Walk & Roll Party Time

La Plata County is celebrating the opening of a new County Road by allowing bikes and pedestrians a chance to use the new road before the official Opening Ceremony & Ribbon-Cutting. Please note that this new road uses a very economical road building method called "Double-Pin" road chip that results in an initially rough road surface (for pavement), but evolves over time to eventually appear as a smooth asphalt surface. And then, gets surfaced with asphalt in 4-5 years.

Durango, CO – The La Plata County Board of County Commissioners will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, September 3, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. for the grand opening of County Road 210. This ceremony will be held at the east end of County Road 210 near the intersection with County Road 212 (Smelter Mountain Road) for the opening of the new road alignment that connects Camino del Rio (Highway 550/160) to County Road 141 (Wildcat Canyon Road).

To allow the public full enjoyment of the new road, La Plata County will be opening County Road 210 at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 3, 2010 for pedestrians and bicyclists to “Walk and Roll” on the new road without motorized traffic. The surface has been chipped and sealed, so it is most suitable for mountain bikes and walking. (It is not suitable for rollerblades or skateboards.) Citizens are reminded to stay on the road and not to trespass onto Bureau of Reclamation property, as Lake Nighthorse and the adjoining properties are closed to the public at this time.

The existing road from Camino del Rio to County Road 212 (previously known as County Road 211) and the new alignment was renamed County Road 210 on Tuesday, July 27, 2010 by the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners. The historic west end of County Road 211 that now dead-ends in the Trappers Crossing subdivision will retain the County Road 211 designation.

For additional information, please contact Jim Davis at the La Plata County Department of Public Works at 970-382-6363 or e-mail davisja@co.laplata.co.us.

And the West is History

From the Durango Herald

August 26, 2010

Ned Overend, 2nd Place Overall

1985 Colorado State Mountain Bike Champion

John Loomis, 1st Place Overall

Who's that, Ned ?

25 Years Ago Today

From the Durango Herald

August 24, 2010

Interestingly enough, those three riders were meeting last Wednesday behind Mountain Bike Specialist for a lunchtime MTB ride.

City of the Future?

This was predicted for 1950 in 1925. We're still waiting...

Promise: No Circus Animals

And please, only humming in the shower.

Old Man & The Mountain

From WMUR Channel 9 in New Hampshire

Pinkham Notch, NH— Defending champion Phillip Gaimon regained his hillclimb crown today following a close and exciting duel with mountain bike legend Ned Overend, a man more than twice his age, in the 37th annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb.

Gaimon, 23, of Tucker, Ga., beat Overend, 53, of Durango, Co. by 16 seconds on the steep and winding 7.6-mile course up the Northeast's highest peak with a personal best time of 54:37. The pair rode with Kevin Nicol, 42, of Lafayette, Co. until he fell off the pace near the 5-mile mark.

"I just tried to go my pace and hoped he (Overend) would crack," said Gaimon. "I didn't count on it taking so long, but he finally did."

The three were near record pace on the bottom half of the mostly paved road until the trio got into a race-slowing tactical game with riders wheel-to-wheel near timberline.

This was the second time Overend (54:53) has finished second in the Hillclimb, a race he first entered in 2005. He finished fourth that year and came back in 2006, placing second.

"I was hanging back a little bit," said Overend, the former World Mountain Bike champion. "I wanted this to be a fast time." Read more HERE...

Timing is Everything

What we do everyday - in slow motion at 15 stitches per minute. Luckily, our Berninas operate at 2500 stitches per minute, otherwise we'd never get anything made.

Durango Dominates Dirt

Durangoans Win 15 National MTB Titles

Maybe it's our longstanding traditional of mountain biking excellence and innovation? Maybe it's the water? Maybe it's the influence of Ned Overend and the Durango DEVO coaches of Chad Cheeney and Sarah Tescher? Or maybe others have forgotten that Mountain Biking is still a sport? Whatever it is, we're extremely proud to list them all below.

National Champions AliciaRose Pastore, Todd Wells, Tad Elliott, Ned Overend, Howard Grotts.

Photo pilfered from DurangoDevo.com

U.S. National MTB Championships

SolVista Bike Park at Granby Ranch

July 15-18, 2010

Cross Country

Todd Wells, Men's Elite

Ned Overend, Men's Singlespeed

Sarah Tescher, Women's Singlespeed

Martha Iverson, Women's 60+

Sage Wilderman, Women's U23

AliciaRose Pastore, Jr. Women's 17-18

Tad Elliott, Men's U23

Christopher Blevins, Jr. Men's 11-12

Kaylee Blevins, Cat 2 Jr. Women's 15-18

Downhill

Greg Herbold, Men's 45-49

Wyatt Freier, Jr. Men's 11-12

Short Track Cross Country

Todd Wells, Men's Elite

AliciaRose Pastore, Jr. Women's 17-18

Howard Grotts, Jr. Men's 17-18

Kaylee Blevins, Jr. Women's 15-18

Skewers & Brewers

It's time for the 2nd Annual Brewer's Tour of Bouldurango - from Avery Brewery in Boulder to SKA Brewing in Durango. The Tour is a five day, 470 mile odyssey over 6 majestic mountain passes from Boulder to Durango. En route, these 10 hearty souls will be stopping at craft breweries and brewpubs in an effort to bring together Colorado brewers, raise a boatload of money for local charities, and encourage the spirit of collaboration and camaraderie that has taken hold in the craft beer industry.

When they get to Durango (Saturday, July 24th) they will tap a new Wheel Sucker Ale to celebrate! Better yet, Avery, Oskar Blues and SKA Breweries have graciously agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds from the tapping party in Durango to the Safe Roads Coalition of LaPlata County (as they did last year).

We hope you will tell your friends and joins us for some music, bike talk and, of course, a collaborative craft-brewed beer from SKA and Avery Brewer.

The Tour of BoulDurango is the cycling incarnation of the attitude that these three breweries have always taken towards the brewing business. "Craft beer isn't about getting rich and cutthroat business practices; it's about following your passions and doing what you love, it's about being part of your local community and working with people who are just as psyched to be in the business as you are" said Adam Avery, President and Brewmaster of Avery Brewing Company. Dave Thibodeau of Ska Brewing added, "We’ve had quite a few brewers from around the country express interest in this-- I think it has the potential to become huge, whether evolving into a Colorado stage race, a brewer’s tour or just a fun way to hang out with our craft-brewing brethren while we try to make a positive difference in our communities.”

Each evening, after the days riding is finished, the brewers are teaming up with other craft breweries along the course to hold fundraising parties, with profits from pint sales, raffles and auctions going to local charities. Participating breweries along the route include Tommyknocker Brewing, Breckenridge Brewery, Eddyline Brewpub, The Brick Oven Restaurant, Ourayle House Brewing, Colorado Boy Brewery and Ska Brewing Company.

High Mountain Passes in Route

Loveland Pass - 11,992' ~ Fremont Pass - 11,318'

Cottonwood Pass - 12,126' ~ Red Mountain Pass - 11,008'

Molas Pass - 10,910' ~ Coal Bank Pass - 10,640'

Me & My Sharrow

Another historic milestone was passed yesterday with the installation of Durango's very first "Sharrow" on Roosa Ave, a much-used cycling route that does not allow sufficient width to provide for cycling lanes. Work will continue this week to install additional "Sharrows" and complete this cycling route from 9th St to Hwy 160 West.

"Sharrows" were only recently "Federally-Approved" for use and are designed to alert cyclists and motorists that they will be sharing one lane. Though merely two of the many members of the Safe Roads Coalition, Wade and Drew are strong believers that a well-defined cyclist/motorist environment is the most effective way to reduce confusion and conflict, and the best way to create safe roads for all users. Much appreciation to the City of Durango for their continuous and progressive work to improve road safety conditions for cyclists, in particular Amber Blake (MultiModal Coordinator and very recent new mother) and Jack Rogers (Director of Public Works).