No Sweat
Bikers ride to off-road thrills, spills
Enthusiasts blaze trails in Lawrence bike races
By Tyler Wirken
Special section reporter
When thinking of exploring back-woods trails, most people automatically think of places like Colorado, Utah and California. But Lawrence offers excellent off-road bilding areas.
Two well-known areas for biking in Lawrence are Clinton Lake State Park and the Kansas River levee trails.
Both areas are single-track dirt trails, but the levee trails are reported to be easier. The Clinton Lake trails are off Clinton Parkway and Douglas County Road 13, and the levee trails are off Second and Elm streets behind the Lawrence Factory Outlet Mall.
"I bought my bike for fitness and fun, but I really enjoy off-road biking," said Jeremiah Johnson, Clearwater junior. "I love the fact that every ride is different and the incredible adrenaline rush you get when you ride, especially at the Clinton Lake trails."
Mike Cambest, owner of Terraplane Bike Shop, 916 Massachusetts St., offered an alternative to trail riding. He said that not enough people were taking advantage of gravel-road riding.
"People need to just take off their watches and bike computers and get lost for a few hours," Cambest said.
Lawrence offers many opportunities for unleashing a competitive spirit. The National Off-Road Bicycle Association is holding two races of the 1995 Kansas Mountain Bike Challenge at Clinton State Park. The first race will be held Sept. 24 and will feature single-track events, with both beginner and expert classes. The second race will be Oct. 15. All proceeds will go toward building handicapped-accessible picnic and camping facilities at the park.
Other racing activities in Lawrence include the Phi Psi 500, sponsored by Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and a race at the levee sponsored by the Lawrence Mountain Bike Club.
The Phi Psi 500 will be in October and is open to all mountain bike enthusiasts. In the past, proceeds for the Phi Psi 500 have gone to the Jenny or Any Foundation for Leukemia.
The Lawrence Mountain Bike Club race will be Nov. 5. The club focuses on racing but also donates time to maintaining Lawrence trails.
For information about the National Off Road Bicycle Association Mountain Bike Challenge, call Curtis Martell at 843-5118. For information about other rides in Lawrence, contact Terraplane Bike Shop at 841-6642. For information about the Phi Psi 500, contact Brad Looney at 838-3835.
KANSAN
→ Hill * September 13, 1995
Planet Lawrence
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