"Hey! All you folks up there…know that you're gonna look silly when we all back here pass you here shortly….we're coming after you…we're gonna catch ya'…no pressure!" This is what the guy next to me is barking up toward the start line as 90+ Cat 2 racers crowd in for the start of the 18th annual Barking Spider Bash mountain bike race. Wow, smack talk like this is something I've never heard before at the start of a bike race. Usually, folks are pretty quiet, a bit nervous and pretty twitchy. However, for someone who typically tries to sheepishly hide somewhere in the middle at the starting line and then strives to work up toward the front after the gun goes, I'd say this was about as inspiring of a "call up" as I'll ever experience. So, let's get this 2012 mountain bike race season underway!

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  Based out of Boise, Idaho, the Wild Rockies www.wildrockiesracing.com Club is one of Idaho's premiere bike racing organizations. This club's annual Barking Spider Bash is so big that it is designated as a qualifying race for USA Cycling XC National Championships. Score a top ten in your age category at the "Spider," and you've punched you ticket to the Nationals in Sun Valley later this summer. No wonder this year's race had over 240 racers from Idaho, Colorado, Oregon, California, Washington, Montana, and (wow) even Alaska!

  This event is held 17 miles south of Nampa, just over the Snake River, at the Hemingway Butte OHV area. This is BLM country, so mountain bikers share this federal land with some our noisiest (ATV'rs) and quietest (cows) partners. I'm pleased to report that both of these groups, while heavy in attendance on Saturday, were equally accommodating and supportive…all in the spirit of multi-use recreation.

  The course is a ~9 mile lap that Cat 2s do twice. ~900' of elevation gain each lap. The route is mainly double-track, with plenty of places to pass (and be passed). The area is very windy, so it's also very dry. There are a thousand shrubs for every tree in the region. Scratch that…there are no trees in the region. In other words, a perfect location if you're gonna host a MTB race in April.

  Rolling out at the start, I wasn't too worried about trying to shoot off to the front early. First, this race has chip timing. Second, trying to squeeze in w/90 other racers thru a 12', gradually declining, track is a good way to end a race season early with a crash. Third, I'd already qualified for Nationals this year. This all stated, it wasn't 30 seconds in before I started working my way by and around several racers as the climbin' starts about 0.5 mile in. Working around the initial mini-loop went well, with lots of deep rollers along the way to scrub some of the climbs. Rippin' along some sandy downhill, a quick right hand turn is your first opportunity to skid out if you hit those breaks too hard. From there, racers head out of the larger loop…where they're soon greeted by a 2 mile gradual, yet relentless, climb. Just when you think the climbin' will never stop, you plunge down a descent know in these parts as the "fill-yer-pants" drop and then begin a twisting, turning tunnel of thrills on a mile long trek down the infamous "Skateboard Park". Bank left. Bank right. Bank left. Bank right. Repeat. Repeat. Going through this wash is a ton of fun &, if you're a good downhiller, you can really make up some speed. I'm not a good downhiller. Little confidence. Case in point…at one point in the descent, you come across a "Y" in the trail that quickly joins up to one trail…go right or left…doesn't really matter…just make a decision…quickly, please! My decision was, ultimately, not to decide. This resulted in me turnin' my front tire in some deep sand & (gracefully mind you) going over my handlebars. As I dusted myself off in a fit of disgust, about a dozen of the riders I'd passed on the climb up sanctimoniously zipped by me…"rider down…rider down…rider down." Crud! At the end of the "Skateboard Park" there's a short, yet nasty, steep climb facing you. The fact that you've not really been pedalin' hard for awhile can add injury to this insult pretty quick. As I came upon it, looking up, I saw many of the riders that had just passed me were now walking their bikes up this beast. "'Ha, I've got you now…' said the spider to the flies!"

  The second lap went very well for me. I was able to keep passing racers & only one got by me on the "Skateboad Park" this time around. I finished in 1:28:11. This was better than last year's 1:31:28 for me, so I'm please with that. 11th out of 30 in my age category (40-49) and 34th out of 84 overall in Cat 2 males. A good start to the race season. http://app.strava.com/rides/6827189

  I recommend the Barking Spider Bash to anyone & everyone interested in mountain bike racing. It's a great early season race. It's well organized, & the atmosphere is great with so many fellow racers in attendance. Next year, when the Spider sez to the Fly, "come into my parlour," both pedals into that web…

The majority of trails in Moab are typically found north of town directly off of Hwy 191. Travel far enough north from this mountain biking mecca (roughly 11 hours) and, eventually, you'll end up in Pipestone…exit #241, Interstate 90. Traveling south from Helena, however, Pipestone is just a 75 minute drive away. Fortunately enough, the similarities between Moab & Pipestone are comparable in many other ways for riders seeking a winter riding destination as well. Sage, cactus, pine forest, sand, big rocks, & dry conditions await those willing to make the trek.

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  Bob Waggoner & his crew from Triple Ring Productions (http://www.tripleringprod.com) hosted the annual New Year's Day mountain bike ride at Pipestone today. TRP is the same group that puts together Montana's epic endurance event, the Butte 100. This is a race that famed racer Tinker Juarez once claimed is the toughest one-day race he's ever done (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/butte-100-overcomes-growing-pains). Part of the Butte 100 course goes through the Pipestone area, tunneling under I-90 & eventually depositing racers up at Homestake Lake (…a mere 50 more miles of racin' after that). Of course, this race happens in the heat of summer. With temperatures hitting into the 90s when I raced through this section back in 2010, I was looking forward to Pipestone being a bit of a "cooler" riding experience today.

  Pulling into the abandoned railroad track trailhead today at noon, temperatures were hovering in the low 40s, and there was no wind to speak of. There was fresh snow on the ground from the previous evening, but this had only dusted the trails a bit. From the group of about a dozen riders getting ready to roll, the most impressive of the crew was Tiego Reis and his beefy Surley tires. Runnin' with about 10 psi, these bad boys were ready for any amount of snow that might be out there on the trail. Tiego blazed the trail for the rest of us. If you fell behind a bit out there today, just look for the freshly minted 4" tire tracks…

  I've ridden Pipestone probably 5-6 times in the past. While I've always enjoyed it, one of the frustrations I do have with the area is that it's an unmarked "free-for-all" of trails that go everywhere & nowhere…all at the same time it seems. In the summertime, the ATVs and motorcycles claim the area for themselves in a gas burnin' exhaust-fest that would make even Mad Max a little nervous. The result of this post-apocolyptic scene is a crazy maze of roads & trails, oftening leading you to the same spot you thought you had come from in the first place! Or, perhaps, it's just that aliens were here at one time & left the area with shape shifting capabilities!?! Strangely, even without the benefit of trail course markings, it's practically impossible to get seriously lost in Pipestone. No matter where you are, the Tobacco Root Mountains are always there in the distance as a frame of reference. Even with this, on previous trips I have always had this sense that I was missing out on a number of the good MTB singletrack trails in the area. The benefit I was hoping to take away from today's ride was that I was gonna be with a number of locals who knew where these hidden gems were. Sure enough, they introduced me to some riding that I'd have never stumbled across before. The Boneyard & the Motherlode were just a couple of great trails I rode for the first time today

  Today's group of riders were a great blend of folks, all primarily interested in just having a good time and enjoying the day together. There was an unspoken "no drop" rule with lots of time to visit in between the riding. Sometimes, it's nice to ignore the heart rate monitor & just focus on the fun meter instead. No mechanicals, serious injuries or other drama to report, which is always a blessing when a group of twelve or more hit the trail in unison. Arriving at the Four Corners trailhead area after a couple hours of riding up higher, the crew hit a fun trail descent that brought us back to our rigs and the end of a great day. http://app.strava.com/rides/3030162

It's National Boxing Day (Dec. 26th) up in Canada today and, as I found myself in Great Falls & so close to the border of our northern friends, I figured the trails would be pretty open & clear. Temps were in the 40s, and the winds were only at about 65% full force gale…which is pert near perfect for the day after Christmas in the Electric City. The best MTB trail system offered close to town can be found on the South Shore of the Missouri River, just past the Rainbow Dam area of the River's Edge Trail http://thetrail.org

The Missouri River through this stretch just outside of Great Falls drops 500 feet in 21 miles. The five waterfalls through this river canyon forced the famous portage of the Lewis & Clark Expedition a couple centuries ago. These same waterfalls later spurned a hydro-power industry that, with the full force, power & capital of the Anaconda Company, resulted in the creation of five dams & a railroad system. A smelting & refining industry was born. However, when the city lost its landmark smelter Big Stack in 1982, it was the final chapter in this type of industrial economy for the city. By the late 1980s, left only with some abandoned train track, some dedicated & committed folks started converting these unused rails to trails. Over the past 20 years, these incremental efforts have proven extremely beneficial to the community. The Rivers Edge Trail now has over 45 miles of paved pathway for runners, walkers, bikers, & sightseers. Fortunately, for us mountain bikers, there's even a dedicated network of dirt singletrack. I'd ridden this section 20 years ago (Trek Antelope 800 & day-glo spandex) when it was first made available to ride. Not much more than some old jeep trail back then. However, over the years, trail organizers and builders have put a lot of effort into things. What is out there now is fantastic riding. I'm willing to make the claim now that it's comparable to what's offered there at the Kokopelli area in Fruita…and without the long drive & the sales tax!

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  Starting from the Rainbow Park trailhead area & heading northwest, the ribbon of paved blacktop quickly turns to dirt as you drop just a bit & begin riding along the top of the canyon. The slow moving Missouri River can be seen below and, if it's open for business, you'll hear the water ragin' out of Rainbow Dam. Getting used to the hardpack terrain and gaining some confidence along the way the ride quickly breaks into one of two options for riders. The "blue diamond" intermediate route mainly stays on top of the canyon, keeping pretty straight & safe along the way. The "black diamond" option is a more technically challenging offering that can produce mayhem…eh, actually, it's called Mayhem..the trail that is. This option takes you closer to the river's edge (much closer). The river can often be seen, several hundred feet below, with lots of twists, turns, up & downs along the way. Keep your eyes on the trail and never look down to the left…unless you've brought a life jacket along. Actually, what's sorta unique for a trail, and what's really nice also, is that taking the Mayhem option provides several points along the way where riders are brought back up to the top of the canyon. From there, you have the option to reconnect with the "blue diamond" intermediate alternative. So, if you're wanting to test your bike handling skills a bit, I highly recommend giving Mayhem a shot at first at least. If you find that it's not to your liking, know that you can opt for the intermediate option shortly along the way without having to back track.

  Cochrane Dam is the next landmark you'll reach along the route. In the summertime the PPL will schedule days periodically & let riders cross over this dam for some explorin' on the north shore of the Missouri. I've never taken advantage of this opportunity, but I'm thinking that perhaps a Big Sky Cyclery Team road trip up to the Electric City this summer for one of these days would be a lot of fun.

  Along the way, riders are periodically warned about snakes, bugs & other hazards that could easily ruin an otherwise great day. At least near the end of December, this is simply Canadian Geese territory, however. For the most part, I think these folks are pretty harmless. If you're watching, you might spot an eagle fishing near one of the dams as well. I managed to spook (…and the favor was quickly reciprocated) a couple of mule deer on the trail as well. Otherwise, perhaps the thing you'll notice the most on your ride is that you'll periodically brush up against some type of Yucca plant that's growing along the trail. While their pointy ends probably won't get through a tirewall, know that they do tend to find a way of getting your attention in the shin & calf area. More aggravating than painful. Of course, I wouldn't want to fall into one of these at any speed!

  Ryan Dam is the third and final dam you'll reach via the South Shore. From here, you have the option(s) to ride for a few more miles before reaching a gorge that comes off the Missouri River canyon. Once you reach this point, it's time to turn around and head back to Rainbow Park. If you took the "black diamond" technical option out, consider taking the "blue diamond" intermediate option back. Two reasons for this. First, a different trail experience. Second, wind, wind…w..i…n….d.

  At one point on the return trip back, I noticed a bunch of geese flying through the canyon to the right of me in a tight V formation. As they fought through the wind I could hear them honkin' encouragement to one another to "keep fighting"…."keep pushing". Inspired by their loud cheers & support, I dug deep & tried to keep pace. Alas, I was quickly reminded of the advantages of traveling (whether by air or by bike) in a group and found myself quickly dropped by the peloton. However, it wasn't too long before I returned to Rainbow Park.

  The River's Edge Trail is listed as one of Montana's 50 Best Mountain Bike Trails. When this book came out initially, I was a bit suspect of this designation. However, over the years, I think the folks up in Great Falls have cared for & built up this trail to the point where it's an outstanding riding experience. In other words, the trail has earned its place in the pantheon of great Montana trails. If you don't agree, take a trip up to the Electric City soon and see for yourself…http://app.strava.com/rides/2899404

I did the Mule Cross Cyclocross race because I wanted to wear a costume. I was a unicorn with a horn and tail. I had a shirt on that said, "WOLFMOTHER: "White Unicorn"". It was extremely windy and the wind started batting my horn around so I couldn't ride straight. I'm so glad I didn't have to climb the enormous hill as I was exhausted enough already. I was gasping for breath halfway through the 2nd lap (out of 4). I also didn't realize that my bike was so heavy until I tried, but failed pretty hard to carry it over those stupid barriers. The dirt part of the course was fun with the berm and roller coaster parts.

After some prodding from some of our teammates I finally decided it was time to give cyclocross racing a try. I watched a couple of YouTube videos to get an idea of what to expect and a few days later I was in Missoula for the Rolling Thunder cyclocross races with fellow teammates Jesús and Melinda.

My first dilemma was deciding which bike of mine would get me around the course the fastest. I loaded both and hauled them to the race so I could make a game time decision. I have a full-suspension Giant Trance. It's a great mountain bike that hammers tough descents. It was overkill and overweight for this race. My other mountain bike is an older hardtail Gary Fisher Marlin that I put road slicks on a couple of years ago and use for commuting. It's slightly lighter than the Giant, but with the road tires on the bike I was worried about traction and flatting out. I consulted a few different people on which bike they thought would be the better option and I wasn't above asking some random dude that looked like he had done the cyclocross thing many times before. The consensus was either one would do just fine. I pre-rode the course on the Gary Fisher and felt good. With the skinny tires on there I thought it looked more like the real cyclocross bikes which made me feel less out of place. Just in case something didn't go as planned I placed my Giant and a water bottle in the pit area.

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  All of the cat 4 riders gathered excitedly at the start line. I was wearing the team jersey and my underoos. At least that's what it felt like. I always where some baggy shorts over my riding shorts so I'm not so…exposed. Tight shorts are flattering on some folks, many of you I'm sure, and then there are the rest of us. The decision to go with just riding shorts was made a couple days prior to the race while I was showing my girls my new technique for jumping off and back on my bike just like in the YouTube videos. They were less than impressed when I not just once, but twice, caught the front of my saggy shorts on the seat and never made it back on the bike. Decision made, no baggies.

  So at the starting line all 50 or so racers listened anxiously as the announcers called certain stud riders to the front. I listened carefully for my name and my proud walk to my place before lesser riders. It never came. Must have been a typo or something, so I started last. The course starts off on a paved straight away, around a parking lot and then enters the outfield of the baseball diamond. You ride the warning track from left field to right and as you round the right field corner you go through the bullpen and out onto the gravel section. After playing baseball and softball for so many years there was a weird satisfaction to riding through the field and then catching air off the pitching mound in the bullpen as I left the stadium.

  The gravel section was the worst. There was a u-turn in the rocks that slowed me down to almost a standstill and I had to put a foot down a couple of times after spinning out a bit. The course had a couple of sections of winding dirt track that weren't too bad, but I was wishing I had some knobby tires. There were two downhills, one was grassy and the other was a quick drop, banked and pretty smooth. The one climb was unrideable and it got harder and harder to drag my bike up that thing.

  A few laps in I was middle of the pack and yo-yoing a couple different riders, I passed them, they caught me. I did see Ed from team GDC out in front of me in his Metallica jersey. My new goal was to catch him within the next lap or so. I pushed a little but wasn't making much ground. Until I came to the downhill and the spectators were shouting, rider down, rider down. I proceeded down slowly and saw Ed dusting off and picking up his bike. He looked okay so I eased by and looked for my next pass. Ed was looking pretty strong and I'm not sure I would've passed if it hadn't been for the crash. The pace throughout the race was fast with some tight corners and Ed wasn't the only rider I saw go down.

  As I came around the corner towards the start of my last lap, within a hundred yards or so of the line, I got passed by the race winner. I assumed I still had a lap to go so I kept going and eventually finished. I didn't know the race results would actually say that I finished 1 lap behind. Ouch. The race results might as well have added, "1 lap back, was this guy walking?" Next time I'll know that if some young kid that I haven't seen since they called him out to take his special spot at the start of the race tries to pass me and lap me, do not let it happen. That's my goal for the next race, don't get lapped and maybe figure out a way to wear my baggies.

  I finished tired, happy and satisfied. The race was better than expected and I'll be back in the future. The support from the team and their families and other Helenan's at the race was great. The specifics—I finished 28 out of 49 and according to the Garmin I road just over 11 miles in about 51 minutes. Jesús Salazar was right there with me. Wish I could have stayed and watched all the races and supported the other riders, it was a great atmosphere.