The new trail in St. Francisville has opened. Been reading the local club
board regarding comments of the new trail. I guess we are vertically
challenged here. They are as follows:
"The trail is very difficult. Steep downhills with hairpin turns immediately
leading to steep uphill climbs. I'm talking G2 steepness grades.
At first the unsuspecting cyclist will get lulled into thinking the climbs
aren't too bad. A lot of the ascents start gentle enough, but halfway up
they turn into nasty, leg-killing, gut-sucking, snot-blowing tortures. Then
suddenly, the path rotates 90 degrees to reveal another short hidden uphill.
And those are the easy ones.
St. Francisville needs some riding to smooth it out, but for me it was 4
miles of hell. I pushed my bike uphill as much as I rode.
On the positive side, the scenery was beautiful. It crosses a sandy creek
bottom several times, similiar to the sand creek crossing at Lincoln Parish
Park. There is a crazy downhill 15 foot boardwalk.
Be very careful on the downhills.
That's my initial assessment on St. Francisville."
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"My exact sentiments. Definetly Expert - Think I hiked more than I rode.
Hate to complain any since I never got my butt out there to work on it - but
sure would like to see some of those 90 and huh 360 degree turns widen'd
just a bit - you know so I can fool myself into thinking that if I can carry
enough speed thru the turn I might have shot at some of the climbs? - yeah
right!
Don't care for the looks of the downward boradwalk - that puppy's gonna get
slick and theres not a lot of wiggle room coming off it. Said "looks" cause
I'll admit by that time I was already so frustrated with all the clipping
out and soon as I clipped in and walking that we skipped that section. Heard
Diamond, Joe and guys talking down there so we walked back in to take a look
and saw it.
Oh - and what about that little sucker ditch within the ditch (out by the
fence)????? Got warned of the endo factor there ahead of time and then even
got to witness one (no not my own - that happened way before that point) 🙂
..
Just my 2 cents - beautiful area though - nice overlook section. Will get
better as more ride it. Hadn't gotten completely scared away yet - got to
enjoy enough of the downhills to keep me interested in going back."
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"Riding just 1 lap of the St Francisville trails made me appreciate hooper
and comite a lot more. I'm not saying it's bad, it just needs longer and
more drawn out turns. I can't keep any momentum."
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"I would agree with (nameless person). We had a group out there today and I
haven't fallen the past year as much as I did today. Lots of endo spots -
lots. Not being able to carry momentum into the uphills b/c of a crazy turn
was kinda tough. Also, a warning, there is one part very close to the barbed
wire fence and if you go down to the right, you are in it. Also, the trail
goes over barbed wire - it is painted yellow to help you see it. Lots of
endo spots - lots. Also, we got there early but the gates were not opened
until 8:22am, not sure if this is the norm but just be warned.
I would not recommend taking the family out for a joy ride on this one. Lots
of endo spots - lots. Also, I would recommend not riding it alone if your
skill level is very high.
In my limited experience, it was the hardest trail I have ever ridden. Lots
of endo spots - lots."
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"Hey guys, 'watch out for that spot!' I think if I may step in and make a
comment. It seems like everyone is focusing on the difficulty and negatives
of the trail. Please, let me shed some new light on the St. Francisville
trail, or 'Fingerprints of Hades' as we like to call it.
First off, it's a wonderful trail. In addition to bringing your bike, bring
comfortable hiking boots, as this is the first multi-purpose
biking/hiking/crying trail I've ever been on. Sure, the barbed-wire is there
as Brandon mentioned, but I think it only adds to the scenery. My favorite
part about it is that it's real rusty, and the rider feels really close to
it. I love how the trail is designed so you can be at one with harrowing
experiences. As far as the 'steep' uphills everyone is whining about,
they're not that bad. I like how you can ride up a quarter of a particular
uphill, and walk the rest of the way. Of course you don't get enough speed
during the turns, but that's so the city didn't have to post Speed Limit
signs. Can you imagine how tacky those would look out on the trails? On a
different note, I love the little red arrow signs, they're cute. Downhills?
Sure, they're loose and tough in some spots, but they're well-designed.
Multiple downhills turn sharply, but have a tree there in case you don't
make the turn. In the case of the declining 15-foot bridge, that's cool
because if you don't make the turn, you fall off 20 more feet into the
creek...and no one on this board can't tell me that there's nothing more
refreshing than a dip in the local creek! Still one of the downhills, if
ridden 'expertly,' will launch you 8-15 feet (depending on weight) where you
can work on a number of aerial poses. Some choose to do Superman, while
others may elect to add a corkscrew and a half-twist (always a winning
combination if you ask me).
So while the trails may be unrideable by anything but Evil Knievel , keep in
mind that with a positive attitude, this trail can be loved by everyone. It
makes you rethink biking. Of course, I will gladly ride it again when I get
my Marzoochi 10" fork, full body armor, 2hp strap on Briggs and Straton and
signal flares."
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Heh...