Big Mountain Riding

Review: Randy King
Photos: Courtesy of Redcloud Productions

The new mountain bike film, The Potential Inside, premiered in Lynchburg, Virginia on March 10, 2011. Liberty University’s Tower Theater hosted the premier of this inspirational film, and several hundred attended the red carpet event and the showing.

The singletrack of Candler's / Liberty Mountain played a pivotal role in the film. PHOTO: REDCLOUD PRODUCTIONS

The film is well produced, and shows off the Blue Ridge Mountains and Central Virginia’s trails and twisty mountain roads. For a local rider who built my riding skills in these hills, it was a joy to see how good The Potential Inside made this area look on the big screen.

The film has a strong faith-based message, and is a Christian film as much as it is a mountain bike film. Director Scotty Curlee, who also wrote the script and stars in the film, does a good job of showing (not telling), and the serious messages conveyed in the movie are not meted out with a heavy hand. I’d summarize it as being a movie about the challenges and ups and downs of both cycling and life, and how we can overcome.

Most who have spent a significant time aboard bikes know that there is a spiritual component to our pursuit – it’s one of the elements that warrant our obsession. The lessons learned striving for hard-to-achieve goals, suffering setbacks and overcoming trials mirror life and our spiritual journeys.

Rookie Jake gets lectured by veteran Chris. PHOTO: REDCLOUD PRODUCTIONS

The Potential Inside is also a cycling film, and features mountain and road riding, with extensive race scenes and in-depth physical performance testing with Hunter Allen.

The dynamic between Jake (Michael Cuddire), who is not young although he is a racing rookie, and Chris (Scotty Curlee), the veteran who is at a loss in how to handle a deep personal loss, is what makes this film standout. As Chris shares from his expertise to help Jake realize his full potential as a mountain bike racer, Jake is able to help Chris come to terms with his deep loss and move forward with his life. Jake’s age – which almost made Chris refuse to coach him – is what makes him believable as someone who has experienced and overcome tragedy in his own life. The dynamic is a well-executed example of Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

The bridges of Blackwater Creek Trail PHOTO: REDCLOUD PRODUCTIONS

I enjoyed watching The Potential Inside. While some of my enjoyment stemmed from seeing someone from my earliest days of mountain biking succeed in achieving their vision (Scotty Curlee was instrumental in LU’s mountain bike club when I attended), and from seeing the trails I know and love on the big screen, I also enjoyed The Potential Inside for its quality storytelling, production and mountain bike scenes. I’ll be picking up several copies of the film for those on my gift list when it goes on sale on April 19, 2011.

© 2011 Big Mountain Riding

A familiar sight for riders from the Hill City - The Blackwater Creek Tunnel

Several years in the making, a film by one of our own about the sport we love and what drives us, premiers in Lynchburg, VA on Thursday, March 10 at 6 p.m. on Liberty University’s north campus, at the new Tower Theater. Filmed in part in Lynchburg, The Potential Inside features the terrain that define East Coast cycling – whether off-road or on.

The plot is one familiar in sports stories. A veteran, out of the sport, is brought back to the competition by personal tragedy and a budding rookie. A rocky coaching relationship follows.

Using cutting edge technology and scientific training methods, the retired racer Chris transforms Jake, the young prodigy, into a top contending cyclist; however, he struggles to teach Jake the most important lesson prominent in all champions, finding the true POTENTIAL INSIDE. The movie also features a big mountain riding star – Jeremiah Bishop.

Put on your red carpet duds, get a chauffeur to pilot the tandem and drop you off curbside, it’s Hollywood time in our little hill town. Learn more about the film, the premier and how to get tickets by visiting the premier site on Facebook. For those who cannot make it to the event, Big Mountain Riding will post a review following the premier. Read the review!

© 2011 Big Mountain Riding

From The Lynchburg News & Advance

By Nolan Connelly
Published: February 28, 2011

Bikes Unlimited Bikes Unlimited manager Douglas Main looks over a bicycle in the service area of the shop's new location. Photo: News & Advance

It’s a tight, perfect space.

That’s what Jack Parker, owner of Bikes Unlimited, said about the new home for his business.

Two months ago, he moved the bike shop from a box store on Lakeside Drive to an 1897 warehouse on Jefferson Street, once a bottling facility for Anheuser-Busch.

“It’s quite a change,” he said.

Parker bought Bikes Unlimited in 2004. The business opened in 1967 and had been on Lakeside Drive since the 1980s, he said.

His inspiration to move the store came partly from customer feedback, partly from experience.

Parker said he wanted the store’s atmosphere to reflect a Winter Park, Colo., bike shop where he had been a part owner. It also is in a downtown setting.

A native of Lynchburg, he was impressed by the changes that have taken place along Jefferson Street between the time he left in the ’80s and returned in 2004.

“It used to just be all industrial down here,” he recalled. Now, amenities include the James River Heritage Bike Trail.

When the lease expired on Lakeside Drive, moving downtown and closer to that trail was an easy decision.

“We’re very fortunate to have something like that right here that everyone can use,” he said. “…Usually you’ll only see that in a bigger city.”

The move opens up a lot of new possibilities.

Once a fleet of rental bikes comes in March, for example, Parker plans to use the location’s easy access to the James River Heritage Bike Trail as a bike rental point.

“We came to where the customers are,” he said.

Except for when the train rolls by, the new parking lot is quieter without the U.S. 221 traffic, Parker said, making it easier to hold Saturday classes that teach basic bicycle maintenance.

He sacrificed his old building’s 8,000 square feet for something smaller, with a bit more character. There are tall windows, exposed brick, iron beams and a slight ripple to the floor.

“That’s what you get with a building of this age,” he said. “I was looking for something that fit my personality and my type of business I wanted to create.”

Part-time employee Bob Dunn said the store’s new location is an improvement in atmosphere, with more natural light.

“It’s so much better than being in a big box,” he said.

Already it resembles the look of an established shop, with rows of bikes from the floor almost to the ceiling, and racks of clothing and accessories.

“It’s almost like it was meant to be,” Parker said. “It just fit.”

The smooth "on-ramp" makes for an easy entrance to this off-camber log ride.

Liberty Mountain Trail System on Candler’s Mountain, outside Lynchburg, VA, boasts more than 60-miles of trails ranging from wide service roads to narrow hillside singletrack. Please see the Getting There page for a trail map and more details on access, eats and lodging.  The system has grown greatly in the past few years thanks to the work of Liberty’s Lars Larson and his team and willing volunteers from around the region.  Some of the more exciting additions to the trails are the bridges and technical features. Advanced riders looking for something to spice up their riding can hit most of the features the mountain has to offer in this 30-60 minute loop that I’ve dubbed the Tour de Bridges, for a little cycling history flair.

Story: Randy King

Photos: Randy King, Scott Schekman

Park at Liberty’s Snowflex Center (out in the gravel section of the lot) or on the shoulder at the FAA Tower road, about 1/3 mile up Candlers Mt. Road past the Snowflex Center. From the Snowflex Center lot, start down Lake Trail (in the corner of lot). [If you park at the FAA tower, you'll be riding the tour in reverse, starting from and ending at the top of A Trail Too Far.] There are two features on Lake Trail. One is obviously located trail side to the rider’s right after reaching the flat part of the trail and before the first trail junction. It is easier from the uphill side. It’s an off-camber, flat-topped log (about 8″ wide) ride with a very good angled entrance ramp on the uphill side and a straight exit ramp on the downhill end. It is about 18″ off the ground at its highest point, and sloped downhill. Very easy ride, though visually challenging with the off-camber top. The other feature is near the two wooden bridges crossing the creek to the left of the trail at the first junction. It is easier from the uphill end. Cross the creek and take the new trail almost immediately to the right. The log has an angled ramp approach from this, the uphill side, and a straight exit ramp off the downhill side. The log is flat-topped and has traction cross-cuts. It is about 8″-1o” wide and crosses a creek. It is about three-feet off the creek bed at its highest point.  After railing these features, follow Lake Trail all the way to its end, skirting around Hydeaway Lake.

Riding the edge - getting all higgledy-piggledy - before getting back on track.

At the end of Lake Trail, turn left and watch for the right onto The Lasso. The Lasso follows a creek for awhile and then starts uphill. The next feature is at the top of the first rise, to the right of the trail. It is a flat-topped, log feature with earthen, angled ramps on each end. Its 6″ wide top is cross-cut for traction and it is easily rideable from either end. The log is about 18″ to two-feet high at its highest point. Follow Lasso to its intersection with itself, and turn left, continuing gradually uphill. The Lasso tees into an unnamed singletrack. Turn left and descend an eroded section through a sharp U to a creek. Cross the creeks on a 2″X6″ skinny to your left and a wooden ladder bridge. Follow the unnamed trail until it leads to A Trail Too Far, to the right at a worn-down log crossing.

A Trail Too Far (ATTF) tracks gradually uphill along a creek valley. Along the way riders will encounter the densest concentration of bridges and features on the mountain. Two “rainbow” ladder bridges, a big log ride with wooden ladder ramp, and three level ladder bridges make the trail a fun mix of weaving singletrack and skills riding. Several log crossings keep riders focused.

The first “rainbow” ladder bridge on ATTF is a Candler’s Mountain classic. About 12″-18″ wide, it curves and arches and is about three-feet above the creek at its highest. The easy route is through the creek to the bridge’s left. Immediately following this bridge is the mountain’s burliest log ride, a large downed natural log (with no flattened top or traction cross-cuts). It features significant ramps on either end, and a 20-foot long log ride. It is easier from the uphill end. The ramp on the downhill end is a ladder with a four-foot long incline and an eight-foot long angled level ladder and then a three-foot down ramp onto the log. The log is a natural surface, and has two recesses that can stop a slow-moving front tire. It is about two and half-feet off the ground at its highest. The ramp on the uphill end is another “rainbow,” an arched, straight line ladder bridge. It is the easy part of this feature.

Shortly after sewing together these two features, riders will cross the intersection of ATTF and a jeep trail. Continue straight on ATTF, to the next two features. One is a simple, low ladder bridge, crossing a wet spot. It is about 18″ wide by 3-feet long and only about eight inches off the ground. Next up is a more challenging feature. Only about a foot off the ground at its highest, this feature’s challenge is in its transitions. It starts off only six inches wide, with a 2″X6″. Eight feet in, it widens into a 10′ ladder bridge that goes from about 10″ wide to 18″ wide before ending with a tight squeeze between two trees. This feature is easier from the downhill end.

The final bridge on ATTF is a 12′ long ladder bridge over a creek. It is about a foot wide and about four-feet above the creek at its highest. It is straight and flush with the trail bed. Only two challenges stand between the rider and the top of ATTF – one foot-high log crossing and a steep climb. At the top of the very sudden and steep (yet ride-able) final 100-yards of A Trail Too Far, turn right on the grassy Lake Hydeaway Rd.

Follow Lake Hydeaway Rd. downhill till it begins to climb. At the top of the first stage of the rise, turn into the woods to the left on the clearly worn, unsigned doubletrack that heads downhill. Descend to the intersection with Lake Trail. Turn left and start back uphill to the parking lot and the end of the ride.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

“Even with speed it is essential that the mind does not stop.” Takuan Soho

“If a man strikes at [the beginner] with the sword, he simply meets the attack without anything in mind. As he studies … and is taught … where to put his mind, his mind stops in many places. … Later, as days pass and time piles up, in accordance with his practice, neither the postures [or ways] are weighed in his mind. His mind simply becomes as it was at the beginning.” Takuan Sōhō, The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom.

On a recent group ride, I tackled a local legend – the eponymous feature on the Liberty Mountain Dam Trail. I had concluded that it was pretty straightforward from  one side at least. It required only full commitment. So I said to Scott as we bypassed the one end, headed up the ravine. The blue sky peered through the leafless canopy above. The 8″-wide concrete wall stretched across the ravine from trail to trail, reaching a maximum height of  4′ on the uphill side and maybe 5′-6′ on the other. Checking my head as we rolled closer, I slowed, turned onto the line and went for it.

This chutzpah stems from my new focus on the bike, wood work. Fortunately for my health and finances, I live in the Blue Ridge and not the Northwest. Yet the key to survival and success is the same on bridges, skinnies and “up-in-the-air” riding of all heights. Oh, I hear your skepticism. I remember reading about this free-climber (those who climb massive rock faces without ropes or attachment) saying that most people can walk across a 2X4 set up between two cinder blocks, ergo most of us could walk across the same board 100′ in the air. In both cases it’s a question of would not could; we have the necessary ability.

Focus on the end goal to ride elevated features

Look at the singletrack that you ride regularly. Do you often veer off the trail because you are unable to follow that thread of dirt? This is important, because I’m not suggesting a “Just Do It” or “No Fear” outlook. I am suggesting that if you’ve ridden singletrack for years, advancing your skills, then you have what it takes to ride contraptions and obstructions when you encounter one. They are just elevated editions of the challenges you ride on the ground.

“Technique and principle are just like the two wheels of a cart.” Takuan Sōhō, The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom.

Fear, that old fox

Right, you say, but I’m not riding onto that log or that bridge. Right, I say – the next time I rolled up to the Dam, I wouldn’t do it. Por que no? It may be that old fox, Fear. Sneaking around whispering vile lies about how you’ll never this, and who are you to try that?

“(Come in under the shadow of this red rock), and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning striding behind you or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland

So, how do you defeat fear? You don’t. Fear is a natural reaction to things perceived different and dangerous. That gives us two points to with which to work.

1. Fear is not be feared – just because you’re scared doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Think in cardio terms. Many people stop pushing themselves when they are out of breath or when their heart is hammering. Bikers know that we can keep pushing further. In fact, we will need to if we want to achieve our cycling goals. This applies to fear too. Accept the fear and ride through it. Following my backing away from it, I approached the dam on another ride and rode across it again, fearing the entire time that I would not make it. I rode through the fear.

2. Features are not different than technical trails – The technicality of features is not any different nor much more dangerous than a challenging singletrack section. It is only in our perception that they differ greatly. And in the level of commitment required – like a steep, sketchy downhill. Focus on the end of the feature and onto where you want your front wheel to go – not where it is currently.

“The gnarlier the line is, the more speed you need and the more you must commit. … When the going gets really steep and silly, braking screws up your bike’s handling, and you can’t really slow down anyway. You just have to surrender yourself to the hill.” Mastering Mountain Bike Skills.

I can tell you, from personal experience, that the reward of pushing your personally-set-limits is immensely satisfying. And once you succeed a few times you will begin to see the trails and places you ride in a new light. New options will appear to you and it will spice up your riding. As you continue practicing pushing yourself, you will move past methodically thinking it through, and like the warrior in the opening quote, you will find yourself riding these features without even having to think about it. Happy Trails, amigos.

Don’t miss – Of Zen and Mountain Biking Part I & Part III (Coming Soon)

For Stanley, Christa, Darren and Dig, who tolerated my early bike-borne Zen ravings.

© Big Mountain Riding

Keith tackling the Dam Trail switchbacks on his first ride - way to kick it!

Story & Photos: Randy King

Part III – Highlighting the “best” of the mountain’s trails.

Scott working those Jedi skills on The Playground

Candler’s Mountain and the Liberty Mountain Trail System are located on the outskirts of Lynchburg, VA, next to Liberty University. The mountain is easy to spot from a distance because of two distinct and recent man-made additions. One is the giant LU monogram and the other is the only Snowflex recreation facility in the U.S. Hidden in the trees that cover most of the rest of the mountain’s many ridges and ravines are dozens of trails harboring miles of entertainment and challenge for mountain bikers of all levels. It is a big mountain riding destination; one could ride all day here without duplicating many yards of trails. Please see the Getting There page for a trail map and more details on access, eats and lodging. If you are looking for someone to ride with while you explore the trails, feel free to contact me via the comments feature at the bottom of this post, or at rides@bigmountainriding.com

The best part of the recent improvements is the naming / marking of the main trails and the improved rescue-factor thanks to way-point markers and additional fire roads. Also, the most-used single track has been made more sustainable.

Symbols for trail rating:

NOTE: All ratings are based on if the rider rode the entire trail in its standard course. They are more realistic than the ratings published by Liberty University and are based on extensive riding and observation of other riders on this trail system year-round. (However, the trail names are color-coded to LU’s rating – which is based mostly on distance – Green=Beginner, Blue=Intermediate, Yellow=Advanced)

◊ – intermediate = requires conditioned cardiovascular fitness, strong legs and good balance. Experience in riding off road.
♦ – advanced = requires the above and conditioned bike handling skills on narrow and uneven trails. May feature short steep sections that border on very advanced.
♦♦ – very advanced = requires the above and features sections with dire consequences for the rider who loses control. Some inclines will require walking up/down by all but very advanced riders.
Θ – not public knowledge = These trails are not on the map and these names are not commonly used. However, feel free to seek them out and to use the names.

Best Singletrack:

◊Lower Dam Trail - The flowier of the two Dam trails. Swoops along the lower side of the mountain and takes the rider instantly to a good place.
◊Upper Dam Trail – More of a workout than its lower sibling. Rougher as well. For a fast loop, do a circuit of both Dam trails (15-30 min. DOE)
♦Alternate Flight Pattern - A fun, tough trail that dives into ravines and treks up slopes as it winds around the mountain. Hard to follow where the new road intersects the trail.

Chris charging a log on A Walk in The Woods

Best technical trails:

♦♦Split Decision – The main decision for most riders is to turn away to something easier, but this is a rewarding challenge for very advanced riders. This bad boy features steeps on both ends and nary a flat spot between. Lots of logs, roots and rocks.
♦♦The Playground – Boasts one of the steepest sections on the mountain. Bring your iron lungs and any inner-demons you want to scourge.
♦Psycho-Pathé – Technical fun fest. Narrow lines and rougher options abound. Mind-emptying at speed.
♦Lake Trail – The soul of Eastern mountain biking. Side hill, stream-side to lake side. Mellow, with challenging sections to keep you focused.

Best cardio-climbs:

♦Powerline Loop – This is a torturous climb, especially in the warmer months. Great for building climbing skill and power, though. Finishes with a rough DH.
◊Monogram Rd (from Top Ridge Trail head to the gazebo atop the monogram) – Good section for working on tiered intervals. May make you hate yourself and your bike if you overdo it.
♦Luge Trail to Peak 2 Peak to the gazebo – If you’re in it to pin it, then dive into the woods on Upper Dam and take this route popular with hikers all the way up.

Best Rogue trails:

◊ Rogue’s Gallery (Five Points to Split Decision)
♦Θ Rogue 1 (Snowflex drive Candlers Mt. Trail head) – a fast alternative to descending Candler’s Climb or Candler’s Mt Rd.
♦♦Θ Going Rogue DH (Monogram Rd to gas line / US 460) – don’t even think about it unless very experienced or very brash. Drops faster than the Dow in a recession.
♦Θ Rogue Leader DH (Peak 2 Peak/The Playground intersection to Five Points) – an alternative, shorter descent to Five Points.

Tackling the woodwork - the evolution continues

Best far-out trails:

♦ A Trail Too Far – an instant classic that is different every time one rides it. A peaceful stream side saunter, pushing the pace brings out the bite.
♦Θ Oil Jug (Its namesake is the only marker for the entry to this back country beauty. It is far out and limited release.)
♦Θ Blind Faith (an old-school, sweet singletrack bypass for some of Lake Hydeaway Rd. Watch for fire road to the right when Camp Hydeaway Rd veers left. Blind Faith is a singletrack off to the left at the top of the rise.)
♦♦Θ The Ghost (You’d feel like Hiawatha or Hawkeye on this extremely narrow front face side hill trail if it weren’t for the encroaching development and city sprawled out below.)

© 2009 Big Mountain Riding