Ride the Eagle trails and take on the challenge – are you up for it?

At this time of year the bike trails around Eagle, just off I-70, are in full glorious color. The ride around Abrams Ridge through to Mchatten Reservoir and on to Pole Road Ride is a challenge; are you up for it? Rising to some seven thousand feet, is it any wonder that many of the folks who have taken on the challenge reckon there are few (if any) trails to match it in the US.

The riders tell their tale

Judging from the comments and ratings of the riders who have taken on the challenge the fun factor is not left wanting, probably as a result of the physically challenging terrain. Not that you won’t have fun, it’s just that when you’re working so hard negotiating the steep uphill sections and the more technical parts of the trail, fun is the last thing you’ll be thinking.

With double and single track along much of the route, by the end of the trail the almost ten miles has the potential to feel like one hundred miles. For sheer physical effort combined with the exhilaration of mountain biking Colorado offers riders of all levels of expertise and fitness an amazing experience. To mountain bike Colorado is to ride the roof of the world. On days when the cloud cover is low, the challenges become more extreme and more intense as the trees and undergrowth take on an eerie appearance.

Work those muscles

The average slope is somewhere in the region of eight percent, with a maximum of thirty percent at the steepest points on the trail. Taking on these slopes will leave your calf and thigh muscles begging for mercy, while your lungs will feel as if they’re on fire. But boy, when you get to trail end and look back over what you have achieved, you’ll know it was all worthwhile.

Weather conditions

At the time of writing (August 2013) the weather is great. For most bikers those conditions are pretty much ideal. The weather in the mountains away from the town can be changeable, although pretty much the weather forecast for each day is pretty accurate.

Trails

Abrams Ridge is just one of ten amazing trails available to the east and west of Eagle, all of which offer differing challenges to riders. Some of the best trail biking is to be found around Eagle, and although some say that biking Vail Colorado is better, there is little evidence pointing to the latter outstripping the former.

Your journey will take you on a wide variety of winding single track trails, ranging from high desert to Aspen groves and fragrant evergreen forests, densely populated with exquisite wildlife. Around Eagle you’ll get about four months extra riding compared to the local neighboring towns.

Now that really is something worth rising to the challenge.