Riding Bench Cut Singletrack Outside-In

 I dig bench cut singletrack, both literally and figuratively. Though bench cut trail can be daunting at times through exposure, it tends to maintain itself when designed properly, even if abused by bullshit believing appholes.   Having ridden the Portal in Moab many times before they dynamited the pedal-clipper rock that caused at least six deaths, I found the level of concentration required more appealing than frightful. In the literal sense, digging bench cuts by hand varies in difficulty due to a myriad of factors, primarily soil conditions. This truth makes using machinery to construct bench cuts sensible to me, especially when under contract in less than favorable conditions. The one caveat in using machinery IMO is the tendency to create wider trails that toe the line between being singletrack or ATV width trails. These wide trails can be problematic, especially when abused by careless individuals on bicycles and/or ecycles.

 The notion of riding bench cut trail "Outside-In" was something that crossed my mind shortly after moving to Colorado. A particular section of bench cut in my neighborhood had a technical jog in it that looked easier on the uphill/inside of the tread, but it tended to send me hard to the downhill/outside upon the exit, unless negotiated at a snail's pace. One day I approached it a bit faster than usual, started from the outside, bopped over the rock that seemingly blocked that line and rolled out down the middle of the tread, my momentum from the outside-in placing me there perfectly.

 When I first saw and studied the Miles Todd Crash Video, it was readily apparent to me that my notion of riding bench cuts outside-in was far less than crazy. Over the years this technique has saved me from myself countless times. This is not just applied on tech moves like the one that sent Miles tumbling down Carrizo Gorge, but on all bench cuts including machine-built wideness at speed.

 This little nugget from the bag of tricks popped into my head Sunday evening while ascending a series of bench cuts that included a few switchbacks. Whomever had been there last on either a bicycle or ecycle had been wholly hugging the uphill/inside while descending, made obvious by their tracks and the trail edge debris their tires had sent into the middle of the tread. The only places they deliberately went to the downhill/outside of the tread was when entering the switchbacks, which is most often inherently slow, or the act of a skidiot (switchbacks, a topic for another day).

 After pondering further on the climb, I turned back and paid a little more attention than usual as to where my tires went at speed down the same bench cuts and switchbacks. While riding largely on the exposed downhill/outside of the tread, I did get sent towards the uphill/inside of the tread, but mostly into the cup in the middle, grazing (not plowing through) the side debris only two times. Analog timing showed that even with one pause to wait for a hiker with two off-leash dogs, my descent was at the usual pace. 

 Though the light was waning rapidly, I rode back up to where my wheels grazed the debris and my tracks were on the edge of the tread, with no debris kicked into the trail. Leaving the tread as it was found by applying Outside-In on a bench cut works to preserve the integrity of the trail, your bicycle and physical well being. It's like I was never there and that's both extrinsically and intrinsically satisfying to me. Leave No Trace

 IME, the right tool for the job is always worthwhile and for digging bench cuts by hand, The Backslope Tools Blaze is winner winner chicken dinner.