Dashing Through the Snow

Dashing Through the Snow

ROUNDUP

YOU WANT TOUGH? CLEM Cykowski and his riding pals are tough. This gang of 20-or-so Denverites have for the last two Februarys gone looking for, in Cykowski’s words, “somewhere where there’s snow, somewhere where it’s a little tough to traverse, somewhere where we might have some excitement, some fun.” They call the gathering “The Elephant Mountain Ride.”

The ride, about 100 miles in length, “is in the spirit of getting across the Alps,” says Cykowski. “Hannibal had to get his elephants through snow, so this is in the spirit of doing that, instead of doing something ordinary.”

If all this causes you to suspect that maybe, just maybe, Cykowski and his buddies saddle up and head their bikes up into Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, over the highest passes they can find, in the worst weather they can find, looking for as much snow, and as little traction, as they can find, well, believe it or not, you’re right. And if 100 miles doesn’t sound like a long way, think about doing it over Guanella Pass, at l 1,669 feet, in near-blizzard conditions. Seen that way, the 100-mile trip starts to seem about 99 miles too long. Some fun, eh?

But there was a problem with this year’s ride: The weather was sunny, the temperature 40 degrees. Too warm. Last year, there was so much snow on the ground that participants had to remove the front fenders from their bikes because the space between the inside of the fender and the tire packed up with snow. Not this year. Far too warm for those kinds of highjinks.

“The weather was too nice!” lamented Cykowski. “There were some snow-covered switchbacks and some minor fall-downs, but nothing dramatic. Last year was much more entertaining.”

Hmmm. And what sort of bikes do people use for a ride like this? Because Cykowski is active in the local BMW owner’s club, and because he’s the area BMW dealer, you’d expect BMW to be represented. But also on hand, he said, was a Ducati 250 Single, a Honda CBX, a Triumph TR6 and several sidecar rigs.

Advises Cykowski about riding in the white stuff, “The last thing you need is power. What you want is torque and slogging capability.”

And what’s the most-desirable piece of gear to take along on a trip like this, besides, say, an on-board pot-bellied stove? Why, heated handlebar grips, what else? Tires, obviously, also are an important consideration. The best choice for snow, Cykowski claims, “is the old Continental Kl 12. You'd be amazed at how well it works.”

Cykowsaki says he and his cronies plan to do the Elephant Mountain Ride again next February. But, he says, “Next year we’ll pre-ride and look for alternate routes in case we have a problem with good weather. I mean, anyone can go on a ride when the sun is shining and it's 80 degrees. I’d hate to say I’m wishing for a blizzard. But I’d certainly like to see more snow.” —Jon F. Thompson