River update for A-Hole

Beau and I got some time in the A-Hole last night at about 400cfs. It was awesome.  Best I've ever seen it.

Thanks,

Adam

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

More photos and May 27 update from LeeLikesBikes.com

The limiting factor has been getting enough dirt to the site. You can’t imagine how stoked I was to see this monster from Left Hand Excavating. What the City of Lyons trucks can move in a full day, this baby moves in one load. Game on!


This is how the pros build big jumps: Scooter moves the dirt. Jake checks the elevations with his computerized voodoo tool. Scooter adjusts accordingly. Then, Brandan Turman — local DJ riding/building stud — shapes a narrow section in the middle of the lip by hand …… and Scooter copies that shape across the entire lip (in about one minute).




Brandan, Sam, John and Dom spend a few hours ultra-fine-tuning, packing and watering — and bam: You have a very sweet step-up that will get half the kids in Lyons doing backflips. For the Lyons Outdoor Games, a wooden takeoff will be placed in front of the lip you see. HUGE!

Pump Park update and photos May 26

From Lee McCormack: For more information and photos, visit his site.

T-minus 15 days until the Lyons Outdoor Games. The weather is bad and the resources are spare, but things are starting to take shape.

Left Hand Excavating works from the fence-line stakes. We mountain bikers need to see flags on the ground. It’s cool to see how everything will fit together.


Doug from left Hand Excavating told me to mark the features using stakes along the fence. Every stake has a stake number (linked to the diagram), name of feature, inset from the fence, height of feature and length of feature. Lee Likes Obsessive Compulsion dot com!


Raul, the owner of Blue Mountain Stone, delivers the sandstone himself. Jake from Left Hand (a trail moto rider) is stoked to start building some SICK rock sections. “I’ve been placing rock for four years, and it’s never this cool.”

Yellow Designs team to test out Lyons Pump Park

When: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 12:00 AM to Saturday, May 30, 2009 12:00 AM (GMT-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada).

Where: Bohn Park

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Week of May 25-29:

Area A: Place and shape main hill, rollers/jumps/slalom.

Brandon Turman will be there May 27-28 to shape jumps.

DAVE: Have materials for the wooden takeoffs by Monday, May 25.

Brian Gavagan and the Yellow Designs Stunt Team will be there May 26-29 to build the wooden lips, help finish the dirt work and test the trick jumps. Brian is setting the schedule with his guys. They will help however they can. ***Photo op for P.R.***

The more we have in place when these guys show up, the better!!!

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.

Note from Bitterbrush Cycles regarding new Lyons Pump Park

We are hoping to have some volunteers help us move and shape dirt this Saturday. We will be there from 9am to around 4pm. Please feel free to stop by at any time. We will have some tools available, but feel free to bring extra shovels, rakes, etc.
The work will be followed by the 2nd annual barn burner at Wayne Anderson's. Food and tasty beverages will be provided. If it's anything like last year it should be a blast. Please contact me or Glenn with any questions you might have. You can email or call me at (303)898.9003, or you can contact Glenn at Bitterbrush (303)823.8100. Also feel free to pass this email along to any of your friends that may be interested in helping out.
Thanks for your help!

DJ / Skills park BMA volunteer work day

Dirt Jumps & Pump Track updates: We continue the success of 2008 by updating the Lyons Dirt Jump area in preperation for the Lyons Outdoor Games (June 12-14). We will have a BMA hosted Volunteer Work Day on Saturday My 29th starting at 9:00am, tools are provided so come & join us.



The Town of Lyons has been working with Lee McCormack from Lee Likes Bikes and Yellow Designs Stunt Team to make The Lyons DJ/Skills Park a unique and one of the most promising parks in the state.

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.

Lyons, Colorado, River Report

The River is 325 right now on the gauge, so that is probably about 225+ in South Saint Vrain River. Oh yeah!
-From Scott Young

Lyons-to-Boulder Regional Trail Open House

Lyons To Boulder Trail Update
Project Open House

Please mark your calendars for the next Lyons-to-Boulder Regional Trail Open House. The open house will have a walk through format with no formal presentation, therefore, please come when it best works for schedule.

The next open house for the Lyons to Boulder trail is coming up!

Lyons-to-Boulder-Regional Trail Open House
June 23, 2009
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Barn A - Boulder County Fairgrounds
9595 Nelson Road, Longmont (see attached map)

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and see you in June!

Boulder County Transportation Department
Lyons to Boulder Regional Trail
(303) 441-3900
www.LyonstoBoulderTrail.com

Info courtesy of Redstone Cyclery blog.

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

More Lyons, Berthoud, and Longmont kids kayaking

Berthoud residents Garrett and Keegan Parker just learned how to kayak, but will be competing at the Lyons Outdoor Games in the Cadet Rodeo. Keegan is in the black boat, and Garrett is in the red boat.






Blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games

Fishing Update

The annual snowmelt runoff is in full force all over the state. The St Vrain River system is no exception, with high water on both the North and South branches. The stretch between Bohn Park and McConnell Drive is very fishable right now. Fish a small streamer like a black or olive Woolly Bugger through the deeper holes, or a two nymph rig such as a Pheasant Tail or Prince Nymph trailing a pink or purple San Juan Worm in quieter water along the edges or behind boulders or other obstructions. Look for the Laughing Grizzly at the Lyons Outdoor Games. We'll be doing on-the-water fly fishing demos.

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

Kids kayaking in Lyons

The kids program in Lyons is going strong. There are two boys Garret and Keagan Parker, who will be competing in the Lyons Outdoor Games cadet rodeo. Other participants are: Teagan Johnson from Longmont, Ilse Meiler from Lafayette, And Spencer Huff from Lyons. Teagan if pictured here.



This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games.
Photos by Daily Up Photography, Becky Parker

New report on the South Saint Vrain

SSV is coming up now. We paddled it on Sunday at 220 on the gauge, water coming over the Old South gauge rock. Fun, no carnage, some really nice lines at Jihad, mine not included!

I think BB and A-hole will be looking good now too. Booth, you getting looped?

Scott Young
President
Blue Sky Mortgage Group, Inc.
Tel: 303.823.0567
FAX: 720.746.2844
www.blueskymortgagegroup.com

2009 DJ/Skills Park Upgrade for Lyons Outdoor Games

The Town of Lyons has been working with Lee McCormack from Lee Likes Bikes and Yellow Designs Stunt Team to make The Lyons DJ/Skills Park a unique and one of the most promising parks in the state! It will have a natural terrain area with step ups, step downs, and an awesome pump track.

Below is a general schedule of the plan, please notice & let us know if you are interested in participating in the volunteer days below in Bold:

Week of May 18-22:

All materials delivered - Locations marked. Ready to build.

Week of May 25-29:

Area A: Place and shape main hill & Jumps, rollers/jumps/slalom.

Brian Gavagan and the Yellow Designs Stunt Team will be there May 26-29 to build the wooden lips, help finish the dirt work and test the trick jumps. Brian is setting the schedule with his guys. They will help however they can. ***Photo op for P.R.*** The more we have in place when these guys show up, the better!!!

Area B: Start placing dirt/rock on small hill, pump track, natural terrain loop. Get as far as possible on this, focusing on LHE placing the rock. Multiple equipment crews would be ideal, so we can double-team.

Weekend of May 30-31:

Volunteer work/ride day(s). Hopefully minimal sweeping/shaping/massaging. We will plan this day based on where we are. Barn Burner After Party!

Week of June 1-5:

Finish building small hill, pump track, natural terrain loop. Final tweaks.

Get people to ride as much as possible.

Weekend of June 6-7:

Work/ride days. The park should be built by now. These sessions should be mostly riding and community building.

For more info please contact Glenn at
Bitterbrush Cycles
324 Main Street
Lyons, CO
303.823.8100

World Champion freestyle kayaker Ruth Gordon to compete in Lyons Outdoor Games June 12-14 and promote breast cancer awareness and prevention

Story by Lizzy Scully
Photos courtesy of Ruth Gordon

In an effort to promote awareness and prevention for breast cancer, World Champion freestyle kayaker Ruth Gordon is embarking on her Paddle Pink tour this May. One of her stops will be the Smith Optics Lyons Outdoor Games, presented by Oskar Blues, where she will hold Paddle Pink clinics and compete. The Games are a Lyons-based multi-sport event that draws world champion kayakers and national champion mountain bikers, as well as skateboarders, fly fishers, and other athletes.

Gordon was inspired to start her Paddle Pink tour by her grandmother’s battle with breast cancer. “My grandmother is an excellent role model,” she says. “At 86 she still plays tennis everyday and faces life with a smile.” One day while discussing the subject, Gordon’s grandmother said that she hoped someone close to her would work to raise awareness for the disease.

“I stepped up to her cue,” Gordon explains. “I love the idea of giving back, especially to a cause that I've seen negatively affect so many people.” Her first event was held in Moab, Utah, the weekend of May 16, and she will be holding events throughout Colorado this summer, including at the 7th annual Lyons Outdoor Games.

Having competed in Lyons in 2007, she realized the Games were a perfect venue for disseminating her message. “I'd like to reach as many people as possible in an intimate setting, and this event provides just that,” she says. And kayaking, she adds, offers a level of activity for “everybody’s pace,” so the sport can reach out to all types of people.

Paddle Pink participants will enjoy a two-hour session of whitewater kayaking with Gordon, who has been teaching kayaking since 2002. Participants will learn freestyle kayaking techniques and find out how they can protect themselves and their loved ones from breast cancer.

“This memorable experience could potentially bring together a group of paddlers in Lyons and give each of them a chance to learn about breast cancer prevention – steps that may one day save lives,” Gordon says. “We are paddling with purpose.”

All proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. For more information, visit Gordon’s Web site at: ruthgordon.ca or email her at ruth@jacksonkayak.com. You can also watch a YouTube video of Gordon here.

for more information on the Games, please visit the site or blog.



This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games.

River conditions for kayaking in Lyons, Colorado

This just in from local kayaker Adam Schwartz:
"Got our for a bit of play on the A-Hole yesterday. It was great as usual. Plenty of water to throw ends, loops and a bunch of other tricks that I can't do. This is by far the best the hole has been since I've been paddling it for the last couple of years. The new rocks Arn placed last fall have made a huge difference. The hole is really even all the way across with a nice pile right on top of the loop slot in the rocks. Warm water, 70 degrees and sunny... What an unbelievable mid-May day. Also did some slalom paddling a couple of days ago below the October Hole. That's such a perfect spot to get a work out in. Even with just four gates, the water is so dynamic below that hole that it's a great little training spot.


This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games.

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.

More cool stuff to do in Lyons

It is that time of year again. Spring is here and it's time for our annual Lyons area ride/party/ride/party/ride shindig! Come on out for the 9th Annual Lyons Fat Tire Fest. Dates this year are the weekend AFTER Memorial Day. Friday 5/29-Sunday 5/31. We'll have bike polo, group rides, a poker run, and we've got the party barn at Oskars reserved. Dinner at Oskars will be a fundraiser for BMA. Onsite camping this year, too!

More details are here:
www.lyonsfattirefest.blogspot.com

Since we're trying to get a grip on approximate attendance numbers please rsvp to:
lyonsfattirefest@gmail.com so it won't be quite as disfunctional as in years past :)

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

This blog sponsored by Lyons Outdoor Games.

May 12 Lyons River Report, by Matt Booth

I paddled the Play Park today. I would guess the flow to be about 160 in town. The Black Bear hole was amazing (as usual). You can surf all day and do left and right spins ad nauseam. Very low angle cart wheels are possible. The A-Hole is amazing. The new river right wing is really focusing the waters energy into the center of the pile. The hole is nicely retentive and steep enough for my first completed air loop of the season. The hole is much better at these lower flows than in years past and looks as though it will be nice and juicy at higher flows. I went to look at the new gage we made for SSV (Thanks To Arn) It is at negative 3 inches. (Down 3 inches from 4 days ago). A rough guess of a decent flow is 6 inches. That's all I got.

May 5 SSV kayaking report

"Flows (on South Saint Vrain River) looked to be about 90 cfs today (rough guess). Tomorrow would need a big spike. I started a rock gage in Bohn Park. First line is TOO Low."
From Matt Booth, local kayaker

"Too low. We need a couple of warm days, but I am ready to go as soon as my rock tells me to!"
Scott Young, local kayaker

Catch and Release on the St Vrain!

On Monday evening, May 4, the Lyons Town Board of Trustees unanimously passed an ordinance that mandates fishing with flies and lures only, with catch and release regulations, on the St Vrain River through the Town. Town Staff worked closely with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to ensure that the regulations outlined in the Town Ordinance are consistent with CDOW catch and release regs.

In addition to this good news, CDOW has also announced its intention to stock up to 50,000 three inch Hofer rainbows into the river this fall. The Hofer strain is a fast growing, whirling disease-resistant rainbow. This should give us a nice population of catchable rainbows next year, and a mix of browns and 'bows similar to pre-whirling disease days.

Finally, the North and Sout St Vrains are flowing at typical spring levels, but still quite fishable. Try a two nymph rig with a Hare's Ear, Pheasant Tail, or Copper John trailing a pink or purple San Juan Worm, or, if fish are rising (probably to a Blue Wing Olive Hatch), try a BWO dry with a Barr Emerger dropper, a Parachute Adams or an Elk Hair Caddis. Alternatively, fish an attractor dry fly (Lime Trude, Royal Coachman Trude or LA Ant) with a mymph or San Juan Worm dropper.

We'll be posting St Vrain fishing reports from time to time, so let us know about your fishing. See you on the river.

Local youngster getting big air at the Lyons dirt jumps

A local dad and volunteer sent this video of his future big air champ at the dirt jumps that proceeds from the Lyons Outdoor Games help to build.

As part of this years games the Dirt Jump Park will be upgraded to include a pump track.

Ron wrote:

"Hi Reed, I just wanted to share this clip I took of my son riding at the dirt jumps. Its this kind of stuff that makes me appreciate all the hard work you guys do to bring these things to our town. My kids have endless opportunities to get involved in positive things like paddling, climbing, biking etc etc as they grow up."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7JqmD-K6r4


RF

Yellow Designs Stunt Team to come to Games

Members of the Yellow Design Stunt Team are coming to this year's Lyons Outdoor Games. To read more about them, click here.

Watch Dane Jackson kayaking at last year's Lyons Outdoor Games

Kayaker Dane Jackson, son of World Champion kayaker EJ Jackson, competed at last year's Lyons Outdoor Games. To watch a video of him, click here.
Dane will be competing in this year's Lyons Outdoor Games.

This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games.

Extreme boater Dan Gavere to compete at Lyons Outdoor Games

In January of this year, Canoe & Kayak Mag Named Werner Paddle's Dan Gavere "A Hero"and "one of the most inspirational paddlers alive." Gavere will be competing at this year's Lyons Outdoor Games. To read more about him, click here.

This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games.

World Champion kayaker and Smith Optics/Jackson Kayak athlete Ruth Gordon to compete in Lyons Outdoor Games

The folks at Smith Optics just notified me that Ruth Gordon will be both competing at this year's Lyons Outdoor Games and running a Paddle Pink clinic. Check out the blog in late May for an interview with Ruth and more information on her clinic. To read more you can visit Ruth's Website.

Excerpt and photo taken directly from Ruth Gordon's Website...

Ruth is known among fellow kayakers as having great style and finesse. ‘Where a lot of men can muscle through the moves, in general, women lack the brute strength and therefore have to have good technique.’ Her whitewater skills are matched only by her passion for the sport and her desire to impart her knowledge and ability to others. Born and raised near the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, Ruth has been kayaking for over 10 years and is currently the World Champion.

- Canadian Freestyle Kayak Committee (CFKC) Board Member

- Kayak Instructor since 2002

- International Kayak Guide: Chile, Mexico, Norway

- Featured athlete in Kayak Instructional Series (whitewater and sea kayaking)

- Other interests: hiking, mtn biking, sea kayaking, swimming, snowboarding, traveling, disk golf, yoga and playing with my dog Fiji

‘Ruth Gordon was the girl to beat looking like a computer model of what a freestyle boater should look like on the wave. Ruth was smooth as silk, and as effective at nailing one move after the next as a gymnast in a well practiced routine.’ – Eric Jackson, Four-time World Champion

‘Ruth Gordon what a display of style and finesse!! Ruth dominated the women’s class throughout the Canadian Cup with aerial blunts and back stabs.’ – Tanya Shuman

This blog sponsored by the Lyons Outdoor Games.

Fort Collins kayaking start to compete in Lyons Outdoor Games

Front Range kayaking adventurer Evan Stafford will compete at this year’s Smith Optics Lyons Outdoor Games, presented by Oskar Blues, a three-day, extreme multi-sport event held June 12-14 in the Town of Lyons, Colo. He brings more star power to an already celebrity-packed event.

“World-class competitors and spectators have flocked to the Games in recent years,” says Lyons Parks and Recreation Director David Cosgrove. “The Lyons Outdoor Games are like the TEVA Mountain Games, but they have a much more hometown, grassroots feel to them. We have the world’s best professional athletes competing—such as kayakers Tao Berman, Joe Keck, and Scott Shipley, as well as Evan.”

A resident of Fort Collins, the 29-year-old Stafford has spent the better part of the last decade checking out wild and scenic rivers in his kayak.

“My focus in kayaking has always been on exploration,” says the man who discovered his love for kayaking on the Cache la Poudre River. His love of new terrain led to his co-authoring of the guidebook, “Whitewater of the Southern Rockies,” which he wrote with Kyle McCutchen in 2007.

“We used the guidebook as an excuse to paddle every day in search of the best runs in the states of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah,” Stafford explains. He also used the book as a way to “contribute to the knowledge and conservation of the whitewater rivers in the Rockies.”



Giving back felt so good, he adds, that soon after writing the book, both he and McCutchen began volunteering with the Rocky Mountain Junior Kayak League, a group designed to promote proper stroke technique, river running strategy and swiftwater rescue skills in the kayaking youth of Colorado. The league consists of teams in Denver/Boulder, Fort Collins, Steamboat, Buena Vista, Vail, Glenwood Springs and Durango, and is growing every year.

“The focus is on fun and safety but we also have competitive meets, take the kids to whitewater festivals across the state and explore rivers outside of our team towns,” Stafford says, adding that he hopes to bring some of the kids to the Lyons Outdoor Games as well.

In addition to racing kayaks, and working with kids, Stafford recently began working in video production and web marketing. He is also working with American Whitewater to develop instream flow targets to help protect the ecological integrity and acceptable whitewater flows in negotiations over the future of the Upper Colorado River.

“It is the responsibility of each of us, as paddlers, to protect the watersheds which bring us so much happiness,” he says. “For many, including myself, kayaking is the fusion of sport and temple. Let's keep our place of worship clean.”
Stafford will compete in the creek boating event, which is held on the Class V waters of the South St. Vrain River. He is currently sponsored by Liquid Logic Kayaks and Werner Paddles, among others.

For more information or to chat with the athlete, please contact: Lizzy Scully, 303-903-2768, girlsed@gmail.com.