Cross-Biking Colorado

Well, I'd say summer is officially here. Temperatures are soaring and the mountain bike trails are melting about two weeks earlier than normal. Snodgrass, Upper Loop, Upper Upper, Whetstone, Strand, Ferris, Deer Creek, and Lower Loop are already open. I plunged right into the season, riding Doctor’s Park on Saturday – with only 4 or so snow patches and rippin downhill singletrack. On Sunday, my boyfriend Jason Trimm and I drove to Powderhorn, Colorado for a cross bike ride. We just finished up putting her together – a custom Dean Titanium 42cm frame with XTR rear and 24-36-48 custom Race Face with Deore shifters on the front. I got these Salsa kids/women’s handlebars that I am stoked about because I can finally reach my drops. We rode for four hours up Cebolla Creek into a 30 mile an hour headwind that sometimes blew rocks into our faces. At one point we were only able to go 3 miles per hour! Cool scenery, though, as we passed between the Powderhorn and Weminuche Wilderness areas on our way to Slumgullion Pass at 11,361 feet. We then hauled ass down Slum to Lake City for a quick turkey cheddar roll at the Lake City Bakery, then averaged 25 MPH from there to Powderhorn in our big rings.
My shoulders and upper back were taking a beating, but it was good to squeeze in a long ride in training for some endurance events later in the season, I hope. I’m all stoked to explore the back roads of Colorado with my new setup – I’ve bought three new maps and two new guidebooks this week, and am attempting to work out some epic days and trips for this season. Any tips for some remote long ones anyone?