November 8th, 2010 4:12pm
I was first introduced to a pump track in 2007 when I was invited over to meet Mark Weir and ride his now world famous Peacock Pit - pump track. I remember how it looked like a mini roller coaster. You knew it would be fun just looking at it. After watching Weir shred that track and a 30 second instructional talk, I was out there doing my best white guy imitation looking for the magic rhythm that makes a pump tracks so incredibly fun. And with each roller, my smile grew and I was hooked.
With a new found consciousness I began noticing tracks popping up all over the place. Bike magazines were writing blurbs about city tracks and events like Sea Otter and Ranch Style started adding them to their venues. Even the recent 2010 World Championships in Quebec had one. All it takes is a little space, some dirt, shovel power and creativity and you are in business.
So what do you do when you have a lot of space, a lot of dirt, a bob-cat and the vision and drive to build yourself a pump track? You build a bike park nirvana. And that is what Les Price did in Apache Junction, Arizona. An active downhill racer, dirt jumper, freerider etc, Les Price can be found with his No Brakes Racing team mates at pretty much any gravity event from Colorado west. But this story is all about Les's dream to built something really unique. something that packs the fun of a pump track, the thrill of dirt jumping and a variety of lines to keep it all fresh. Let me introduce you to Les's hi-bred pump-track on EPO.
The outside of Les's hi-bred pump track is framed with table top jumps on the North and West property borders. You can drop into the rollers from any number of entrances or keep your jump on all along the outside. All the table tops on this row are a roll or jump option.
There are three distinct lines here. I dubbed the inside line the "Sombrero" a tight radius turn whose center piece (left side of the photo) is a jump over the line to the transition just behind the Sombrero. In the background is a wall ride in the North -West corner linking the table top jump trail together as it makes a turn.
Standing at the wall ride in the previous photo looking south - the west side of the property shows the continuation of the table top jump line. There are some gap jumps if you stay to the left side or you continue on the right and go to a second wall ride. Choosing the left side will lead you into the brand new DJ only section pictured below.
Drew hitting the new jumps. This line was finished the previous day. With a little bit more tweaking this section will be super tight.
Les's track sits on about two acres and is within minutes of the Superstition Mountains. Riders get to take in the beautiful back drop as they drop-in on the Pump track.
Ethan aka "E-Man" has ridden Winter Park and Whistler downhills - hones his skills on the pump track.
Pump tracks are like fine art. Everyone is so completely different in it's speed, timing, size and shape. I love everyone of them. It is fascinating how much riding you can pack into a relatively small space. This shot shows about 30% of the entire track.
Les Price. The creator of his own little slice of heaven in Apache Junction. Les would like to thank all of his homies that put there backs into helping make this play land possible.
Don't let the gray hair fool you, Les can throw down on a big travel rig and on his Cove Sanchez (sans seat - that just broke off that day)
Even a broken wrist couldn't stop this rider from taking his first run on a pump track.
The first turn after the drop-in gets riders up to speed fast.
About fifty friends showed up to break in the new lines and celebrate riding. Even pro-downhillers Dante and Jackie Harmony showed up to keep their string of nine million days without missing a day of riding alive...:D - Riding, homemade cookies, beer and pulled pork in that order, made my day fun.
Choices, do i hit the drop on the left or the roller on the right? Choices are nice to have.
Location: News >> Pump Track Nirvana in Arizona
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