Day Five. Our group, which was solidly mixed in ability and origin, pedaled up the East Fork of Baker Creek, 20 miles north of Ketchum. The steady road was lined with lupine, an electrifying blend of yellow, white and lavender. Cloud cover was good, definitely welcome in early July. Before getting to some punchy single-track, which will drain us then drop us into Adam’s Gulch, we break on an open ridge. I faced west and stared into the Smokey Mountains, endlessly faceted, while catching my breath. Others are looking down, chattering about their geared toys, machines that are nearly as abundant in detail as the surrounding ridgelines. Everyone is smiling broadly.
We had signed on for the morning’s “Local Stoker,” one in a series of five free-guided epic rides hosted by the Wood River Bike Coalition (WRBC) for the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival. Today’s body-bender was Fox Peak, a strenuous and technical 22-miler through quintessential Idaho backcountry—meadows of wildflowers, burnt-out lunar forests and boundless, curving trail. A must-do. The only holdup on most occasions is finding a shuttle back to Baker Creek, since the ride wraps up back in Ketchum. The 3rd annual Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival, however, made a point of fixing such hitches; throughout the week, biking (and bike spectating) was made easier, better.
For Fox Peak, as well as the other "Local Stokers" (Red Warrior to Greenhorn Gulch, Greenhorn to Cow Creek, Curly’s and Edge of the World), WRBC had secured a bus and a van to deliver our bodies and bikes, separately I might add, to the trailhead. What’s more is that Ninkasi Brewing, one the Festival’s lead sponsors, promised beer to all following the voluntary beatdown. So, four hours later, sprawled next to my compatriots, I brought the brewery’s oh-so-summery Radiant Ale to my lips with a grin. The ride had indeed been hearty, but, we all agreed, the perfect way to spend the morning.
As for that afternoon, even more was in store. Festival volunteers had cordoned off three downtown blocks for the Ketchum Criterium, which proved to be the preeminent spectator event of the week. Organized in conjunction with the local Farmer’s Market, the crit race was a scene for the ages (and for foodies). Races went off at 3pm and culminated in a thrilling pro event, which, like the storm clouds that threatened all week yet hardly delivered, appeared relentlessly on the verge of thunderous disaster. Ultimately, though, only one rider went down, swept by the peloton to the outside and into a blockade. The survivors, faces clenched, bent deftly around the corner and back to the inside. The race and week would remain unspoiled by serious injury.
Understandably, skill was in no short order during this year’s Bike Festival. Bookending the constant calendar of events—which also included the Idaho State Pump Track Championships (July 2), the Hailey 4th of July Criterium (July 4) and a Kid’s MTB race (July 5)—were two very different, but very high-caliber races.
Opening the Bike Festival was the much-anticipated Sun Valley Super Enduro, a four-stage race hosted on Saturday and Sunday. If you’re not familiar with the enduro format, it consists of timed stages, mostly downhill, with untimed “liaison” sections between the descents. While undeniably grassroots, the Super Enduro had its share of notorious pro riders, such as Mark Weir, Carl Decker and Geoff Kabush. It also was heavy on local talent, including Adam Greene and Jordan Carr, who finished 5th and 7th, respectively. In the end, the Super Enduro was a sign of Sun Valley’s ability to host an independent, quality race, one with a deep talent pool and filled with plenty of local enthusiasm. Hyped as it was, in part because of local organizer Greg “Chopper” Randolph’s many industry connections, Bike Magazine even dropped in to cover the shenanigans.
At the opposite end of both the week and racing spectrum were USA Cycling’s (USAC) Marathon Championships. If the Super Enduro was Sun Valley’s fun-loving toddler, the championship race was its masochistic, gutsy grey-beard, boarding in town on a two-year contract. With a course that circled Bald Mountain twice, for a grueling 40 miles, the marathon race was an impressive feat of strength and endurance (especially for those fanatics riding single-speeds!). It was also an exercise in imagination for spectators, who, having gathered around the River Run base area, were only able to take in three quick moments: start, completion of the first lap and finish. For the remaining 2 hours and 45 minutes (which wasTodd Wells' winning time—Pua Mata won the women’s race with in 3 hours 24 minutes), the crowd was obliged to conjure up scenarios of hill-climbs on the backside and loose double-track along the traverse.
Perhaps, like me, they spent the afternoon filling those voids with memories from their own rides that week. Day Four riding Prairie Creek. Day Five on Fox Peak. Day Six… recovering. Day Seven in Adam’s Gulch. For although the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival was certainly founded on racing—its skeleton for the last three years having been the USAC events—all that which so successfully filled out the day-to-day was its spirit, the daily rides and a shared love of bikes. At the Bike Festival’s heart was a unified, popular mood, one that brought fifteen strangers together to grind up Fox Peak on a “Local Stoker.” Now, almost week later, I can say that that goal was realized, as I’m still stoked, and pondering which of Sun Valley’s 400 miles of single track I should ride this afternoon.
