Hi All.. Time to kick off our Monday mountain bike ride for the season. New meeting place is parking lot across from Subculture. Please let me know what you think of this ride time. If other mornings work better, I'm happy to move the ride to a different morning. (I know I could get more on the ride by moving it to an evening, but given that some of our rides are pretty long, I don't think this is a wise choice. IE starting the Crest at 6pm just doesn't seem very wise.) But please send any feedback my way. And please read in full below if you haven't attended before. N Backbone Loop (Ute Trail - N Backbone - Lil Rattler - Burnpile) . Date: Monday June 6, 2016 . Meeting time / place: meet at 8am at parking lot across from Subculture. We will leave before 8:15am. . Drive/carpool? No . Aerobic rating: High . Technical rating: Advanced . Approx. Miles: 9 round trip . Approx. Elevation lowest/highest points (ft): 7000 / 7740 . Approx. Elevation total gain/loss (ft): 1300 / 1300 . Description: One of the more advanced, but more remote and beautiful SMT routes on N Backbone. Being early season, we will take it slow though for this first ride, so don't let the ratings scare you. . Planning to attend? Please contact Andrew Koransky, andrew@koransky.com <mailto:andrew@koransky.com> , 719-207-1562 just so I have an idea of count / who to expect. Monday Intermediate Mountain Bike Ride - Description / Requirements We have a wide variety of rides in this valley. so while some rides will leave from that parking area, the goal is to get out and ride different areas, so driving/carpools will often be required. Technical difficulty, aerobic difficulty, distance, and duration will be announced and change each week. Some rides will have extended hike-a-bikes for mere mortals such as myself. I will do my best to provide adequate information each week about these rides so you can make an informed choice about the ride. I will take votes / suggestions for rides. show up and let me know! Rides will generally meet Monday mornings at 8am in the parking lot next to Subculture Cyclery. We might leave early for longer drives/rides, so please pay close attention to the announcements. The goal is to be back in town by noon, and we may occasionally do lunch afterwards at one of the local eateries if there is enough interest/time. Here are few guidelines so you know what to expect: 1. About me: I consider myself a non-competitive intermediate rider. am happy to just be outside and with good company. I am NOT as talented as many of the hard core MTB enthusiasts in the area. 2. The primary goal is to have fun and enjoy each other's company, however, I would encourage you to know your riding ability, and if necessary, test yourself before joining the group: Can you ride the full length of Little Rainbow without breaks? Can you ride North Backbone with a few breaks to catch your breath, and maybe having to walk a few technical sections? If we announce a longer ride, is that a distance you feel comfortable completing? These should be benchmarks that you have the skills to ENJOY the ride. 3. We will do as much as we can to ensure we don't drop anyone, taking breaks in hopes that all can catch up, but I unfortunately cannot guarantee a "no-drop" ride. So please see check your riding ability by re-reading the previous note above. Make sure you have working equipment, can do basic repairs (carry extra tubes, patches, pump, chain tool, etc.), feel confident that you can complete the ride chosen, and can self-support yourself with enough water, food/energy bars, and parts to complete the ride alone if necessary. I hope to lead rides into October, and kick off again around Memorial Day next year. Alternate leaders needed on some Mondays! Otherwise, we'll just take a short break. Please call me if you have any questions / concerns at 719-207-1562. PS I highly recommend purchasing a CORSAR card (http://colorado.gov/sar) which helps reimburse search and rescue teams within the state. Anyone who purchases a current hunting/fishing license, or boat, snowmobile, ATV registration already contributes to the fund. Take care... Andrew Koransky andrew@koransky.com