Ten years ago, Kurt the Trail Whisperer and four friends rode the 32-mile non-Wilderness portion of the Toiyabe Crest Trail, the longest trail in Nevada, about 30 miles south of Austin and Highway 50. The 13-hour adventure was ripe with bushwhacking and overgrown trail that hadn’t seen maintenance in 40 years. After the adventure, Kurt thought to himself if the TCT was maintained, it could be one of the greatest mountain bike epics in the country, so he bought himself a reciprocating saw and got to work in 2018. Eight years later, after thousands of hours of labor with friends cutting 32 miles of brush, the TCT is clear from Ophir Pass to Kingston Canyon. Last weekend, Kurt, Pow Bot and a cast of friends including Chad Kelly and Dean Kemp from @battlebornadventures shuttled to Ophir Pass to celebrate the achievement by riding the 32-mile maintained stretch of the TCT. It was a historic ride, reaping all the benefits after eight years of labor. Because of its high elevation, staying in the alpine between 7,500 and 10,500 feet, Pow Bot considers the TCT one of North America’s greatest mountain bike epics, calling it the closest thing to a long-distance, point-to-point ski traverse you can do on a bike. In Episode 91, the boys recap an unforgettable weekend spent in the remote wilds of Nevada, and dream about what’s next for this iconic landscape few humans ever set foot on.
2:35 – Introducing Guillermo – the new canine co-host of Mind the Track
9:45 – It’s July and it rained hard in Tahoe. Super El Nino is living up to the hype
13:50 – All three of the 10% off CORE LORD new bike discounts at Start Haus are claimed
17:00 – Greg from Start Haus drops knowledge on disc brake maintenance
19:15 – Mind the Track Deso Supply hats are in stock. Reach out to us if you want one or purchase one at Start Haus
21:30 – Trail Whisperer orders a new Aventon Current EXP
23:25 – Trail Whisperer buys Swan John an e-bike and it’s been an amazing investment
26:00 – 4th of July mob of TikTok teenagers take over King’s Beach
27:14 – Remembering the life of David Page – Executive Director of Winter Wildlands Alliance
28:55 – Colin – come participate in the Glizzy Gauntlet on August 16 – Sky Tavern
30:55 – Stu wants to shout out Land Trusts in the Tahoe region and how important they are
33:22 – Carlorado – imagine everyone getting along on trails, making room for each other
35:15 – Big Sallie – believes we need to use chainsaws in wilderness and some forestry wisdom
38:30 – Tell us your diarrhea story and what you did on your day off from work
39:15 – Ripley V5 wants to hear some exploits about the wilds of Nevada, the 10 Shredmandments for MTB and an angry trail builder who destroys bridges
43:25 – Riding the Toiyabe Crest Trail in central Nevada from Ophir Pass to Kingston
45:30 – What was it about the Toiyabe that drew Trail Whisperer to spend 8 years cutting brush
50:55 – How many volunteers have helped in resurrecting the Toiyabe Crest Trail?
54:00 – Recapping the weekend and the logistics of completing the Toiyabe Crest Trail ride
1:00:34 – Yuri Hauswald and Chris Brown recount their 2011 TCT ride
1:09:45 – TW recounts his ride of the TCT in 2016 with Yuri, Chris and Scott Markewitz
1:11:45 – Pow Bot’s experience riding the TCT – like a backcountry ski adventure on a bike
1:17:30 – The concept of “A Third Place” – coined by Ray Oldenberg
1:21:10 – Pow Bot’s story of losing his rear brake on the final descent and crashing
1:25:25 – What was the feeling of completing the ride after 10 years of trail work?
1:31:21 – Lightning round questions about the TCT
1:34:30 – The TCT project has been a spiritual experience that has real meaning and impact
