From the Singletrack archive: this International Adventure feature first appeared in the Premier edition of Singletrack Magazine Issue 111 (2017). Words by Pauline Dieffenthaler, photography by Jérémie Reuiller.
What do enduro riders do between two North American legs of the Enduro World Series? They ride. Pauline Dieffenthaler takes up the tale in an Enid Blyton style.
You think that enduro racers rest between races, right? Or maybe they train hard? That might be the case if they were merely competitors with their eyes on the stopwatch, but lifelong chums Jérôme Clementz, Pauline Dieffenthaler and François Bailly-Maître aren’t just racers – they’re also driven by passion, an eye for a challenge and a love of adventure and nature.
There is no question of wasting time during a trip and twiddling their thumbs for two weeks between the Aspen and Whistler legs of the 2016 EWS. The fancy ski town of Aspen, Colorado, is in the middle of the Rocky Mountains and after studying the map of Aspen’s surroundings, Jérôme points out that the team is staying a mere couple of hours drive from Mount Elbert; at 4,401m the highest peak in Colorado. One of the fabled ‘Fourteeners’.
Not afraid of a challenge, and with that French penchant for conquering summits on mountain bikes, our three companions set off to attack Mount Elbert the day after the race, once they’ve carefully checked the route and worked out that it’s OK for bikes.
After a morning wandering round Aspen, they leave the Hollywood ambience of the place with its private jets, luxury hotels, gorgeous houses, lawns worthy of golf courses, vegetarian and gluten-free restaurants, and head first for Independence Pass and the staging point for tomorrow’s ascent.
This road pass at 3,687m allows them to swing down to Twin Lakes, the base camp for the ascent of Mount Elbert. The pass also marks the Continental Divide between the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific. Rain to the east will end up in the Atlantic and rain that falls on the west side of the slope will end up in the Pacific.
From up here the view is already exceptional, with lakes and forests in the valley which then give way to alpine landscapes above 3,000m.
Welcome to Twin Peaks?
The arrival at Twin Lakes marks a change in the American landscape. With the luxury of Aspen left far behind, they find themselves deep in the heart of America. A small gas station, a fake police car, a mini supermarket, car parts lying in front yards, and three small hotels. Of course, these are all full and our brazen adventurers, having booked nothing in advance, find themselves out on the street with the next little township 50km away. Not a very practical solution given that the start time for the ascent is scheduled for 4.30am.
But our adventurers are a resourceful bunch, and a few miles away they come across a cave-like B&B. This is, unfortunately, also full: August is high season with the Colorado Trail attracting walkers aiming to cross Colorado from north to south.
But they’re undeterred (and having few other options left), with plenty of persuasiveness they manage to convince the owner that they’d be happy with a simple roof to sleep under. At this point, he admits there is a dormitory but the bathrooms aren’t working. Never mind – they’ve already experienced worse and will have a rinse in the river instead of under a hot shower.
Once inside, they discover their quarters are more like a museum than a hotel, with collectors’ items strewn everywhere. The sunset on the shores of the lake allows them to take an admiring break before playing a ping-pong tournament to determine who will sleep in the double bed. François wins it hands down, having hidden the fact from his opponents that he was a table tennis player in his youth. A hastily eaten meal is found in town as they plan their expedition, and then to bed as they’ll be up in the early hours.
Rise and ride
The alarm rings at 3.50am, breakfast is gulped down as they prepare sandwiches and check the gear before driving the vehicle to the start of the trail, and they’re off.
At 4.30am it’s as black as night in the forest, and having brought no bike lights, they make do with torches strapped to their handlebars and a headlamp to tackle the start of the ascent.
They set off from 3,000m in an aspen forest where the path along the stream is impossible to see in the dark, but the noise of the water keeps them on the straight and narrow. After a relatively fast start, the gradient gets more severe and they have to push their bikes. In the dark, it’s difficult to tell how far they’ve come, and with the altitude they’re not moving fast, but continue to make steady progress. They’ve set a goal of getting to the treeline for sunrise at around 6.30am.
After 90 minutes of walking, the trees start to thin out before disappearing altogether – an ideal place to enjoy the sunrise while having a bite to eat. They all get out their phones to take souvenir photos of a sunrise at 3,800m, and wolf down a snack to give them strength before continuing the ascent which will definitely not get any easier.
With the altitude, there’s less oxygen, the gradient continues to kick up, and each step is an effort. It’s not easy to climb at this altitude on foot, so imagine what it’s like with a 13kg bike to transport. There are no complaints and everyone’s keen to reach the top, to appreciate the view but most of all to ride down the trail that appears to be perfect for bikes.
Top of the world
Nine o’clock and they’ve done it! Our three adventurers are at the top. They can enjoy a 360° view out onto the surrounding peaks. Looking down on them creates a fantastic perspective and the view onto the lakes they started from gives a taste of the long descent and fun to come. The whistling wind and the rapidly dropping temperature make it difficult to stay for too long or they might freeze to death… (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration). This is the only excuse they need to mount their shiny bikes and throw themselves down the sides of Mount Elbert, satisfied that they’ve pulled off a crazy stunt and brought their bikes to the roof of Colorado.
The fuel of success will always be the pleasure of reaching goals, with a dash of uncertainty to spice the whole thing up!
It will take them more than 30 minutes to get back to the car. Rocky terrain at the beginning gives way to a path snaking through the mountain pastures before they rejoin the pine trees. As they descend, the plant life gets increasingly dense until they reach the aspen forest at the edge of the lake. Our riders soon warm up again, they’re clearly delighted and also amazed that a trail at this altitude could be so suitable for bikes. In Europe, above 3,000m it’s rare to find paths that are as pleasurable as this is to ride on.
A bunch of high-fives, a beer and a burger are followed by a dip in the nearby river to finish their trip in style. The true spirit of mountain biking? You could say that.
This mission was a success from every angle and our heroes leave our adventure grinning from ear to ear, with heads full of memories and the satisfaction of breathing in some pure mountain air between two big competitions.
The fuel of success, whether in competition or on an adventure like our Julbo riders had, will always be the pleasure of reaching goals, with a dash of challenge and uncertainty to spice the whole thing up!
On this point, it is abundantly clear that a fine challenge is far better than a few days pacing up and down in an apartment, checking Instagram, and going nowhere.
