Getting down to the wire

The Lyons Outdoor Games is less than two weeks away, and the town's dozens of volunteers are cranking along. The Lyons Bike Park (new public pump track) is nearly finished, and the other sites are being readied.
In addition to the tons of sponsors we already have on board, we are pleased to announce Whole Foods is donating fresh fruit for all volunteers and competitors. Plus, we've welcomed Elevation Outdoors Magazine on board as our media sponsor. They are bringing tons of mags to the event, as well as goodie bags and donations for the auction.
Check out the blog next Monday for a complete list of all the fantastic auction items we will have at the Games. Also check in the next few days for the South Saint Vrain video, an article on World Champion kayaker (and Lyons local) Scott Shipley, as well as other news of the Games!

This blog sponsored by Lyons Outdoor Games

More photos from Lee's site

Thanks to Lee McCormack at LeeLikesBikes.com for all the photos and updates. For more information, photos, and regular updates, visit his site. Or, visit Glenn Bell's Bitterbrush Cycles blog by clicking here, or the link on the right side of the page.

The rock sections provide a range of lines, from super easy to pretty darn tricky. Glenn Bell, owner of Bitterbrush Cycles, tests out the course.





Tomorrow:

- More super-pro jump shaping thanks to Brandan.

- Left Hand will start building the technical climb/descent.

- Start placing the various jumps and rollers, as well as the pump track.

Saturday:

Massive dig/ride session. Most of the dirt should be placed. I hope we’ll be doing final shaping and testing.

- We’ll start at 9 a.m. and go all day. Bring any tools you have: shovel, metal rake, tampers, McCleods, skid steerers … helicopter parking is available.

- Bring your bike!!! We need to burn in the lines, my friends. The rock lines are rideable now; the trick jumps will be ready tomorrow.

- Lyons Bike Park is right next to Bohn Park in Lyons. Google map.

Mega huge thanks to
The growing list of rock stars: Doug, Jake and Scooter from Left Hand Excavating; Raul from Blue Mountain Stone; parks director Dave Cosgrove and the entire Lyons work crew; Glenn from Bitterbrush Cycles; Brandan Turman; Brian, John, Dominic from the Yellow Designs Stunt Team; Sam, Chad, Nick, Ian, the list goes on … and The Wife, who brought me lunch and looked hot.

Go Team!

For something like this, you need equipment and love. And we have both.

— Lee

Check out Lyons' latest weather

The Lyons Recorder has a Web Cam on its site on which you can check out the local weather. Click here.

Hall Ranch, Lyons, Colorado

Oskar Blues providing us with this cool video of mountain biking on Hall Ranch.


This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games.

Yellow Designs Stunt Team

Yellow Designs Stunt Team to perform at Smith Optics Lyons Outdoor Games, presented by Oskar Blues

The Denver-based Yellow Designs Stunt Team will be performing at the new Lyons Pump Park at this year’s Lyons Outdoor Games, to be held June 12-14. The Games are a competitive, multi-sport event sponsored by Oskar Blues and two-dozen other local and outdoor industry businesses. More that 200 participants, including world-class kayakers and mountain bikers, will be competing, and organizers expect more than 2000 spectators.

According to Dave Cosgrove, director of the town’s parks and recreation department, “We are excited to have the Yellow Designs Stunt Team at this year’s Games. These professional riders are the best in the nation. The show will be great!”

The team’s founder, Brian Gavagan, and team member James McGraw will open the event with their ‘balancing act on wheels’ Friday night in Sandstone Park. Over the weekend, the team will also perform high-flying aerial shows with portable ramps as well as flatland-freestyle demonstrations. Saturday there will be a skateboard competition at the skatepark that Yellow Designs will help facilitate, and team riders Jon Chin and Dominick Ruminer will be teaching kids "Bike Skills" at the new bike dirt course. Also that day, there is a Dirt-Jumping competition that will give spectators a chance to witness spins and flips and many amazing aerial moves by local riders and Yellow Designs Pro BMXers and mountain bikers.

Along with performing halftime shows for the Denver Broncos and competing in the Dew Action Sports Tour, Teva Games and Crankworks, The Yellow Designs Stunt Team also teaches "Bike Skills" Enrichment classes through Denver public schools.

Yellow Designs originally started as a clothing company in Wyoming in 1991. The owner, Brian Gavagan was an artist and loved riding bikes, so the two passions came together with bike-specific designs printed on shirts, sweats and jackets. Brian turned Pro at the X Games in 1997 and ended up breaking his ankle in the finals and took a two years off to heal and create a plethora of artwork for Yellow Designs. After traveling for eight months with a backpack around Europe and the Middle East, Gavagan returned to Colorado with the idea to bring the excitement and action of BMX stunt-riding to the public, without the formality and stresses of competition. The Yellow Designs Stunt Team was formed, portable ramps were built and the clients were excited to bring live action stunt-riding, music and announcing to special events around the country. The Yellow Designs team has performed hundreds of shows in Colorado and in over a dozen states in the USA.

For more information on the Yellow Designs Stunt Team, please visit:
http://www.yellowdesigns.com

Trail conditions for Lyons

Pretty much anything east of the Peak to Peak is good at this point. Trail conditions are prime!

Dave
http://www.redstonecyclery.com
Lyons, CO

Bike Report from Dave Chase

I stole this off Dave Chase's blog.

Tuesday Ride 5/12
It has been described by some as tough jeep road climbs with hiking thrown in combined with fun, steep and technical flowy descents. It has been described by others as having climbs that make you feel like you were punched in the stomach and want to vomit combined with descents hair raisingly steep and rocky.

However you slice it, Left Hand Canyon OHV area offers up a unique experience. I mean, heck, if the views are top notch and the descending is good enough that local dh'ers push their bikes up to come down the singletrack, it's worth hitting.

Bike shop at 5:30pm and the LHC parking lot at 6ish. We'll be at the lower pullout on the lefthand (south) side of the road just below the main jeep road entrance.

This blog sponsored by Lyons Outdoor Games.

Lyons kids kayaking, river update, October Hole, & mountain bike update of Hall Ranch and Picture Rock Trail

Lyons Kids kayaking program

More than a half dozen kayakers were out at the October Hole today, including a couple kids from Berthoud. In fact, Jason Beausoleil is currently teaching a group of kids from Lyons, Berthoud, and elsewhere how to kayak, and two of the Lyons locals--Garett and Keagan Parker--are "picking things up so fast that they are going to be joining the cadet rodeo this June at the Lyons Outdoor Games." Cool!

The Town of Lyons has actually started a club that has signed up seven kids so far. They have been doing pool sessions in Longmont, and "the kids have been working hard and having a blast," says Beausoleil. "Some of them have learned to roll their kayaks upright already in just a few lessons--a skill that takes some adults months or years to learn!" The Town will be starting the program outdoors on Tuesday May 12th, and it will run every Tuesday and Thursday from 5-7 p.m. The kids will be learning all skills to navigate and control there kayaks. They work on strokes and fundamentals, boat control, self rescue techniques, and of course how to roll the kayak. For more information, visit the Town of Lyons Website.

I'll put photos of the kiddos on the blog in the next few days.

River Update

According to local kayaker and last year's Lyons Outdoor Games organizer Adam Schwartz, "The October Hole is "not loopable." I'm expecting more of a report from Adam later this evening.

Mountain Biking Update

According to Dave Chase at Redstone Cyclery, conditions on Hall Ranch and the first part of the Picture Rock Trail are excellent. He and the Tuesday night posse of hardcore Lyons residents (and friends) had a great time last night.

-Lizzy

This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games

Mountain Flyer magazine features Lyons Outdoor Games

As reported on the Oskar Blues blog (thanks to Chad Melis for the photos), the latest issue of Mountain Flyer magazine features the Lyons Outdoor Games. Click here for more details on the mag.



This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games, Lyons, Colorado

Lyons river and mountain bike

The day dawned sunny, cool and bright, though things have clouded up a bit since 9a.m. Last night it rained steadily, but lightly for a few hours last night. It drizzled on and off yesterday, but it probably didn't affect the trail conditions too seriously (at least if my still parched garden is any indication of Lyons' dirt ability to retain water). I suspect conditions are probably a bit wetter than they were a few days ago. I'll have a bike report later today as a few of my friends got out to Hall early and should be back afternoon sometime.

The river's running high. A couple fellows had an early morning session at the October Hole, but no one was there at 11a.m.

Here's a video of the Picture Rock Trail.

This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games, Lyons, Colorado.

Picture Rock Trail conditions today

Picture Rock Trail sure is rocky. It's also wet in a few spots, but mostly conditions on the trail are perfect (until it rains tomorrow). Dozens of bikers were out this morning as it was sunny and gorgeous, but not too hot. Here are some photos of the trail. I've got some video as well that I will post later.

The Picture Rock Trail is just one of the great trails Lyons has to offer. If you come for a visit or to see the Lyons Outdoor Games this June 12-14, bring your mountain bike. You can access this trail from the town of Lyons.

Lyons Outdoor Games update: pump track, sponsors, bike and kayak races, etc...

More than a dozen volunteers met to discuss the Lyons Outdoor Games last night at our fearless leader's house (Reed Farr). We discussed the South Saint Vrain creek race. Front Range resident and pro kayaker Kyle McCutchen, who was in attendance and who is helpling out with the Games, said the SSV is "world class" and is psyched to race in the creek boat race this year. "Hopefully water levels are high!" he added.

Good news on the bike front, all the plans are ready and supplies have been acquired and/or promised for the construction of the new pump park, according to Glenn over at Bitterbrush Cycles (the local bikeshop owner who spearheaded the building of the park). More news on that to come next week. If you want to volunteer building the pump park, please contact Dave Cosgrove at davec @ townoflyons.com or stop in and see Glenn.

Other good news. We've got 30 sponsors on board now. Despite the recession, companies are recognizing that the possibilities with the Lyons Outdoor Games are endless. It is exciting to have these folks on board. We're looking for more local sponsors. If interested, please contact Dave at the email address above.

This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games, Lyons, Colorado.

Lyons weather, outdoor activities, and other musings

Today temps will reach in the 80s here in sunny Lyons, Colo. From my front porch, I enjoy a stellar view of a large swath of Hall Ranch open space. The sprawling landscape is just turning green, the frogs are going nuts in the numerous ponds that have formed in the old quarries, and the birds have started their dueling songs (my territory, no mine, ooo look a worm, I need to get some action...).

Despite the heavy rainfall over the past weekend, things are drying up quickly around here. I'll be out running Hall Ranch later this afternoon, chasing some of my friends as they bike up the steeper, technical sections (click here for info on this fabulous mountain bike/running trail).
According to Dave Chase, owner of Lyons' own Redstone Cyclery, there are some muddy spots, but the riding's good. I stole a couple photos off his website ... To see more photos, read his musings, and find out general trail conditions in the area visit his Redstone Cyclerly blog.


The river is raging, loudly. It puts me to sleep at night, like white noise. I haven't seen any kayakers yet, but I'm sure they're going to be hitting the water as soon as they realize how raging it is. For information on the Lyons playpark, click here. I'll try to get some information on local conditions to post here over the next few days. Until then, happy spring days!
-Lizzy Scully
Lyons Outdoor Game PR
girlsed@gmail.com