August 28, 2023 by patmccloskey

The B Team Bringing Their A Game

You know, Pittsburgh is a beautiful city. And to see it from the seat of a bicycle along with riding to and through all the beautiful city parks is something very special. Cyclo X is the brainchild of Aaron Shafer who started this ride a number of years ago and it has increased in popularity. Aaron’s route changes each year for variety but for the most part, it encompasses all the parks with some mixed surfaces like road, gravel, and of course singletrack trails.

The founder of Cyclo X- Aaron Shafer. A Team Leader

The start at the Grist House Brewery – Millvale, Pa.

The ride can be done on a gravel bike, but the preferred bike would be a mountain bike. No chance on a road bike. There are some fairly technical trails in the city parks especially the Emerald Trails up on Mount Washington where having a mountain bike is an advantage. Sure, gravel bikes can be used, but unless you have some pretty superb technical skills, you really are better off riding a mountain bike which is fine on all surfaces.

This year the route began on the North Shore trail and made its way through the Northside up to the first park on the menu- Riverview. After an insanely steep climb from Woods Run to the top of Riverview, the groups were tested early. There are two groups- the A group consisting of mostly younger guys and gals who are still racing and riding at a high level.( I have socks older than them). And the rest of us, the B group, with less mileage and climbing. Everything is up from the rivers and thus the vertical challenge. The A group ride is usually 70-80 miles and over 5000 feet of climbing, the B group is around 50+ miles and over 4000 feet of climbing. Nonetheless, a challenge for either group.

From Riverview, the groups make their way to Point State Park and out to Oakland near the Pitt and CMU campuses. Riding your bike along the roads of Oakland and the Southside is interesting because you tend to see things and neighborhoods where you might not ordinarily go. But the real challenge was ahead on the climb to Mt. Washington.

The Shark making his way over the water.

Many people don’t realize that you can take singletrack trails all the way from the Southside up to the top of Mt. Washington. These lead to the Emerald Trails which yielded some really nice views of the city, but things get tight and technical real fast. And they are off camber making you pay close attention so as not to plummet over the hillside. All of this is rewarded with a lunch at Redbeard’s which is an annual affair. Sitting outside, both groups gather together for a quick lunch before hammering the Emerald Trails back down to the Southside and once again out to Oakland to complete the route through Frick, Schenley, and Highland parks. Frick Park has some technical riding and again, a mountain bike is preferred.

CMU Campus with University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning in the background.

It is always amazing to me to see the kindness and friendliness of Pittsburghers. I needed some water and we saw these guys in Hazelwood sitting on their porch. Mike Connors, our attentive leader on the ride, asked them if we could get some water and they brought out bottles of cold water from their fridge. They were interested in where we started and would end up and were so engaging with our group. Pittsburghers are like that and even though most of us don’t spend much time in Hazelwood, we were grateful to the guys on the porch.

The annual lunch stop- Redbeard’s Mount Washington.

Our MVP Wesley on a vintage Rob Vandermark Merlin titanium frame – single speed. Tough climbing on a single speed. Not the burliest tires either.

The B group bringing their A game to Mt. Washington.

After about 6 and half hours of riding, our group made it back to the Grist House for a well deserved beer. The A group was still out but we all were satisfied with the effort that we made, and it was time to relax savoring another Cyclo X. These events tend to bring people together maybe that have never met or perhaps not seen each other in a long time. I was encouraged that it seemed to go well this year even though I was starting to wonder if I was a little “long in the tooth” for this event. But with the fellowship of friends, the beautiful weather, and the really scenic route, I am committed to do this ride until I can’t pedal. After all, I was the oldest rider at Cyclo X. Plus, Pete Hilton would never let me quit attending.

Steve Gurtner of B group bringing their A game fame.

Steve Gurtner, Mark” the Shark” Sauers, and Robb Alarcon- friends in winter and summer.

The nice thing about these kinds of events is that they are memorable for a number of reasons. One of them being a comeback for a guy who had some setbacks last year. The Shark had A fib issues and wondered if he would ever ride at a high level again. But with a lot of prayer, good medical attention, and some serious fortitude, Mark ” the Shark” Sauers, came back to ride strong this year and strong in this year’s version of Cyclo X. In fact ,he rode some extra miles, well, because he could. Stories of the ride, the mishaps, the fun and the climbs, all abounded at the Grist House after the ride and Cyclo X 2023 is now in the books. Hoping that Aaron puts together another interesting route next year. If you have any interest in a really fun but challenging ride, check Facebook for next year’s event. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to be a follower on the page. http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me a lot.

September 13, 2017 by patmccloskey

Hot Time in the City

I have ridden my mountain bike in a lot of great places in this country. California, Moab,the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, but I have to tell you , last Saturday was one of the best days on the bike- ever! Aaron Shafer put together a ride to and through all the city parks in Pittsburgh,Pa. my home town. Don Cunningham encouraged me along with some others to attend. Aaron is the fit guy in the red jersey who had the bright idea and we all met at his instruction at the Grist House Brewery in Millvale, Pa at 8:00 A.M. After a cruise on the bike path along the Allegheny River accompanied by the early morning scull crews, we ascended Federal Street- one of the steeper climbs in the city to the entrance of Riverview Park. Now, the 25 or so riders had a variety of different bikes for the occasion. Guys showed up with road bikes but had no chance of riding a trail with them. Aaron, who is a skilled rider, had a cross bike along with some others. A good choice but personally, I was happy I had my mountain bike for many reasons including comfort with fat tires, dual suspension, and upright bar positioning. Lots of others had the same idea. Riding the technical trails of Riverview was a treat with the dry conditions.

Moving on to the North Shore Trail by way of Woods Run, we made our way across the river and rode around the beautiful fountain that is the showpiece of our Golden Triangle. The group pedaled along to the historic South Side with the intent of eventually making our way up Mt. Washington. We lost some folks along the way with that news and the group split with some of the hardier riders taking a twisty technical trail to the top of Mt. Oliver to Mt. Washington, while the rest pedaled the long climb up 18th Street. I have lived here most of my life but have never known there were beautiful parks on Mt. Washington with incredible views of the city. Emerald Park was one of them and we rode perfectly manicured trails and gravel paths with a stop for lunch at Red Beards Bar and Grill.

One of the cool things about Pittsburgh is the emergence of little outdoor cafes that are indigenous to the neighborhoods that surround the city. Red Beards is one of them and sitting outside at a table with a view of their outdoor “beach bar” was a relaxing experience. So much so, that I parted from my usual long ride protocol and had a cold draft with a sandwich to fuel the balance of the ride. After some further attrition due to family obligations, some of the guys departed after our visit to the mount. After a rapid descent down McArdle Roadway to the Southside, we made an additional stop at the OTB Cafe where I remarked to the young lady tending bar that a lot of us were patrons of the OTB in North Park. She said, ” Oh I see, you guys made a visit to the gritty, grimy OTB?” We laughed, I pounded a Coke with a lime, and we proceeded to climb into Panther Hollow near the University of Pittsburgh campus. Assembling at the iconic Phipps Conservatory, we made our way through the scenic trails of Schenley Park and Frick Park. Both of these parks are well ridden and maintained by city mountain bikers and offer some technical terrain that rivals any city park in the country.

After further attrition due to the fact that it was now about 6:00 PM, we were down to 8 riders to which Mark,” the Shark” Sauers, remarked, ” Hey – I made it to the elite 8.” We all laughed and although Aaron and Fred Fischer took an additional trail as the rest of us took a breather at the bottom of Frick, we all made our way to Highland Park for the final city park visit. Riding with the cool breeze and realizing that the fabulous day was coming to a close, we exited Highland Park and as Aaron and Fred took one more climb up Stanton Avenue which is one of the climbs on the famous “Dirty Dozen” ride of Danny Chew fame. The rest of us booked down Butler Street to cross the bridge back to the brewery.

Interestingly, the emergence of cafes, restaurants, and new places of business is evident as you make your way through Lawrenceville. Once a declining, post industrial neighborhood, the resilient community has emerged as one of the more trendy neighborhoods in the city and what better way to investigate all it has to offer than from the seat of a bicycle. Pittsburgh is no longer the dirty, dusty, steel town of old. Continually rated as one of the better places to live in the country for many reasons,our city parks tour could be an attraction to the outdoor set visiting or contemplating relocation.

At 7:00 PM with approximately 60 plus miles of road, gravel roads and trails, and 5700+ vertical feet of climbing behind us, the beers at the Grist House sure were tasty and the food trucks, which are a hallmark of the new style breweries popping up in town, had ample fare to satisfy the hunger of the Shafer riders.

Moral of the story, get on your bike and investigate your city. You will see things you never knew existed and if you come to Pittsburgh, get on a mountain bike and go for a ride. The city of three rivers will surprise you. Thanks for reading.

Photos courtesy of Mark “the Shark” Sauers and Pat McCloskey.

May 6, 2015 by patmccloskey

” Shredding the Gnar” – in the city.

Don’t you just love that hilarious term- “shredding the gnar?” Originally it was an expression of the ski, snowboard, mountain bike set when they set out of some radical run where peril and intimidation were around every corner. Now it is a term that is used in tongue and cheek when we all do something radical or radical in our minds. ” Yea man- we were shredding the gnar today, dude.” Hilarious and everybody laughs. Well this is a story of “shredding” in the city.
Most mountain bike adventures are, well, in the mountains. Adventures out west, in far away places in the mags, and our own personal adventures in remote locations. But mountain biking can be enjoyed wherever there is a trail and many city/county locations have some pretty interesting trail systems managed by city and county government. Several come to mind in my experience. http://www.ocgov.com describes the Orange County, California managed trails in the Laguna Coast Wilderness just above Laguna Beach, CA. Great trail system which I described in my post from May 19, 2013 in the archives. Check it out. Tiger Mountain is part of the Issaquah, Washington managed system described in http://www.singletracks.com. Great trails within easy driving distance from Seattle. Golden, Colorado manages an extensive hiking and mountain biking system- http://www.cityofgolden.net. A lot of these trails are in fairly remote locations but within city and county governance. But most people would not know that there are some really enjoyable trails right within the limits of some major cities.
Wissahickon Park is part of the famous Fairmont Park in Philadelphia. It has an extensive trail network with some pretty technical riding. The amazing thing about this park is that when you are “shredding” the technical there, you would think that you are in a tropical forest. The only clue that you are near a major city is the traffic noise that you hear from the Schuykill Expressway. ( Surekill Expressway). . Ride this extensive system and peddle out to the Fairmont section and run up the art museum steps like Rocky. Or better yet- try to ride the steps. 🙂 Moving west to my neck of the woods are the parks managed by the city of Pittsburgh. http://www.pittsburghparks.org Most of the riding is in two of the more famous parks. Riverview Park for one, is one of the older parks but has an extensive trail system which curiously drains really well. It is the park to ride in the winter and after a rain storm. Most of the trails are on a shale bed which aids in the drainage and can be enjoyed at all times of the season. The picture you see here is of my Saturday morning group with the famous Allegheny Observatory in the background. This facility was founded in 1859 and still serves as a major research facility for the University of Pittsburgh in the Astronomy curriculum. Lots of well maintained gardens line the trails and walkways and again, you would never know that you were well within the city limits of Pittsburgh.
Frick Park- the largest park in Pittsburgh has a rich history with the Frick family who donated the land. Very technical riding in this park especially in wet weather. If you can survive some of the downhills and sidehill off camber riding – you have definitely “shredded the gnar” in one of the more centralized parks in the city limits. Interestingly, this is also a favorite park for night riding in the winter because the trails tend to be well used by city mountain bikers, hikers, dog walkers, so the snow tend to be packed rather quickly and the trails are rideable most of the winter despite the snowy conditions that may exist in the suburbs.
In the old days, we used to do night rides and connect some of the city parks. ” Shredding the Gnar” might include some railroad crossings within city limits, busways( we almost got arrested one night for trespassing on the busway- (another story another time), or perhaps some large culverts under the parkways and city streets which tended to be, well, gnarly. Urban riding includes streets, tunnels, busways, railroad tracks with missing wooden boards on the riding surface next to the tracks- gnarly to say the least when your front wheel drops in. All of these features interconnecting to the city parks trail systems lead to a rather enjoyable riding experience that most people would not think is available to “mountain bikers.”
So, the next time you are in a major city, do some investigating and see if there are trail systems managed by the city or county. Chances are there is some real “gnar” that can be enjoyed and an exciting time can be had riding well within an urban setting. Mountain bikes are not just for mountains. Thanks for reading.