16 cycling utah.com JUNE <strong>2008</strong>TRAIL OF THE MONTHFlying Dog Trail: The new locals’ favoriteBy Gregg BromkaIf there was ever a trail that couldcompete in popularity with Moab’sSlickrock Trail, it might very wellbe Park City’s Flying Dog Trail.Not that the two trails are remotelycomparable, but Flying Dog is oneveryone’s tongue as of late. If youhave a passion for singletrack–fast,flowing, buffed singletrack–thenyou would be amiss to not ridethis trail. I passed it up all last yearwhile my friends gushed about howit had transformed the GlenwildTrail system from neat and compactto near epic. So, I seized a small,fair-weather window of opportunityin between May’s snow storms andchecked out all the hubbub. True totheir word, Flying Dog rules!Rather than start out on StealthTrail from Glenwild’s Spring Creektrailhead for a mega-loop, I took thedirect approach by heading up FinkAgain Trail from the Jeremy RanchElementary School trailhead. Thewell crafted one-laner rose up thesagebrush slopes at a comfortablepitch, which got me to a full sweatquickly but without redlining myheart rate. 24/7 Connector Trail thencontoured across the hillsides highabove the Jeremy Ranch communityand offered both gradual climbs andplayful descents.Upon encountering the PreserveConnector Trail junction, I flipped acoin and decided to ride the FlyingDog loop clockwise. Moments later,the trail rounded a bend and entereda hollow, and I was instantly transportedinto the peaceful backcountrywith nary a hint of civilization. Avariety of petite springtime bloomspoked from the ground announcingthat winter had finally succumbed tothe fifth month of the year. The pathrose continually, and like the area’sother trails, it was a tribute to thetrail builders’ knack for pleasing themasses while producing sustainabletread.Far into the “back-nine,” I turneda corner and faced a dreaded stripof ankle deep mud several hundredyards long. Snow had receded toisolated drifts nesting clumps ofnewly-budded aspens, but the runofftrickled onto the trail, floodingit with thick, black goo. Althoughthe muck was unridable, it quicklyflung off my tires when I hit dryturf again. Alas, I crested the climbat a low saddle between two knollsand caught a distant glimpse of theWasatch back. Deer Valley and ParkCity Resorts were obscured by amurky combination of rain and dustkicked up by the driving wind inadvance of a forecasted storm, and itwas heading my way. A quick checkof the map showed that I would beheading still farther from the trailhead,but backtracking at this pointwould be more time consuming.As I rolled off the knoll, I shiftedinto high gear and found myself flying,uh, like a dog at full sprint withears cocked back and tongue flappingin the wind. The first switchbacktook me by surprise and forceda full brake lock up. “Bad form,” Iadmitted, reciting IMBA’s Rules ofthe Trail. I ramped up to race-paceagain on the next straightaway, buttrimmed my speed well in advanceof the next turn so that I could bankgracefully through the apex and exitat full tilt.Although I was descending, Iwas breathing heavily when I cameto the junction with the PreserveConnector Trail. Going straight/leftwould lead my off the knoll on a pinball drop through countless hairpinturns to Cobblestone Trail, a sectionI reveled at last season, but timewas waning and I was compelled toveer right for the quick way back to24/7 Trail. This part of the PreserveConnector was fast and rolling, andI dodged stout boughs of oak as Ibanked along the wavering path.The lower section of PreserveConnector dropped more quicklywith fast straights and sharp turnsthrough scrub oak and sage. Sightlines were good, so I let gravity takeover and used my brakes sparinglyback to the intersection with 24/7.On the way in, I didn’t realize howmuch elevation 24/7 gained becauseGlenwild's Flying Dog Trail is singletrack heaven.801-942-3498 or www.intermountaincup.comMarch 1The Desert Rampage, St. George, UTApril 12Cholla Challenge, Hurricane, UTMay 3Showdown at Five Mile Pass, Lehi, UTMay 10Wimmer's Bicycle Race, Sherwood Hills, UTMay 17Soldier Hollow Hammerfest, Heber City, UTMay 26Stan Crane Memorial XC, Draper, UTMay 31The Sundance Spin, Sundance, UT<strong>June</strong> 7Deer Valley Pedalfest, Deer Valley Resort, UT<strong>June</strong> 14Chris Allaire Memorial/<strong>Utah</strong> Open StateChampionship, Solitude, UTJuly19The 20th Annual Mountain Bout, Snowbird, UTJuly 26Taming the Tetons, Jackson Hole, WYAugust 9Wolverine Ridge XC Race, Double Points!,RegionalFinals, Evanston, WYAll races are Cross Country Events, No License Required!photo: joaquimhailer.comon the return out, it descendedgradually and required only periodicpedaling. The tread was smooth–polished–andmy bike floated beneathme as I steered through each wiggleof a turn with little more than aquick but gentle lean to and fro.When I returned to the FinkAgain Trail junction, the sky hadturned even more ominous, butbased on wind speed, cloud formation,sky opacity, and other purelynon-empirical assumptions, I determinedI had fifteen minutes of ridetime left before all hell broke looseoverhead; plenty of time to sneaka descent on one of Bob’s BasinFreestyle Trails. Eenie, meanie,minis, mo: Drop Out Trail was theway to go.By today’s freebie standardsDropout Trail is pretty tame andfull suspension is barely needed,let alone long-travel. It’s more XCwith arcing, nicely banked turns intowhich you can carry lots of speed.Foot-high kickers and drops punctu-Photo: Gregg Bromkaated the mostly smooth straights,and small wood-slat table-topsadded a touch of risk. Even thoughI’m a keep-the-tires-on-the-groundkind of rider, I enjoyed the introductionto Hacking 101 and let someair filter between my tires and theground.As I rolled back to the trailhead,the wind picked up to gale force,and I dove into my car as raindropshit my face horizontally. The nextday snow blanketed Park City, onceagain putting the damper on thisyear’s mountain biking season. Butas soon as the weather warms andtrails dry, I’ll be making a beeline toGlenwild and flying across its trailslike a happy-go-lucky dog.Just the facts:Location: Glenwild; seven milesnorth of Park City at KimballJunction off I-80.Distance: 15 miles with options todouble the distance, or more.Gain: 1,700 feet.Physical Difficulty: Intermediate.Steady climbs but no crushingascents.Technical Difficulty: Low. Smoothrolling singletrack with well craftedbut sharp switchbacks.Trailhead Access: From I-80take Exit 143 for Jeremy Ranch.Turn right onto Rasmussen Road,and park at the Jeremy RanchElementary School. The trailheadis down the gravel road and behindthe maintenance sheds. Cross thebridge over Spring Creek and headup Fink Again Trail. You can startfrom the Spring Creek Trailhead onthe Glenwild Trail system by takingExit 145 off I-80. Turn right ontoBitner Road and left onto GlenwildDrive in a half mile. Climb StealthTrail and take 24/7 Connector Trailpast Fink Again Trail and over toFlying Dog.Get copies of Gregg's <strong>Utah</strong>guidebooks: Bicycling Salt LakeCity, Mountain Biking <strong>Utah</strong>,Mountain Biking <strong>Utah</strong>’s WasatchFront, and Mountain Biking ParkCity & Beyond. at your favoritebike shop.
JUNE <strong>2008</strong> cycling utah.com 17commuter of the MonthRadical and Rational Thinking From Outside the Bike BoxBy Lou MeliniI have never seen William Atheyor Richard Peterson in a car. Bothare seen riding their bikes everywhereon the streets of Salt LakeCity. Fifty-Five-year-old WilliamAthey traces his bicycle commutingback to the “70’s, riding fromGranger to the University. He thendrove cars for a short time, followedby buses and taxis for a few years.For the past 8 years he has used abike, ditching the buses when herealized it was quicker and easierto get around on a bike exclusively.William has a Marketing degreefrom Westminster College plussome graduate work in ProfessionalCommunications. William has hada number of music related jobs, butis currently employed at the SLClibrary. He has had a few otherinteresting positions, such as a legalobserver for the ACLU of <strong>Utah</strong> duringthe Winter Olympics riding hisbike in temperatures that hit highsof 20°.Richard Peterson has also beena life-long cyclist, tracing his seriousriding back to the “70’s whenhe rode from his undergraduateUniversity of Arizona to Cornell inNew York. This helped inspire himto study air pollution. He eventuallyobtained his PhD in 1986 fromthe University of Washington inSeattle. Due to his research, he hasbeen able to ride in many parts ofthe U.S. as well as in Germany. Heand his wife Bonnie have done severalbike tours in the U.S., Canada,Germany and most of the rest ofEurope. He is currently a Professorof Chemistry at the U. but will bemoving to the Republic of Trinidadand Tobago at the time of this columnis published.<strong>Cycling</strong> <strong>Utah</strong>: William, you have aninteresting collection of bikes. Youalso seem to be well dressed no matterwhat the weather is like.William Athey: I currently have 8bikes, all purchased at yard sales,and all are perfectly in tune andready to ride. My winter bike, aStumpjumper, cost me $35. It has aGMC Yukon faceplate mounted onthe handlebar. When it’s snowing Isay, “Honey, I’m taking the Yukonto work”. In winter I wear an oldsnowboard helmet and ski goggles.I also picked up some waterproof/repellant pants, jackets and gloves.I use a pair of studded tires that alibrary patron donated to me.During the summer, I ditch thehelmet, and ride as close to nakedas I can get. I usually use a backpackto pack my clothes. I ride avariety of bikes, all being variousmountain bikes costing me as littleas $10. I have mounted ArmadilloNimbus tires on most of the bikes.These tires do not get flats. I love toride the Jordan River Parkway, thebicyclist’s nightmare for goat headthorns, and no flats.C.U.: William, your long hair and“homeless” appearance on your bikehave caused you a little harassment.I also hear you were the first criticalmass rider to receive a ticket.W.A.: The police officer admittedin court he singled me out dueto my appearance, which helpedin dismissal of the ticket fromthe Critical Mass ride. Judge Gillrecently visited the library and toldme he still remembers the case andthe police officer’s statement. Thelast time I went to a bicycle advisorycommittee meeting, the guardescorted me to the meeting. On 2occasions I have been accused ofburglarizing my own home afterarriving home on a bicycle with mybackpack. New neighbors accostedme, detained me, and threatened tocall the police, until I proved that Iwas entering my own home, withmy own key.C.U.: William you no longer doCritical Mass (CM) rides; Richardyou still do them. Why is CriticalMass important? Are all CM ridesalike? Does CM contribute to theacceptance of biking in a communityor does it provoke a backlashagainst cyclists?W.A.: Critical Mass is supposedto be a celebration of bicycling.Everyone is supposed to be welcomeand everyone has his or herown reason for riding. I did it as anact of civil disobedience. We shutdown State St., 700 East, 500 Southand 600 South during rush hour. Yeswe angered many motorists in theinterest of promoting bicycling, butsome did calm down after readingthe flyers we passed out. One day amonth for one hour, motor vehicleswere inconvenienced and bicyclestook over the streets. By nature allCM rides are different, the route andthe motor vehicle action will alwaysbe different. CM can contribute toacceptance of bikes in a community.Many times numerous cars honkedin support and cheered the effort.So in answer to your question, theanswer is yes, no and sometimes. Iquit doing CM rides when the spiritof CM became violated. People rodeblocks ahead of slower riders and onone occasion a homeless man on abike joined the group. This wasn’t“approved” and he was harassed.That ended it for me.Richard Peterson: I still ride CriticalMass. Some mess with cagers (cars),some don’t. Some riders obey trafficlaws, some don’t. Some wearhelmets, some don’t. We just havefun. Overall I think CM is neithera positive or negative influence oncommuting. I see many more redlight, stop sign and other traffic lawsignored by drivers and cyclists otherthan Critical Mass riders. It justgives the participants a chance toride together and have fun.C.U.: I hear a lot of people say thatmore bike lanes and segregated bikepaths would more likely changethem from driving a car to riding abike to work. Is this a prime reasonfor people not riding to work?W.M.: No, they don’t want to rideto work. They think it is dangerous.It IS NOT dangerous! Mostpeople aren’t going to ride in rain,snow, or 100 degree heat, no matterhow many bike lanes or segregatedbike paths there are. Location is ahuge factor. I chose to live where Ican bike to get around as opposedto most people who choose to livebased on car use.R.P.: Bike lanes are not the reasonfor not commuting.C.U.: We currently have the mostbike friendly administration in thehistory of Salt Lake. What are 3things that must be done for thisadministration to successfully claimto make SLC more bike friendly?W.A.: Education is number onefor both bicyclists and motorists.Personally I believe the effort isimpossible as there are too manyidiots in cars. How can the Mayorreach them? Enforcement is next,especially cars, but bicycles also.Enforce the 3-foot law! Finallymaintain and improve the bikeroutes. 1700 South is a bike route,it is also has buses, and it is barelywide enough for 2 cars! Thereshould be pedestrian/bike bridgesspanning the RR tracks on 1700South and 800 South. I could go on.Make the bike routes rideable!R.P.: 1. Enforce the laws againstcars; cars kill! 2. Enforce the lawsfor bikes, but bikes do not kill 3.Enforce the laws for cars; cars kill— did I say that already; I guess itneeds to be said again.C.U.: My personal bias is that wewill not see an increase in bicyclecommuting until there is a significantjump in gasoline prices. Whatare your thoughts about this andhow high does this increase needto be?W.A.: I agree with you on this one.Every dollar increase will see acoinciding increase in bicyclists.However if this occurs UTA mustbe prepared for a dramatic increaseof bikes on buses and TRAX. Whatis UTA’s plan when 10 people arewaiting to board a bus that onlyallows 2 bikes?R.P.: I currently doubt that the priceof gas has much influence on peopleleaving cars. After all, the cost ofpurchasing, financing, maintaining,insuring, and registering a car aremuch higher costs than the fuel costwhich the American public continuesto pay. American foreign policyhas shown that it is willing to killpeople for control of oil. What’s $4a gallon compared to that!C.U.: Do cyclist dressed in “civilian”clothing vs. bike clothing getmore respect from drivers? What arethe impacts on how we look on theroad affect public perception?W.A.: Read the citizen commentswhenever any bicycle-related storyappears on the television news or inthe newspaper. There is a frighteningamount of hatred and anger directedat what I call Captain Underpants.These are club riders, the fair-weather,weekend warriors wearing brightcostumes. They are despised andthat hatred is sometimes directedmy way. Why? Because a certainpercentage of the group are arrogant,completely ignoring all trafficordinances. They’ve flipped me offand yell obscenities at me, a fellowcyclist. They are highly visible,good for their safety, but bad dueto the misbehavior of the few. Dueto the stunning amount of hatredexpressed on local comment boards,I feel safer rider in my civilianclothing. Visibility and appearanceare important, but behavior is farmore important. I’m almost startingto believe that a safety courseand bicycle operator licenses arerequired.R.P.: My wife Bonnie is convincedthat she gets more space when she isin civilian clothes and not wearing ahelmet. My experience agrees.C.U.: William, you have sent manycomments from the KSL commentboard to the MBAC. What is theimportance of image of cyclists inthe public eye? How does this affectour rights and safety on the road?Richard Peterson in Maui.W.A.: I mostly answered this inthe above question. There are afew distinct groups of cyclists thatseem to think that the laws do notapply to them. These groups are thetarget or subject of, virtually all thevitriol directed cyclist’s way on thecomment boards. I mentioned onegroup. Another group are the poor,many are immigrants from countrieswhere riding in the opposite directionof traffic is common. How canany education effort reach the membersof this group? The 3rd sprungup fairly recently whom also thinkthat traffic ordinances do not applyto them. Most importantly, aboveattire or anything else, a bicyclistriding with confidence, obeyingtraffic ordinances, gives the motorvehicle operating public a positiveimpression.C.U.: Richard, you have riddenextensively in Germany. What is theprinciple differences affecting therelationship of drivers and cycliststhere vs. here?R.P.: Respect for the law. Peopletypically obey traffic laws whetherin a car or on a bike. The culture isbig on personal responsibility. It isnot an “accident” if you hit someonebecause you are ignoring the rules.In some European countries, thefault is always on the bigger vehicle.If a bike hits a pedestrian, it is thecyclist’s fault. If a car hits a bike,it is the driver’s fault. In Germany,all streets are “Complete Streets”.<strong>Cycling</strong> and walking are relativelysafe. People of all ages walk andride all year round. How often doyou see old ladies doing their shoppingon a bike here in SLC? InMuenster that is the norm. Manystores don’t even have parking forcars.C.U.: Richard, As a Professor ofchemistry I want to know whatyou think of the “Red, Yellow, andGreen” alerts the State Division ofAir Quality publishes in the wintertime.Is this system effective?Personally, it seems that peopledrive more on red days. Am I correct?Do you have any alternativesolutions?R.P.: I have had my students maketraffic counts and the color codesseem to make little if any difference.Typical solutions globally are to banprivate motor vehicles in affectedareas and give free public transit. Itis odd that our presidential candidateswant to lower gas taxes. Thegas tax should be retained, in factincreased with the revenue put intofree public transit This would actuallybenefit air quality.If you have a suggestion for acommuter profile, have a commuterquestion you wish me toaddress, or other comments,please send them to lou@cyclingutah.com.
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