Posts tagged loop
One-of-a-kind, natural surface bike park to open June 11 in Boulder
Jun 6th
Media interview opportunities available in advance of Valmont Bike Park grand opening
What do you call 40 acres of twisting trails, mild to wild dirt, structural jumps, strategically-placed sand pits, logs, boulders and staircases? While off-road cyclists may soon call it, “Shangri La,” we call it, “Valmont Bike Park.”
Opening for the first time at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 11, the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department’s latest park development has already been hailed as an outstanding bike park by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA).
“Cyclists from around the nation will be totally floored by what they see,” said IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel. “Based on its many options for riding natural-surface trails, the diversity of both technical and non-technical features and the outstanding quality of the build, Valmont will be among the top venues in the country for this style of biking.”
The City of Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department will open the newly-developed park with a grand opening event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. The event will feature an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. with comments from council members, including Deputy Mayor Ken Wilson and Parks and Recreation Director Kirk Kincannon. Food and bicycle gear vendors, a cycling demonstration (on the park’s slopestyle features) and public riding in the park will round out the day’s activities. The event is free and open to the community.
The park contains a pump track, dual slalom and slopestyle riding loop as well as elements for a competition cyclo-cross course. The park also includes training and skill building trails, a toddler playground, event plaza, restrooms, parking and outstanding city and Flatiron views. Developed with the support and partnership of the local cycling community, Boulder Mountainbike Alliance (BMA) and organizations such as the PLAY Boulder Parks Foundation and Great Outdoors Colorado, the 40-acre Valmont Bike Park encompasses natural-surface amenities for multiple riding styles and skill levels.
“We are very excited to open this flagship park,” Kincannon said. “We invested in a collaborative partnership with BMA and the off-road cycling community to design and build this portion of Valmont City Park. The result is a park worthy of our internationally-recognized athletic community—one that will be a daily asset to local kids, families, riders and businesses and also attract events and riders from all over the country and the world.”
Note to Media: Media interviews with Parks and Recreation Department Director Kirk W. Kincannon will be available on a scheduled basis on June 7 and 8. The media is encouraged to attend the grand opening event on June 11. Please contact Shelly Ruspakka by June 7 at RuspakkaS@BoulderColorado.gov or 303-413-7214 to set up a media interview or to discuss plans for the opening event.
The bike park is currently closed due to allow completion of construction. The park will open to cycling on June 11. No footage of park use or demonstrations will be available until June 11.
Fourteenth Annual Circle Boulder by Bicycle to be held June 5
Jun 1st
Riders can register for free and start the ride for the 25-mile B-360 between 3 and 3:30 p.m. Those who want to participate in the shorter, 18-mile B-180 can register for free and begin the ride between 3:30 and 4 p.m. Participants who may need extra time for either ride can register at 2:30 p.m.
This year’s route will highlight the newly-completed underpass at 30th Street and two new path connections: on the west side of Foothills Parkway, connecting to the Goose Creek Path, and from 48th Street, connecting to the Boulder Creek Path. Participants will loop around Boulder using a linking network of paths, neighborhood streets and unpaved trails.
A free, post-ride party will take place at Scott Carpenter Park, where the ride began. The free party starts at 5 p.m.
Riders are reminded to carry water and wear appropriate gear, including a helmet. Participants must stay on trails and yield to other users. No dogs are allowed.
For more information, visit www.boulderwater.net and select “Projects & Programs,” then “Greenways,” or contact Annie Noble at 303-441-3242.
Coalton Trailhead, Meadowlark Trail grand opening to be held June 2
May 24th
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Transportation and Parks and Open Space departments, along with the Town of Superior, will celebrate the grand opening of the Coalton Trailhead and Meadowlark Trail on Thursday, June 2 at 3 p.m.
A ribbon-cutting will take place at the trailhead – located near the new roundabout intersection of McCaslin Boulevard and Coalton Road in Superior (map) – followed by a guided nature hike.
Amenities for the two-acre area include a shelter with two picnic tables, restrooms, bike racks, trash cans, a dog station, and an information kiosk. The parking lot accommodates 27 cars, two handicapped spaces and three horse trailers, one with horse hitching rails. The trailhead also includes native varieties of trees, shrubs and grasses.
The new 2.7-mile, multi-use Meadowlark Trail extends from the Coalton Trail at its south end to the Mayhoffer-Singletree Trail at the north end. This trail extension completes an approximately 10-mile loop that includes the City of Boulder’s Greenbelt Plateau, and Community Ditch and Cowdrey Draw trails that now connect to the Town of Superior and Boulder County trails. The project area includes the former route of the Morgul-Bismarck Loop of the Coors International Bicycle Classic from the 1980s. This new trail also provides a highly anticipated link to the City of Boulder’s Marshall-Mesa trails, and the county’s Rock Creek and Coal Creek trail systems.
Funding for the improved intersection, trailhead, and multiple phases of the trail system has come from the Boulder County Transportation Improvements sales tax, federal transportation funds distributed through the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ Transportation Improvement Program, and the Town of Superior. Planning was a joint effort of the county’s Transportation and Parks and Open Space departments.
The majority of the land provided for the trailhead and trails is Boulder County Open Space property purchased with Parks and Open Space sales tax funding, with additional parcels provided by Superior.
For more information, please visit the Coalton Trailhead web page.