THE ULYSSES of MOUNTAIN BIKING
Shortly after Christmas, a friend of mine returned from Pisgah with tales of a man who was traveling the country in a renovated delivery van to mountain bike the states. Struck by the purity if such an endeavor, I set out to find this character. I had to find out more. After asking some of the local riders, I was able to track down this Phantom later that week. It wasn't easy, but I caught up with Craig Bierly the day he left the North Carolina Mountains as he had just pulled into a primitive campsite somewhere in South Carolina. You can follow his epic adventure online at R U Nuts Adventures MTB Resource: Craig, you have the words, "Mountain Biking The States" plastered on the back of your van. What is Mountain Biking The States? Craig: It's a trip I'm taking which focuses on riding my Mountain Bike in all states of the lower 48. MTB Resource: How did you come up with the idea? Craig: Well, I've been riding Mountain Bikes since 1985. These were the old bikes with no suspension and bear trap pedals. I have spent a lot of time in the back country Skiing, Mountain Biking, Backpacking and generally being outdoors. But I had not been Mountain Biking further East than Fruita and I wanted to see what the rest of the country had to offer. When you travel like this, when you roam, you need a purpose, a reason to move to the next place. For me, Mountain Biking the States is that reason. Hitting all the states gives me that focus. MTB Resource: How long will you be on the road riding trails? Craig: I have no home to go back to. I have a place and that is Spokane, Washington, but I sold my house and parted with most of my possessions. I left Spokane on July 19th, 2008. MTB Resource: Wow. So you've done a lot of planning. Craig: Sure. Not only for the trip, but for the rides too. I use my laptop and wireless data card sometimes 2 to 3 hours a day to research local clubs, trails, and bike shops. I map out the rides beforehand and usually am able to meet people at the trailheads. Not many group rides though, usually just talking to people in the area or on the trail. MTB Resource: Where have you been so far? Craig: I've done 33 states on this journey so far. Left Spokane, rode Idaho and Montana. Rode Vernal in Utah, then Teton Pass in Wyoming. Spent three weeks in Colorado, including Fruita and Durango. Rode a place called Chadron in the Northwest corner of Nebraska. Did two days on the 96-mile epic Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota and the Pipestem Reservoir. Rode throughout the Upper Midwest, including three rides in Michigan. To the Northeast in New York State, New Hampshire, Maine and the private Kingdom Trails in Vermont. Then down through New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Rode the Dolly Sods in West Virginia and Cave-run in Kentucky. Most recently, I have been in Tennessee and North Carolina, including Pisgah. MTB Resource: How are the trails different from place to place? Craig: Aside from the terrain and topography, the geology is different. I mean the rocks are different and that really matters. In the inland Northwest where I am from, we have a lot of Basalt, and that can be like riding on ball bearings. Much of the Mississippi River Basin is relatively free from big rocks. Trails in the Northeast and the East in general are more technical and slower. There are a lot of roots, but they're different roots than out West. Many of the trails out West are hiking trails built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp), and tend to be more open. In the East things are tight and there are a lot of fallen leaves to obscure what lies beneath on the trail, and to slip on. MTB Resource: What's your favorite trail so far? Craig: Well, the hand built trails are definitely more exciting than many of the machine cut trails. Similar to taking the backroads versus the Interstates, as I try to do. Blue Mountain in Peekskill, New York is a notable trail. It has big rocks, lots of trees and very tight turns. It's very technical, but also very rideable.
Craig: Yes, West Virginia was very rocky. It beat me up. I had read about it, but it was incredibly rocky. I guess I was also surprised coming out of Colorado into the Great Plains and Midwest, because there is some good riding there. Some of the private land actually allows locals to have more freedom with the kind of trails they build. MTB Resource: Have you had to change your riding style from place to place? Craig: Yes, definitely. The West has long climbs where you can get into a rhythm, and it has open singletrack and the rides cover great distances lasting several hours. The East has less land and more trees which make for tighter, slower riding, but definitely more technical. MTB Resource: How are the bikes people ride different from place to place? Craig: Full suspension until you get to the Midwest, where they still ride hardtails with two inches of fork travel. I show up with my 5 1/2 - inch travel bike and it's overkill there. Then as you get to the rocky New England trails, it's full suspension again. Most people are riding 26-inch bikes. Not a lot of 29ers anywhere that I have seen. A few, but not many. MTB Resource: Are the Mountain Bikers pretty much the same from place to place? Craig: Yea, I seem to run into a lot of Engineers. Some doctors, but overwhelmingly professional people. I haven't had a "bum" ride. They've all been enjoyable. MTB Resource: Cool. Tell us about your bike. Craig: It's a 2007 Turner 5 Spot with a Fox Talas 140 in the front and 5 1/2 inches in the rear. SRAM X9 rear derailleur, Formula K24 brakes with 8-inch front and 6-inch rear rotors, Race Face external bearing bottom bracket, Easton carbon fiber bars, King headset, and Mavic rims with Maxxis Advantage 2.1-inch tires. MTB Resource: Nice setup. How about your other ride, the one with four wheels? Craig: That's a mid-sized 2006 Dodge Sprinter Van customized for the odyssey. It has five feet by ten feet of living space in the rear with a kitchenette, 2 burner stove, sink, water tank, large refrigerator, propane heater, and a stowaway Murphy bed on hinges. Oh, and a friend built custom, handmade oak cabinets for me. I've put 16,000 miles on her since I left.
Craig: Very good. I'm actually riding as much as I would be at home anyway. I keep a training log, including the mileage for each of my components and replace them at the necessary intervals. Especially my chain (every 300 miles) and brake pads. This sort of regular maintenance prevents a lot of disasters. MTB Resource: What advice might you have for anyone contemplating an epic adventure on their Mountain Bike, whether for 2 days or 2 months? Craig: Start with a good bike, have a plan and research your rides, but TALK TO PEOPLE. If you show up somewhere and cannot get what you are looking for, then ask for something else. Someone, a local rider, a bike shop or a Forest Ranger, might know of another place to ride or camp. And know where to find a good shower. Health clubs are good. I even found a good one in a laundromat recently. The point is that you don't have to spend a lot of money. I don't do this in any form of comfort. I sleep for free in USFS no fee, primitive camping areas or urban area parking lots. It's dirtbag camping.
Craig: Yes. The IMBA is a great overall resource for trail building and trail advocacy, but there are also a lot of local groups and clubs well equipped to make the best of each trail and riding scene. Every situation is unique. MTB Resource: Finally, how can someone find out more about your odyssey and follow your adventure? Craig: www.RUNutsAdventures.com I have been able to collect lots of ride data on this trip, which I share with anyone who is looking for ideas or info on rides. Just go to the Ride Data section.
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