at:



From the New Yorker Photo Booth:




The Bicycle Men


The Bicycle Men
August 15-19 at The Durango Arts Center!!
Get your tickets now, online or at the DAC box office!!

"So funny it's been banned in Bayfield!"
-- Durango Harold


"The most hilarious comedy I've yet to see!"
-- A close friend of one of the actors


"Even louder and more boisterous than Buster Keaton!"
-- Fatty Carbunckle



Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Clean Commute Week Schedule



Below is the schedule of events for Clean Commute Week. There's even more in the lineup this year, so there is something for everyone!

Saturday, June 16th - Bike Maintenance Clinic from 9 am - noon in the parking lot of the Transit Center (8th Street and Camino del Rio), just across from the Durango Farmer's Market. Get your bike ready for Clean Commute Week! Learn how to fix a flat, check your brakes, put you chain back on and much more! Light maintenance will be performed by local mechanics from Velorution Cycles.

Monday, June 18th - Pedometer Challenge: Pick up your FREE pedometer from the Transit Center and start counting your steps. The Challenge will run from Monday morning to Thursday at noon. Report your steps to the Multi Modal Department by 2 pm on Thursday. Winners will be announced on Thursday at the Love your Commute Party at Ska Brewing (Thursday, June 21). The pedometer is yours to keep!

Trails 2000 Corporate Commuter Challenge: Businesses can compete in this fun challenge to honor those who commute by bicycle.

Tuesday, June 19th - Pedal Vs. Metal: An in-town errand extravaganza! Choose your mode - walk, bike, drive, or ?? Meet us at the Transit Center at noon, get your errand list and get after it! Please E-mail us if you would like to participate.

Community Forum and Celebration at the D&SNGRR Train Museum from 5pm-7pm. We will walk through the draft Multi Modal Transportation Master Plan that is scheduled to be adopted by City Council in July, as well as thank the hundreds of citizens who participated in this process, making this a fantastic vision for Durango's many transportation networks. Food and beer donated byCarver Brewing CoSka Brewing, and Fired Up Pizza.

Wednesday, June 20th - Clean Commute Day Breakfast Stations for your morning commute at the Transit Center (8th Street and Camino del Rio), Mercy Regional Medical Center, and on 9th and Main in front of Steaming Bean. Stop by on your way to work to fuel your engine from 7am - 9:30am.

Thursday, June 21st - Love Your Commute Party at Ska Brewing from 5 pm - 8 pm. We will celebrate the winners of the Pedometer Challenge, Pedal Vs. Metal and the Commuter of the Year! Live music by Robby Overfield. Free bus rides back to the Transit Center (where you can park for free!) sponsored by Ska Brewing and Zia Taqueria.



Friday, June 22nd - Trails 2000 Bike After Work Party at Carver Brewing Company from 4 pm - 6 pm. Commuter Challenge Awards Ceremony and a special presentation by a representative from the League of American Bicyclists to Durango for our recent designation as a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community.


Click HERE for complete Clean Commute Week information.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Multi Modal Master Plan


After 3 years of public meetings, data collection and countless hours of help from the citizens of Durango, the Multi Modal Transportation Master Plan is in Draft form! The City of Durango would love your input on the DRAFT Multi Modal Plan, which at this time contains the following:

• Vision
• Plan Process
• Multi Modal Policy and Objectives
• Existing Conditions and System Deficiencies (by Zone)
• Proposed Improvements (by Zone)

Click HERE (ftp://ftp.ci.durango.co.us/Multimodal) to view the DRAFT Multi Modal Master Plan, and please e-mail Amber Blake or call her at 970.375.4949 to submit comments.


The Master Plan is a Community Based Implementation Focused Transportation Plan that examines the facility needs for pedestrians, bicycles, and transit. The plan establishes goals and objectives for each mode of transportation. It discusses Safe Routes to School, Carpooling and Park & Rides, and other modes of transportation. The scope of the plan is the City of Durango Comprehensive Planning Area. The goal of the plan is to establish a connected functional network of bicycle lanes/routes throughout the city, identify on and off street trail and transit connections, and to develop a new set of user friendly maps. The end result will be a list of projects, policy recommendations for bike lanes, bike parking, transit enhancements, ride-sharing, suggested locations for park and rides, and much more.

The Missing Link

From: Hall, Kevin
Date: May 17, 2012
Subject: Animas River Trail Mall Corner Section is Open!


The City of Durango is happy to report that the contractor’s have completed their work on the Durango Mall corner-section of the Animas River Trail. They removed the construction barricades earlier today, and we now have 7-miles of continuous Animas River Trail from Rivera Bridge to 29th Street. A community celebration of the Tail is in the works for later this year. We’ll keep you posted.
Enjoy!
Kevin Hall
City of Durango Director of Natural Lands, Trails and Sustainability


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

1987 Championnat Du Monde VTT

by Ned


In June I will be travelling to France for the 25th anniversary of the "Championnat Du Monde VTT". In 1987, there were two World Mountain Bike Championships, one in the USA in Mammoth, California and one in Europe at Villard de Lans, France. That French race was my first experience bike racing in Europe. The promoter of the event paid for me, Joe Murray, Jacquie Phelan and Mary Lee Atkins to travel to Villard de Lans, and he put us up in a small house complete with a chef and a spectacular view of the French Alps.

The course was one big loop, with long stretches of narrow, rocky single track. I remember one exposed single track section had netting rigged up below the trail to keep riders from falling down a cliff, if they should happen to ride off the trail on the downhill side. 
One thing that was a little unnerving was the start, which was on a futbol field in the center of town. The Start Line stretched all the way across the center of the field and virtually everyone was on the front row, 200 in the Senior Men's class. It was a mad dash to get out of the stadium, through town, and onto the single track. I won the race, Joe Murray was second and Jacques Devi was third. Mary Lee Atkins won the women's race. Mary Lee and I both rode for the Schwinn team that year, and I started with Specialized in 1988.


Here is a classic podium shot
(I'm the one not wearing "hot pants")

Here is an example of the vintage iron I was riding that day

I was recently reading through the results and I noticed Silvia Furst was 7th in the Women's race. Silvia was on the Specialized team for several years and won the 
1993 World Championships in Bromont, Canada.

The day after the race the promoter arranged for me to be on a morning news show in Paris. He had chartered a flight for the journalists and I joined them on the flight back to Paris. It was an old propeller plane with poor ventilation and about 40 passengers. As soon as the plane was in the air every single passenger, except me, fired up a cigarette. The smoke was  so thick you couldn't see down the aisle to the front of the plane. I tried to roll down my window.

In 1987, I was fortunate to win the USA Worlds in Mammoth, California along with the European Worlds in France. Then in 1989 I won the US Worlds in Mammoth and was second to Mike Kloser at the Euro Worlds in Switzerland, so it was hard for either of us to truly be considered World Champion. In 1990, the UCI sanctioned the sport of Mountain Bike racing and took over the scheduling of a unified World Championships, which were held in my hometown of Durango and which I won.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Durango Clean Commute Week

Untitled Page


Register for Clean Commute Week!

Durango's Clean Commute Week is June 16th - June 22nd. Please be sure to REGISTER for your Commuter Benefits Card and be added to our email list so you stay up to date on the schedule of events. We've added many new events you won't want to miss - the Pedometer Challenge, Love Your Commute Party, a Bike Maintenance Clinic, and much more...stay tuned!!

Even if you can't participate, we still encourage you to register. That show of support is what creates momentum and new opportunities for the future of alternative transportation in Durango.

Durango Gets Gold

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Bicycle Friendly Community
The City of Durango is proud to announce we have achieved Gold Level status as a Bicycle Friendly Community as designated by the League of American Bicyclists. Previously rated a Silver Level community, the past 3 years of hard work in expanding bicycle infrastructure, pro-bicycle policies, and education boosted our status to the elite Gold Level. Way to go Durango!

In honor of achieving Gold Level status, we'd like to list a partial chronology of events and people that have made this achievement possible:

1895 - The Durango Wheel Club is formed.
1971 - Tom Mayer, a young bicycle enthusiast, challenges his older brother Jim Mayer, a brakeman on the Narrow Gauge railroad, to a race to Silverton - him on his bike, Jim on the train. Tom wins, and the rest is history.
1972 - The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic is first held, organized by Ed Zink and won by local legend Mike Elliot.
1976 - The first segment of the Animas River Trail is completed.
1982 - Durango City Planner Greg Hoch creates the first Bicycle Route Map for Durango streets.
1990 - Durango hosts the first-ever UCI World Mountain Bike Championships.
1990 - Ned Overend of Durango wins the first-ever Mountain Bike World Championships Cross Country title, while Greg Herbold of Durango wins the Downhill title.
1990 - Trails 2000 is formed and names Bill Manning as Director.
1999 - Warren McNaughton and Shane Baird to compile an "Inventory and Priority of Paved Roads in La Plata County for Improved Bicycling and Pedestrian Safety", which was adopted in the "La Plata County Comprehensive Traffic Study".
2004 - The Safe Roads Coalition is formed and successfully promotes Complete Streets for Durango and LaPlata County.
2004 - Durango Voters approve Ballot Question 2A which will add an additional 0.5% Local Sales Tax to directly fund Parks, Open Space and Trails.
2005 - The Main Avenue Underpass is completed to connect the Animas River Trail continuously through downtown Durango.
2007 - La Plata County Commissioners adopt a Resolution in support of the Safe Roads Coalition's "Inventory and Prioritization of Roads in La Plata County for Improved Bicycling, Pedestrian, and Motorist Safety".
2008 - Durango Voters approve Ballot Measure 2A to fund the rebuilding of Florida Road.
2009 - Bicycle Friendly Durango holds the first Bike Summit and Durango is named a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community.
2009 - The City of Durango names Amber Blake as the first-ever Multimodal Coordinator.
2009 - Durango hosts the Singlespeed World Championships
2011 - Florida Road is completely rebuilt to become the first Durango street to allow full bike and pedestrian access.
2011 - La Plata County publishes it's first ever La Plata County & Durango Area Bike Map.
2012 - Durango is awarded the opening stage of the 2012 Pro Tour Challenge Tour of Colorado.
2012 - Durango is named a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community.

2012 - The final missing section of the current Animas River Trail is completed behind the Durango Mall creating 7 uninterrupted miles of trail.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Feeling Fashionable?

Our new CLUB SPF-35 jerseys are in and we hope you like our latest color palette, Margarita Green with Bellflower Purple. It's our way of saying, "Hey, just because you're a cyclist doesn't mean you have to dress in last year's (or decade's) colors!"

His

Hers

• Light-weight SQ Pro® with Mynx UV fabric - rated to 35+ SPF.
• Micro-mesh construction allows air to easily pass through the fabric, keeping you dry and cool.
• Full-length zipper for variable cooling and breathability.
• Roomier fitting Club-cut design.
• 3 reinforced rear pockets, elastic waist and wrists.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Of Local Cycling Interest #2

A road of much concern for Durango cyclists and pedestrians, CR 251 from Holly Avenue to CR 250, has been long overdue for safety improvements, as in decades overdue. Well, it looks like this stretch of road is finally receiving some much-needed attention. To that we say, Huzzah! And thank you, Jim Davis.


From the office of the La Plata County Director Public Works:
Improvements Planned for CR 251
We are finishing our review of proposals for design services for 32nd/CR 251 from Holly to CR 250, and should award a contract in two to three weeks. This will include East Animas, CR 250 from the recently completed city improvements to a point about 300 feet north of 32nd. This study will also address the 32nd & CR 250 intersection, looking at conventional intersection with turn lanes as well as a possible round-about option. 

We will coordinate the design closely with the City and anticipate the design phase will take the better part of 2012. The design process will include at least two public meetings to solicit input and suggestions. The County is funding the design and it is hoped the construction cost will be funded by both Durango and the County, and that agreement will be worked out later this year or early next year and will require an Intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between the City and County. The IGA will address the cost share, and hopefully Durango agreeing to annex this project upon completion. Unfortunately we don't know at this time how soon the actual construction could be scheduled as it will depend on the successful completion of the IGA, and both the City and County including this project in their future budgets, possibly 2013 or 2014, assuming revenues do not continue to decline.  

Do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions about these projects or any other roads issues around the County.

Thanks
Jim Davis,  P.E.
Director of Public Works
La Plata County 
1060 Main Avenue, Unit 104
Durango, CO  81301
Phone: (970) 382-6372
Fax: (970) 375-7986

Of Local Cycling Interest #1

One of two encouraging news stories for us Durango Cyclists this week.
From the Durango Herald: Tuesday, May 1
With Grants OK'd, City Ready to Start Trail Extension
By Jim Haug
The Durango City Council on Tuesday approved a $508,456 grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation to extend the Animas River Trail from 29th Street to 32nd Street.It also has a $200,000 grant from the Colorado State Parks and Wildlife Trails Program to spend on the trail extension, which will cost $1.05 million altogether.

The city is responsible for covering 33 percent of the project’s cost, about $300,000, with funding from a half-cent sales tax for park and trails projects that voters approved in 1999.
The river trail expansion will parallel East Third Avenue along Memorial Park. To save the park’s grass, the trail will serve a dual purpose as a sidewalk.
Work on the design is already under way. The project is expected to go to bid for construction this summer.
The project is expected to take a year to complete, said Kevin Hall, the city’s director of natural lands, sustainability and trails.
In other work on the seven-mile trail, a bridge around a hill by the Durango Mall is on schedule to be completed by the end of the month or early June, Hall said.
“We’ll pull down the gates, and we’ll be open for business,” Hall said.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Bend Overend!

By Ned

I spent the last week riding some world class single track in Bend, Oregon. The Specialized Mountain Bike product team brought in a handful of journalists from around the globe to ride some of our 2013 trail bikes. I've been to Bend for CX racing and a winter triathlon at Mt Bachelor, but this is the first time I have had a chance to really explore their trail system. The guys at Cog Wild Tours guided us to some great single track - Lev, Russ, Seth and Ryan (who's wife gave birth last Saturday – congrats Ryan!). We rode Smith Rock, Horse Ridge, Mrazek and Whoops. It was a great mix of terrain for previewing the new bikes and the redesigned Purgatory tire.


We took a tour of the Deschutes Brewery and learned about the raw ingredients that go into making my favorite beverage.

Hop flowers that give India Pale Ale’s their flavor

At a downtown coffee shop I ran into my old (and I do mean old!) teammate Paul ThomasbergPaul was with another member of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance and they were meeting with staff from the State Representatives office to discuss their latest trail project. The kind of quality trails Bend has does not come without a dedicated, well supported trail group and thousands of hours of trail work.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Hualapai Succulents

The Hualapai Mountains are a spectacular "Sky Island" range above the surrounding deserts of northeastern Arizona. Situated just southeast of Kingman, Arizona, they sit at the crossroads of 3 distinct desert regions - the northernmost extension of the Sonoran Desert (and the saguaro cactus), the eastern edge of the Mojave Desert, and just south of the Great Basin Desert. So, the flora from all those regions converge there, and for plant nerds like us, that means exceptional plant variety and more inspiration for our garden in Durango.
Hualapai Peak, at 8,417 feet

Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus 
Echinocereus engelmannii
*This cactus grows well in our Durango yard.
Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus

Barrel Cactus 
Echinocactus wislizenii
Barrel Cacti

Utah Agave
Agave utahensis
*This agave, and a number of it's subspecies, grows well (and so far, have survived for 4-5 years) in our Durango yard.

Photography by Lisa Bourey

Leafy Evergreens

The Hualapai Mountains, and much of the Desert Southwest, feature a wonderful array of leafy evergreens. Though equally fond of the Ponderosa Pine, Single Needle Pinyons, and Firs we found in this area, we get more than our fair share of conifers Durango and the Rocky Mountains, so find them slightly less intriguing. Below are some of the more interesting specimens we found. 

Pointleaf Manzanita Grove
Arctostaphylos pungens
*This manzanita is hardy in Durango and many are flourishing in our yard.


Pointleaf Manzanita

Close-up of the beautiful Manzanita Bark


Canyon Live Oak or Golden Cup Oak
Quercus chrysolepis
*While we have Shrub Live Oak growing in the Durango area and in our yard, sadly they don't keep their leaves through winter like they do in slightly warmer climates.

Canyon Live Oak with orange undersides of the leaves

Canyon Live Oak

California Buckthorn
Rhamnus californica

Aspen Peak In the Hualapai Mountains, at 8167 feet

Photography by Lisa Bourey

La Flâneur

Velo Flâneur is all about cycling culture, cycling history and the cult of hardcore road cycling. And we are now offering Tee Shirts from their Summit Collection. Find them now on the Bouré website!

The Alpe d'Huez

The Coal Bank-Molas

From Wikipedia:
The term flâneur comes from the French masculine noun flâneur—which has the basic meanings of "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", "loafer"—which itself comes from the French verb flâner, which means "to stroll". Charles Baudelaire developed a derived meaning of flâneur—that of "a person who walks the city in order to experience it". Because of the term's usage and theorization by Baudelaire and numerous thinkers in economic, cultural, literary and historical fields, the idea of the flâneur has accumulated significant meaning as a referent for understanding urban phenomena and modernity.

The Ultimate Flâneur, Salvador Dali