Morgan drifts a 180 degree sweeper on the Bull Gap Trail.
Spots> Ashland Oregon Scene Report.
by Jason Van Horn
posted 6/30/08
On day two, we made it a chill morning, drinking coffee and riding the backyard pumptrack before heading back over to Ashland for the two o'clock shuttle. A couple of our local bros, Duncan and Morgan, met up with us for a decidedly more relaxed DH oriented run down the mountain.
Inga keeps on spreading the word of the elbow tap with Morgan and Duncan. High fives were so last year.
Both the guys came armed with DH rigs, and our pace down the trail was way more chill, jibbing and playing off of every feature we could find. I found myself wishing for my 7" travel rig, even though for the most part, 6" of travel is plenty for most features on the trails. Personally I'm way more at home on the freeride bike- its coming up with me on the next trip.
Duncan show off a little trail style on this trail side dub.
While shooting some shots of the boys gets way loose on a fast 180 degree sweeper, we looked up to see Bobby Mullen cruising down the mountain with his guide. You may have read about him in the magazines, but it was something else to see and hear him coming down the trail. I mean, seriously, the guy is legally blind and he's out doing what we all love to do, ride is bike. It definitely puts things in perspective.
Blind Bobby riding the trail following the voice of his guide riding just outside the frame.
When we got to the Bull Gap Trail head, I had a chance to revisit a gap off the road I attempted last year. I came up just a tad to short, and the failed attempt that resulted in a broken seat and a bit of soreness on the drive home- mostly attributed to the massive amounts of PBR and Jameson consumed the night before and my riding with a massive hang-over. I still have to come back and master that bitch. Seriously.
one year ago. Cliff, Izaak, Rocker Dave and I scope out the step down gap at the bottom of Bull Gap.
One year ago. 1st attempt on the Bull Gap Step down... just one more pedal... Photo: Izaak Van Horn
Revisiting the site of my last good solid crash was interesting to say the least.
Ashland Links:
Resources |
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Ashland Watershed Trail Map (PDF) |
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| Ashland Mountain Adventures | ||||
City of Ashland Guide to Bike Trails
Access Ashland mountain biking trails with maps on Trails.com
Favorite local shop: Bear Creek Bicycles (1988 Hwy. 99, 541/488-4270) Tell them we sent you.