By Jim Clonts
Photos by Monique Beeley

“Bring your bike!” I tell them. It’s not like they can’t ride at home but I always imagine that Cache Valley road cycling just has to be better than wherever they usually ride...and I’d bet I’m seldom wrong. Whether friends come here from St.George or Salt Lake, Durango or Denver, Bend or Boise...our little farm roads are just too good to pass up!

Sure, there’s a little bitter winter cold...a little chilly spring rain...but these only serve to further accentuate the endless summer evenings and golden fall afternoons that fill our cycling souls here in “Happy Valley”.

OK...I hear you saying “what about mountain biking...I’ve seen those mountains there?” It’s still my first love for sure but what with the red-hot road scene here, tons of events and participation, countless miles of little-traveled farm roads to explore and the “ride-from-home” ease that road cycling brings...well, the off-road scene just sort of takes a backseat sometimes, so to speak...more on this later.

About those events… not everyone needs group participation to enjoy their ride but who among us can say they never need a full-blown-bleed-out-your-eyeballs race to motivate and test us? So, to accommodate you shin-shavers, how about the now famous Cache Valley Biathlon (no gun required...just bring your running shoes) or the “Joyride thru Sherwood Hills” Intermountain Cup mountain bike race in the spring or the Bear Lake Classic stage race or the Utah State Championship Road Race near mid-summer or the legendary LOTOJA, Logan-to Jackson Race in the fall? And for a weekday mix-in, how about a time trial or a TNR (Tuesday Night Ride...or Race) organized by the Logan Race Club?

Or, if you find yourself with nothing to prove, why not enjoy a casual get-together ride with a few thousand of your cycling friends to raise money for a great cause...like the MS 150 or the scenic Cache Valley Century (thanks CV Veloists!) You just might enjoy a little friendly gossip along the way...something like “I can’t believe he’s actually...a). wearing that! Or often, b)... riding that!” or “Watch out for that crazy recumbent guy!”...Something like that.

What’s that...you want to know my favorite rides? I thought you’d never ask! I tend to enjoy the long, rambling (kinda like my writing), find-a-Coke-machine-you-haven’t-seen-before rides and Cache Valley has plenty to offer in that regard.

First, anything in the north end of the valley is fantastic. Preston, Weston, Dayton, Egypt, Lewiston, Cove and Cornish and every little farm road in between. I still have many to explore in various combinations and I’ve never been disappointed. Napoleon Dynamite fans (and everyone else for that matter) should never miss a chance to stop for a cold drink or a lottery ticket at La Tienda in Franklin (Idaho, of course. No gambling in Utah!)...I recommend it.

Conversely, I always enjoy riding south, as well. The Little Pyrenees ride, as we call it, includes great views, a few rolling hills and a dam crossing at Hyrum Reservoir...dam fun, I always say. And who can resist adding a few extra miles by continuing on up Blacksmith Fork Canyon...all the way to Hardware Ranch if you feel like it.

All right, west is good, too. Riding around the Wellsville Mountains...terrific! Well, depending on wind conditions and your choice of clockwise or counter-clockwise directions, sometimes it can be more terrific than others. Getting caught in an afternoon downpour in Sardine Canyon? Exhilarating. The belch following a 20oz. Dr. Pepper in Brigham City? Priceless. Back in the valley, combine your cycling and bird watching habits anywhere along the marshlands of the Bear River. Personally, I don’t know a Black-bellied Plover from a Long-billed Curlew but I enjoy the opportunity to see them all, nonetheless. Just watch out for potholes while you’re gazing overhead!

You guessed it; the east completes our encompassing tour of the valley. Logan Canyon tends to be filled to overflowing with trailer-hauling-diesel-trucks on weekends but weekday rides are still great. Add in a trip to Tony Grove Lake for some exquisite alpine climbing or continue on and circle beautiful Bear Lake.

Finally, we come to mountain biking. Let me just state right from the beginning that Logan Canyon has very few beginner-intermediate mountain bike trails. Well, they do exist but they are called roads. What you get in singletrack in the canyon is steep and rough. I typically describe it as three hours of climbing followed by fifteen minutes of white-knuckle descent. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if you are an experienced and fit rider but far too many beginners learn to hate mountain biking due to the urgings of insensitive biker-friends. For starters, the most popular trails (the ones in Right Hand Fork and Wood Camp Hollow) can be found in the trail guide available at the Logan Ranger District Office, the Cache Chamber of Commerce or online at UtahMountainBiking.com. Yes, there are many others but they are best attempted after consulting a topographical map and/or checking with a local bike shop for updated trail conditions. They change frequently depending on snow pack, deadfall and motorized usage. Yes...the possibilities exist of linking together multiple trails allowing one to ride over 100 miles of fresh trail with jillions of feet of climbing/descending in Logan Canyon - but be prepared...and remember, you get what you get.

Well, there you have it. When the traffic and the sprawl get you down, just remember all this is available in season in Cache Valley. And with ride-from-town convenience. Life is good.