World-class cyclists work on Eagle cycling park

By Roger Phillips
Idaho Statesman
January 26, 2008

Professional riders are helping build a place fit for experts - and the casual cyclist.

Imagine Tony Hawk designing a local skateboard park, or Shaun White building a terrain park at Bogus Basin. It might seem far-fetched, but the equivalent happened in Eagle earlier this week.

Eric Carter, winner of 27 national championships in different biking competitions and a world championship in mountain cross, was behind the controls of a bulldozer and building a mountain-cross course as part of the Idaho Velodrome and Cycling Park at the Eagle-Ada Sports Complex. Randy Spangler, a free-rider sponsored by Santa Cruz bicycles and featured in the "Kranked" series of extreme mountain-biking DVDs, was roughing out a pump track and jump lines nearby.

Both work with Judd de Vall, another professional rider and trail designer who has developed trails and tracks around the world.

"We went out and found the best talent we could and brought them here," said Dave Beck of Boise, president of Idaho Velodrome and Cycle Park Association.

While mountain cross, pump track and jump lines aren't exactly household words in the Treasure Valley, they may be soon. Riders will get to experience them first-hand in the spring when the courses are completed. Until then, a quick explanation is in order. Despite their X-Games origins, these various courses don't require body armor or special bikes for each one. They're all designed to be ridden on a standard BMX or mountain bike, and you don't have to be a world-class rider to enjoy them.

"We're trying to make them safe, fun and challenging all at the same time," Spangler said.

The mountain-cross course (also known as four cross) is designed for a competition where four riders race downhill on a trail the width of a narrow road with a series of jumps, banked corners and sprint sections. But jumps are designed so you have the option of rolling over them or flying off of them, which makes them friendly for riders of all skill levels. Carter said he designed the course with "world-class flow" that emulated the courses ridden at international competitions, but with more user-friendly jumps. Even if you never plan to race, the public course looks like it is going to be a blast to ride. You take a short ride up an access road and drop in as it serpentines down the hill. Since it is a one-way, downhill course, you can ride it as fast as your nerves and skill can handle, and if you encounter a slower rider, there's plenty of room to pass.

"Good riders can have fun on this, and parents who have never ridden one can ride it and get the same feel," Carter said.

Jump lines are similar but much narrower and designed for a single rider at a time. There are three jump lines, one each for beginner, intermediate and expert riders. But even expert jumps are table tops instead of gap jumps, which means there's a level plateau between ramps so if you don't clear the space between ramps, you won't crash into the backside of the opposite ramp. If you lose your nerve before the ramp, you simply ride across the top of the jump and down the opposite ramp. The pump track is a short course with a series of rises and drops that are designed so you can ride the whole course without pedaling. The objective is to provide a full-body workout and learn bike-handling skills that you can use for technical riding where pedaling is not an option.

"It's a really good workout without turning the pedals," Spangler said. "And it's a lot of fun to ride, too."

The cycling park also includes a 5-mile, single-track trail similar to a Ridge-to-Rivers trail, so riders can get cruise it then come back and ride the different courses at the park. Carter said he's built numerous courses, but they're usually at ski resorts or race venues rather than in the suburbs.

"This is going to be a focal point for all the kids in the neighborhood, and that's super exciting," he said. "I wish this was in my hometown."

The park is a joint effort between Ada County, the city of Eagle and the Idaho Velodrome and Cycle Park Association. The park will eventually included an oval velodrome, a biking skills course, and other features. The goal is to have a world-class facility that will provide recreation for the average cyclist and a venue for competitive cyclists.

Carter said he came from a working-class family in California and was able to use his bike riding skills and determination to travel the world and compete in cycling events. He hopes that his work in Eagle will provide a similar opportunity for someone else. "If I can help one kid realize his dreams by doing something like this, then this will be a success to me," Carter said.