While we wait for the snow and start checking this page frequently, I thought I’d let you know how the fall mountain biking was super awesome this year! Short but sweet! I missed some of it due to a trip to Michigan to visit my mom, but it only motivated me to get after it before and after that trip. Not to mention, the trip to Michigan was pure autumn, pumpkin patches, cider mills, piles of leaves, all with the background of crisp blue skies and red, orange, yellow and green tree canopies. Sure, aspens are a taste of the annual visual stimulation of fall foliage for people out west, but they really can’t rival the deciduous tree diversity of the east. Plus, I got to go to this crazy parkour night at the local Michigan gym – that’s right, Metro-Detroit Urban Ninjas. Anyway, back to biking in Tahoe. The October snow storms packed the trails and the weather couldn’t have been better for biking.
First up, Freel pass via the new Star Lake Trail, which, if you haven’t heard, is a mega-awesome XC trail up to Star Lake.
Nira and I at Star Lake
A long and scenic downhill from Freel Pass
Then the world-famous Flume Trail from Mt. Rose Meadows to Chimney Beach Downhill with Debbie, which is so fun if you like long, fast, nontechnical downhills.
lots of photo ops (Photo by Debbie)
Then it was couples biking day, which was fun, until PK’s bike broke.
PK Rocks! Downhill is still fun with a broken derailleur!
Then, Scott’s Lake Loop with a crew, which looks over Hope Valley and is not complete without a stop for pie at Hope Valley Cafe.
the pie-eating crew (photo by Juliana)
jumping for fall biking!
Nira cheering for Big Meadow beauty
Then one final out and back trip to Star Lake before more high elevation snow arrived.
Aspens Peaking at Cold Creek
next time I see this it will be frozen!
I really didn’t mountain bike as much as usual this year because of kayaking, but I never got burnt out on it, experienced it during some of the best trail conditions, and had fun all the way until the end.
Meghan Kelly Teles! 