Undulations

Our mountain bike tracks are mostly up – down – up – down – up – down, which is probably great for the shuttlers (not a word I know but I mean the people who ride down and get in a vehicle for the trip up) and E-bike riders, but sometimes I would like to ride a track that undulates. Undulate is a verb that means to go up and down in a wave like motion. When I used to bicycle to and from work at the University of Calgary MS Clinic, my best friend there always scoffed when I said my cycle route “undulated gently.” She thought it was hilly, while I was adamant that it undulated.

Anyway, the first 12 kilometres of Burnaaga track, the jewel in the crown of the Mogo mountain bike trails, that descends from the top of Wandera Mountain to Mogo is two way so you can ride from Mogo up to the top of the old Snake Track (incorporated into Burnaaga) and back to town. Burnaaga feels like it undulates but there is more elevation gain on the way out than the way back.

Where Burnaaga crosses Maulbrooks Fire Trail (FT) you can take Pistol Shot FT uphill to the top of the old Snake track to add a nice easy descent to the undulating trail. We met three blokes out riding today, all locals, all, with the exception of a very old bloke on an E-bike (apparently the bloke who built Snake Track back in the day) on analog bikes. It was nice being away from the shuttlers and e-bike riders and downhill crowd and out covering distance. I like covering distance.

I still haven’t ridden the track right from the top (I will have to walk some of the features) and was hoping that today might be the day I rode a bit extra because, instead of taking Pistol Shot FT you can stay on Maulbrooks FT and intersect Burnaaga further up (near where Heffernans FT branches off Maulbrooks FT). That is an extra 10 kilometres riding and 300 metres more elevation gain. My legs (it was strength training day yesterday) didn’t have that in them today, plus it was cooking hot and we were sweating like crazy. The full Burnaaga trail is about 18 kilometres with 370 metres elevation gain and 840 metres descent but that is if you ride one way only from Wandera Mountain to Mogo.