Flagstaff Bruathlon

Andy and I have come up with a new sport. It's definitely better than a grueling Triathlon. First leg: drink some microbrews - preferably in a cool town at high altitude. Second leg: go for a wild mountain bike ride into the mountains - preferably with a high-speed downhill spin. Third leg: repeat Leg #1.

It might not be any less dangerous or energy-sapping than a duathlon or triathlon, but definitely more fun! Just having a good high-octane microbrew at altitude is enough to sap most of our energy and make us dopey.

Following it up with a bike ride re-energizes you at the same time it takes everything you have left. The waitress at the Beaver Street Brewery said that the mountain biking in Snowbowl is "easy". So we went there, met up with another biker who said that the Schultz Creek Trail is a long 3 1/2-mile, steady grind uphill with a nice downhill, or we could make a loop with several other trails of varying technical levels. We chose the out-and-back on Schultz.

This Idahoan used the best words to describe the downhill ride..."killer" and it "keeps you right on the edge". It was a blast. If the uphill hadn't almost blown out our lungs going from 7,200' elevation to 7,800' elevation (with a beer in us), we would've done it again becuse the downhill was such a trip.
But I learned a lesson on this ride: don't squeeze the back brakes harder than the front. The back wheel will slide sideways most likely clipping the biggest rock in the trail and sending you over and into a tree. Ouch! Only minor bruising and scrapes reported.

We finished our Bruathlon with a stop at the Flagstaff Brewing Company. We got our kicks on Route 66 watching the 5-engine freight trains pass us by.

Side Note: Schultz Creek was part of the Coconino Nat'l Forest - Peaks District. There are tons more trails to do surrounding Flagstaff.