When Rich Ryon accepted a job in the field of construction engineering recently, he ended a long stint during which everyone knew he was the fastest and most skilled courier in Denver. With his preference for huge gears and low cadence, Richard was an amazingly smooth rider who could produce blazing speed with what appeared to be very little effort. He won pretty much every race he entered, seemingly at will. In the past year he had taken to riding a fixed gear on occasion. His chosen gearing? 53 x 12. Rich complained of spinning this gear out. In short, Rich was faster than spit goin' East. But his riding downtown was about more than just speed. Rich is also an ultra-smooth trials rider with masterful balance. The ultimate Rich Ryon messenger moments were those that combined his easy speed with some jaw-dropping spectacle of skill. Rich made his stripped down flat-bar GT road bike do some improbable things.

On a day when the looming change of seasons became impossible to ignore, a weekend of stellar trail riding ended on a decidedly sour note.

After spending a good deal of time riding trails out of Breckendridge this summer, we've really come to love the extensive singletrack trail network that connects Breck with Keystone and Frisco. More than that, we've learned to respect the propensity for heavy clouds to gather, coalesce and dump their colossal loads of rain and hail here before rolling eastward over the Kenosha Mountains. After a notably dry first half of the season we'd been thrashed on four consecutive trips to the slopes of Georgia Pass. With this in mind we started Friday's ride carrying backpacks full of rain and cold weather gear, but the familiar 'storm tubes' never formed. Crazy ol' Mother Nature would challenge us in a new and exciting way, however.

He's in. He's out. He's back in! He's ... out.

Armstrong's mouthpiece says he won't ride in Leadville after all. Guy came to his senses. Although there is still time for another change of mind or two before the pre-dawn start on Saturday.

First Lance said he was probably going to enter the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. "Wow!" we all said. Then Flandis said he too would probably do it, and everybody clapped hands, danced jigs and said "it's on, suckas!" But then Lance said, hey, I forgot I have this crazy 'scheduling conflict,' you know, sorry. And everyone sighed with disappointment. But recently, it's been reported, Armstrong was up at Leadville with his familiar cohort Chris Carmichael, and he was checking out the course's multiple climbs -- just like he used to pre-ride the climbs of the Tour's mountain stages. Seems like he just might go for it.

The photo was taken by R. Reid on Road 550 near Buffalo Creek. Seems to be 'greening up' more than usual.

The mountain bike season is off with a crackle here. A crackle and a crunch -- the sweet sound of mountain bike tires rolling over Pikes Peak granite.

The muni (mtn. unicycle) wave is picking up steam. I personally know five or six of these characters who ride various types of unicycles on rough mountain trails, rolling through sections that give trouble to the masses on their springy Santas Cruz.

One thing that I've noticed about these cycloptic machines is how burly they tend to be, with the toughest BMX cranks and pedals, downhill rims and huge tires. They are as heavy as they are tough. Is it really necessary that they be so overbuilt? Robert Reid, owner of multiple overbuilt unicycles, was in town yesterday, and I had a chance to ask him about it.

Dear Editor,

   This Trail Guide has missed a significant section of the Centennial Trail
between Coeur dAlene, ID & Post Falls, ID. This section is the equivalent of
Spokane Centennial Trail West and runs from the intersection of Seltice
Ave/Ironwood Blvd & Northwest Blvd/Ramsey Rd along Seltice Ave then I-90 to the
Ross point Eastbound Rest stop. Then to Ross Point (the intersection of Seltice
Ave & Highway 41, then follows Seltice ave west to Greenferry Rd and hops to the
south side of the railroad line that runs between Seltice Ave and the Spokane
River, and from there runs mostly (but not completely) along the railroad tracks
to Spokane St to meet what the afore-mentioned guide calls the "State line
Loop".
   Please se that this is added in the next edition of the afore-mentioned
guide.
Thank You,
   Lee Warner

I'm not exactly a speed demon, but I do like to go and watch the professionals.  This year they seem to be doing a North to South route ending up in Atlanta. 

ON-ROAD