[On the Cover] Tyler Deschaine whets his appetite after a downpour on a September day in Bellingham, Washington's Larrabee State Park. "When you live in Bellingham, you get used to riding in the rain, especially during the fall and winter," says Colin Wiseman. "Who doesn't like playing in puddles? A good argument for bikes being the fountain of youth." Colin Wiseman FEATURES Fifty Six Twenty: Revelstoke's new flow trail is pure fun Words by Cassidy Randall | Images by Ryan Creary As Revelstoke's Fifty Six Twenty trail freefalls 5,620 vertical feet from high-alpine tundra to the valley floor, riders lose count of optional jumps. Even the trail crew stopped tallying the berms past 230. No matter the airtime or amount of carving, the longest flow trail in North America is pure fun. Bikepacking in Zanskar, India, the Heart of the Himalaya Words and Images by Mary McIntyre The Buddhist Kingdom of Zanskar in northeastern India has remained nearly unchanged for millennia, but as a crew of hardy bikepackers discover as they attempt to ride the land's ancient footpaths, even Mother Nature and the surrounding mountains cannot protect this isolated hamlet forever. Jon Bailey is the greatest underground artist-adventurer you've never heard of Words by Lizzy Scully, with Steve "Doom" Fassbinder | Illustrations by Jon Bailey He has raced and won numerous cross country and ultra-endurance events. He has designed posters for bike races and coached kids in Colorado's oldest youth mountain biking program. He is multifaceted and multitalented. He is underground legend Jon Bailey, the most badass athlete, artist, sweet-talking pretty boy you've never heard of. DEPARTMENTS Editor's Note Letters Gallery Profile: Purple Lizard Maps For cartographer Mike Hermann, adventure begins with a paper map. Words by James Murren. Images by Regina Nicolardi. Trail Anatomy: Cement Creek, Crested Butte, Colorado New singletrack of a multiphase project in Crested Butte provides better loop-ride options with other trails and gets riders off a narrow, steep and often busy dirt road. Chain of Fools: Life Lessons on the Whole Enchilada How columnist Whitney James's only guided run on Moab's Whole Enchilada turned out to be so spicy. Of Bikes and Beer: Fu Fighter Good River Beer's Fu Fighter takes a stand for rivers and reinvigorates tired legs. Effecting Change: Beyond the Racecourse NICA's Adventure, GRiT and Teen Trail Corps programs give budding cyclists a chance to see that riding bikes is more than redlining on race day. By Colleen O'Neil Tested: Liv Pique Advanced 0 Tested: Alchemy Nine7Five Tested: Esker Elkat Wrenched: SRAM GX Paraphernalia Framebuilder: Seven Cycles Once Rob Vandermark got a taste of framebuilding, he wanted more, which led to work with Merlin Metalworks and Fat City Cycles before he launched Seven Cycles, one of the oldest and largest companies in the custom community. Words by Eric J. Wallace Tailwind: Seams Trina Ortega turning the cranks to find place in the fabric of humanity.
