Monarch Crest Trail.... Epic? Yes. Not necessarily because of it's length or difficulty, but because of its infamy in the mountain biking world. Infamous due to its storied views and its fabled singletrack. Fabled by decades of mountan bikers, worldwide, having traveled to ride the legendary trail. Miles of above-timberline trail no wider than a classroom ruler, followed by more miles of singletrack slowly winding through pine forests and aspens. Lucky for us, it's only 2 hours away from home atop Monarch Pass, near Salida.30+ miles
1700ft elevation gain
3000+ feet of descending
ONE gear...
Some need proof of insurance after a ride like this. I need proof of singlespeed.
Topping out at 11, 700 and descending down to the tiny town of Poncha Springs over the course of an afternoon.
Another hour of soft pedaling and we'd be to the far right of that mountain there, and heading down into the valley below...
See that sign? It says "Looooooooooooooooooong descent. Enjoy"
Oh, we did. We diiiiiid.
For some God Forsaken reason, the forest service is considering CLOSING this trail, or sections of it, to mountain bikers. If you're one of them, please visit http://www.imba.com/ and sign the petition to keep this trail open. If you're NOT a mountain biker, please go sign it so that I can continue bringing you great stories and photographs of this treasured ride.
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