North Dakota Here I Come: Mountain Biking the Maah Daah Hey Trail with Western Spirit!

I launch my five-day mountain bike and camping tour with Western Spirit in North Dakota on Monday. I'm here in Bismarck, North Dakota's capital, thanks to a gal named Gnat. Yes, gnat, like the fly.  I will ask her why she chose that name while our group of 8 guests and three guides pedals our fat tires along the Maah Daah Hey trail. If you are headed to North Dakota, here's the office of tourism contact!

It was Gnat's hot pink hair that I noticed in the expo area of the Sea Otter Classic, a bike festival held in Monterey (an hour south of me in Santa Cruz) in April. With that stand-out hair, I assumed it was the same cyclist I had met briefly at a women's mountain bike skills clinic, the Dirt Series, in Santa Cruz, a year ago. I went to say hi.

Gnat learns about bicycle fit during the 2009 Dirt Series, a mountain bike clinic for women.

Turned out neither of us planned to return to the two-day mountain bike skills camp in 2010 though it had been excellent. Instead, Gnat told me about a bike tour she had signed up for in North Dakota.  Mountain biking in North Dakota had never crossed my mind.  I was intrigued. When she said the tour outfitter, Western Spirit, was the host of the trip, it sounded like a good match for me.

I had gone on a Colorado mountain bike tour (Colorado Singletrack) with Western Spirit several years ago and it had been a great experience - and an incredible challenge to mountain bike at high altitude. Here's the story I wrote about that trip for Singletrack Magazine.

My tour starts Monday with a drive from Bismarck to the town of  Medora and ends Friday. I am stoked to mountain bike by day and camp by night - though a bit nervous that I am renting a bike and camping gear here rather than schlep mine on the airplane.

Here are the details of our itinerary. Thankfully, other than a hefty load of water on my back, all my gear will be packed in a truck. Will be fun. Stay tuned!

I used my laptop's built-in camera to snap this photo while I was stretching in Denver Airport. I arrived in Bismarck this afternoon.

Trek Dirt Series mountain bike clinics - registration now open for 2010 co-ed and women-only mountain bike camps

The 2010 Trek Dirt Series opened registration for all its mountain bike camps in Canada and the United States on February 1. This year marks some exciting changes for the series, including Trek signing on as as the title sponsor. And within Santa Cruz, the hot new shop in town, Epicenter Cycling, will host the clinic (they are a Trek dealer) instead of the venerable Bicycle Trip. The Dirt Series also just added a new Facebook page!

Safety first! A rider gets a helmet adjustment at the 2009 camp in Santa Cruz. 

Photo credit: Karen Kefauver

  In under 24 hours, all the spots for the Santa Cruz weekend clinic sold out! Good thing I have done it two years in a row already. I learned a lot and had a blast, but would still like to learn to bunny hop and clear logs on the trails. I will ask if I can volunteer to help out since all the official slots are filled and the waiting list is growing.

Candace Shadley, far right, is the founder of the Dirt Series. She's pictured here with some of the amazing instructors from the clinic in 2008 in Santa Cruz. 

Photo credit: Karen Kefauver

In addition to returning to favorite locations, the Dirt Series is expanding its women's only camps it British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah and Colorado, as well as an additional two co-ed camps in our home base of Whistler, British Columbia. Here's a look at the schedule for 2010. Below is a selection of my photos from 2008 and 2009 Dirt Series camps in Santa Cruz. Visit http://www.dirtseries.com for details.

 

We stretch and limber up before our skills clinics.

Photo credit: Karen Kefauver

   

Learning downhill cornering is a great basic skill.

Photo credit: Karen Kefauver

   

It was awesome to see so many women in the advanced jump clinic, pictured here. I hope to be in this group one day.

Photo credit: Karen Kefauver

   

Have a question for a bike mechanic? Now is your time to ask. Clinics include time in the shop to learn about your bike.

Photo credit: Karen Kefauver

   

We work hard in camp, but we also have time to rest and relax!

Photo credit: Karen Kefauver