mwnovak wrote:Hi all. Haven't done much mountain biking since moving to Michigan (from California) two years ago, but I made it over to Anderson this past Friday. Did two loops each on blue, red, and green. Minor branches down here and there (moved most of them, though I expect the wind brought more down this weekend). And of course everything was covered in a layer of damp leaves: made the trail a bit hard to find/follow in places (particularly on the green loop where it first turns south), and things were a bit slick/squirrely through some of the twisties.
Question about trail etiquette around here: how late into the season can we usually ride these trails before there's a risk of tearing/rutting them up? Didn't seem to be an issue yet, but I'm wondering for the coming weeks.
Mostly I wanted to post and say that I had a blast riding out there! I understand the comments above about wanting faster/flowing lines--more than anything, this is what I miss from the riding back home--but at the same time I think Anderson presents a fun challenge: there is flow out there, but it's broken up with sections that have to be worked through at a walking pace. From what I saw, "being fast" on those loops (if fast is what you want) comes down to knowing which is which and really seizing every opportunity to crank the pedals when you can. It's just not a place that rewards complacency, if that makes sense, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Anyway, I'm stoked that these trails are ~15min from my house, and I hope to get a few more rides out there before the snow comes.
--Matt
Glad you enjoyed the ride. You should have no issue riding the trails throughout the fall. If we get very heavy rains you might want to give it a day or two dry. Once you get to know the place, you will be moving much quicker through the slower sections. You are right that if you want to go fast you can't be complacent. It is all about acceleration and cornering. I find I use more body english on the trail at Anderson more than any other location I have ridden.
The trails in the Mid-State area will be greatly different than any thing in Cal. We have very small parks that require some creative layout to have anything more than a couple mile trail. I believe most trials in Cal. are in much larger open spaces allowing for a little more open flow. Not all trail systems in Mich. are like this, it is just the situation we have in the MidState area.
Come out and join us for the group ride on Thursday evenings.
