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Discovering Cuyuna By Katie Thompson

I love flying on my bike through trees over logs and rock piles. I feel a certain sense of accomplishment and empowerment when I successfully drive my bike through a challenging set of turns or set a new personal record and an exhilarating descent. I love Mountain Biking. I only started mountain biking seriously 2 years ago, so if you are new to the sport and are interested in trying it out just know that I am new too and am learning new skills every time I ride! It is also important to know that being new and feeling a bit intimidated and not knowing where to start is ok too. I have been there and sometimes it feels like I am still hoping on a bike for the first time. This summer I am excited to be more seriously focusing on racing Mountain Bike and I am very excited to be racing in a Fix Studio kit! If you see any blue and orange kits out on the trails say “HI!” The Fix has a lot of awesome and nice ladies riding and everyone, myself included, tries to get out to the local trails often. Also, if you have any mountain biking related questions please shout them out. I love talking about biking!

I encourage everyone to get out and explore our local trails and give mountain biking a try. Mountain Biking is a great change of pace to road riding and is a great way to practice handling skills and to gain more confidence in your ability to drive your bike. We have some great trails here in MN to experience and explore and we have a great local bike community with a ton of support for new and expert bikers alike. One of the most useful resources for getting out and exploring trails is the MORC website. MORC lists all the trails with descriptions and directions as well as current trail conditions. For the purpose of this story I want to share with you one of my favorite trail systems in Minnesota. The system is located in the Cuyuna State Recreation Area. For more specific information about the Cuyuna MTB trail system and trail conditions check out this website: Shred The Red.

Cuyuna State Recreation Area has become a mecca for midwestern mountain bikers. The park hosts small winding trails that snake their way through trees, alongside lakes and up and down hills. The trails themselves have been purposefully carved out of the landscape and include steep climbs and exhilarating winding descents full of fun and flowing berms. The trail system is remarkable in its ability to be exciting and challenging for experienced riders while also being accessible and fun for riders newer to the sport.

One of the aspects of Cuyuna that I enjoy is that there is no set loop or direction that defines the trail system. Instead there are two centralized trail heads at either end of the park.  The trails spiral out from there creating their own smaller loops connected by navigational trails which are clearly marked and there are numerous trail junctions with maps and signs. The result is that you can mix, match and create new routes through the woods every time you ride. The overall feeling I experience is that I could wander around through the woods on my bike discovering new trails every day. Since Cuyuna secured $600,000 of government funding in 2015 for trail and park development, and is likely to receive additional funding for 2016 there will be more trails built so there is an ever growing possibility of new trails and new adventures possible in the park.

Abandoned by mining companies more than 30 years ago, the Cuyuna State Recreation Area consists of 5,000 acres of undeveloped land. Currently there are approximately 30 miles of singletrack trails with plans to build more. The dirt is distinctly red symptomatic of the iron range of Northern Minnesota and has lead to the fun phase “Shred The Red” to describe the Cuyuna mountain biking experience. The two defining features of the landscape are the steep hills and deep lakes. These features are not entirely natural, rather they are the spectral remains of a bygone era when the regional economy was based on mining. The mines are now drowned in water creating clear and cold lakes. These lakes are perfect for a refreshing soak after a hard hot summer ride. The leftover dirt and waste from the mines created the steep hills. Since the hills were created from the mines and are more or less giant piles of dirt that sprouted trees, they drain really well meaning that it could rain overnight and the trails will be dry enough to ride in the morning. Today large building block of the region's economy is tourism, which is in part why a large network of single track trails now winds its way through the park. This is also why there are plans for expanding the trail system and developing 100+ miles of dedicated mountain bike single track.

Given the large expanse of the park how do you plan a trip and where do you begin? Luckily the trails are very accessible and easy to navigate so you do not have to do a lot of planning, but I will point out my own humble favorites. Currently, I  have two favorite trails. The first is Sandhog Mountain which can be accessed from the main trailhead and parking lot. Sandhog entails an approximate 2:00-4:00 min steep climb followed by a rewarding and exhilarating descent through a series of berms. After the berms the trail eventually winds back to a trail junction so you can either ride up the Sandhog again or go on to the next hill. Overall the trip up and down Sandhog takes 6:00-7:00 min. My second favorite trail, Bobsled, can be accessed via the Yawkey Lake trailhead. Bobsled has a short steep climb up a hill. The trail then meanders along the edge of a hill going over some small rock gardens and eventually looping around to a very fun descent with winding berms. The climb up Bobsled is about 2:00 min and the total trail is about a 7:00 min ride.  I love both Sandhog and Bobsled because the trails have a short but challenging climb and end by a fun rollercoaster ride down hill.

If you are looking for a long weekend bike adventure you will not be disappointed by exploring the Cuyuna State Recreation area. There are singletrack trails for everyone. Cuyuna hosts a Minnesota Series Mountain Bike Race: The Cuyuna Crusher, in August so check it out and I hope to see you out there!

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Living The Life At Spring Camp By Adam Gorski

Coffee - Eat - Ride - Eat- Ride - Eat - Sleep - Repeat

  In the past I have taken a few vacations to ride my bike at the end of a long cold winter because like many of us, I inevitably have a strong desire to feel the wind on my face come spring.  Last year I discovered the ultimate bike vacation: Spring Training Camp. The remarkable thing about camp is that it is essentially a vacation for you and your bike and it enhances your ability to make the most of your riding. Traveling to camp means you are away from home and this helps narrow the demands that are put on you. At camp you only have two jobs: 1) ride your bike and 2) recover. The latter actually being more important. I (and I am assuming that many people share this trait) rarely recover the way that I should -  with rest, proper food, quality snacks and hydration. Spring training camp has great food for pre and post ride eating, and great snacks for consumption during long bike efforts. Another great thing I discovered about camp is how rarely I get to take advantage of things like sleep and massage. These are luxuries at home. I am guessing that you are in the same boat. Spring camp is a unique experience where you can focus on yourself, on your riding, and do this with the warm company of other friendly people. There are no worries about cutting the grass, keeping your home tidy, cooking dinner, walking the dogs, and checking and answering work email. Instead there is just you, your bike, miles of road to explore and fabulous food and company to enjoy. What follows is a day in the life of me, Adam, at camp.

6:30am: Coffee is ready. This is arguably the most important part of the day for me. As we transition into breakfast chatter over the previous day’s ride and today’s journey are at the forefront.  

9:00am: One last cup of coffee before the morning ride which departs at 9:30. Here is the best part… As we go outside we are greeted with sparkling clean bikes. Eric, our wonderful mechanic, has prepared each of our bikes for the day. Each bike is cleaned, tuned, and ready to go. Everyone grabs their bikes. Today’s routes have already been sorted and explained so that everyone knows what to expect for the first ride of the day. The morning ride is a few hours on the bikes exploring the hills and valleys of Wisconsin being guided by us coaches. The ride is followed and supported by Larry and Eric in their respective Team vehicles just in case there is a mechanical issue or more importantly, someone has the desire for more fresh made food and/or beverages.

12:00pm: The first ride of the day is done as we are heading back to the cabins to eat lunch by 12:30. Lunch is a great opportunity to refuel and refresh yourself before the afternoon ride which will give you the chance to stretch your legs your legs out, in a manner of speaking.

1:30pm: The afternoon ride departs. The beauty of our structured Spring Training Camp is that no matter your fitness you are able to get an adequate workout, and do so at your current fitness level. Riding through the scenic back roads of Warrens, WI makes Hill repeats enjoyable. I can’t stress the allure of the back roads we have found by riding around the area. This enjoyment is only enhanced knowing that you can’t get lost on the ride and there are follow vans with food and drink in case you need to stop.

3:30pm: We are finishing our afternoon bike efforts and are heading back to the cabins. As we do so, the discussion of massage comes up. The discussion is not focused on whether massage is a good idea or not, but is focused on when each person is going to put their name on the list for the night. My stomach is growling by this time and I am ready to relax and replenish. Luckily dinner is not far off by the time that we return. After a hard day of riding food can be an amazing thing, and our food at camp would be exceptional even without the hard riding.

7:00pm: Dinner is done and people are starting to wind down. This is where I have seen many relationships strengthened and new friendships formed. Camp becomes a community experience that goes beyond your relationship with your bike. The conversations are always interesting, and to no one’s surprise, generally start with the day’s training and transition into power files. It becomes amusing to see how the discussion evolves from here.

The night goes on and there are fewer and fewer voices to be heard. You wholeheartedly believe it must be 1am until you look at the clock and it says 10:15pm. This seems to happen quite a bit during the riding season. We all know there are a few more days of freedom as we fall asleep that night.

It is funny to recall last year’s Spring Camp. It seems weird in retrospect that the first thing I did was look at my Training Peaks files leading up to and during the camp before I started to write this. I am grateful I left so many notes for each day. The beauty of cycling is that with just a few comments made to your training log post ride you are able to go back and remember in fine detail all of the specifics about the day. This is especially handy in January when it is 25 below and you are doing a threshold test for class. Your mind can go back to a magical road and you no longer feel the discomfort in your legs as you maintain 100%.  We are only a few weeks away but all I can think about are the rolling hills, wooded climbs and great company that we will be immersed in for those wonderful days.