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SIUE Mountain Bike Trail

I'm a roadie, but every once in a while, I venture out on the trails on a mountain bike.

I bought my mountain bike in 1998, when I was living in North Carolina. I figured that because I lived in a state with great mountain bike trails, I would actually use the bike.

As it turned out, I never did make out to the Pisgah National Forest or the Tsali Trail. I only did some trails in the Burlington-Greensboro area. When I moved back to Illinois two years later, I pretty much ignored the mountain bike except for trips to the Katy Trail or the semi-annual trip to a St. Louis area trail.

Not surprisingly, I never have developed the skills needed to be a good mountain bike rider -- or even a mediocre one. I usually got discouraged about not being able to climb over fallen trees or big roots. As for V-ditches ... well, we'll get to those later.

But I think I finally found a good trail for me, the SIUE Mountain Bike Trail. The Gateway Off-Road Cyclists developed the course on the former site of the Mississippi River Festival on the northern part of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus.

I took my bike Wednesday afternoon to the trail. Although there is a map available, the map isn't very clear about how to get on the trail. Confusing the issue is the fact SIUE's cross country course also is on the former MRF site. I got the bike there, but I forgot to bring along my helmet and gloves. That meant I would be riding in a very conservative manner, and that was a good thing.

I wasn't quite sure where the trail was, but I ran into a more experienced mountain biker early, and he steered me in the right direction. That worked for a while, but I lost sight of the trail when it ran into the cross country trail. I took that trail until I found the Delyte Morris Bike Trail. I kept looking for the mountain bike trail, but I wound up taking the Morris trail through the main campus to the Bluff Road Trail developed by Madison County Transit.

I started heading up toward the MRF site again when I saw the same cyclist coming up from a singletrack trail linking to the Morris trail. He showed me the options, and I was on my way.

GORC says the trail is suitable for beginners and advanced riders. I agree. I took the trail slow and had no problem dealing with the tight twists and slight uphills and downhills. A more experienced and aggressive ride can make the trail more difficult simply by riding faster.

Wednesday truly was a great day to take on the trail. The trail was dry, and there were few roots sticking up in the trail, making it a fairly smooth ride. By contrast, the trails I rode in North Carolina had plenty of roots and loose rock to make things tricky for a novice rider.

Because I didn't have a helmet I didn't take on the bigger roots or the fallen trees. And I definitely didn't take on the V-ditch on the northern part of the trail.

Flashbacks to my V-ditch experience on the Lake Macintosh Trail near Burlington, N.C., kept popping in my head. I made the mistake of trying to handle a V-ditch the same way I handle a rolling hill on a road bike. The speed I built going downhill caused the bike to compress as I went up the V-ditch. I fell, and the handlebar bruised my right ribs, causing great pain for several weeks thereafter. I have never overcome my fear of V-ditches.

Because the SIUE trail is so well-suited for beginners, I will return and hopefully build my skills so I will be more comfortable clearing trees and roots. Perhaps I even will get over my fear of V-ditches!

By the way, GORC is constructing ever more multi-use singletrack trail at SIUE. The group will have workdays on Oct. 15, Nov. 19 and Dec. 3, with a special work day for bike shop employees on Nov. 10. The work will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day and includes a free lunch and giveaways. Tools will be provided, but it would be helpful if you have limb loppers, leather work gloves or boots.

And, yes, there will be a group ride following each workday.

Roger 0 comments 1:42 AM