June 30th, 2012
Mike Chapman
is the ride coordinator/owner for this event.
He will handle any proposed route changes,
pre-rides, event day sign-in/sign-out, etc.
Thanks Mike!!!
Note: Due to the 2011 Fire the course for 2012 will be changed once again.
Go Here to Register for SFBFL
Go Here for the SFBFL Forum for Q&A
No more than 74 people allowed for this event!
Please make sure to read all rules for this. This is fully unsupported and you will need to be self-sufficient in order to complete this. The rules are located HERE.
When: Saturday June 30th, 2012, 6:30-AM – BE READY TO RIDE AT 6:30AM!!
Where: Meet at 2nd Street Brewery on San Mateo & the RR Tracks. Cloud Cliff Bakery is close by for early morning coffee.
GPS Track in GPX format:
- No warranty, express or implied, use at your own discretion.
- Must be member of and logged into NMES Google group to get files
- Right click on the link(s) below
- Select “Save Target As…”
- Change the file extension from “.xml” to “.gpx” or “.crs”
- If you have issues with the link below,
log onto NMES Google group, look under files at the bottom
to find all the GPS track files.
GPS track is TBD unitl 2012 course is figured out
- SFBFL GPX File
- SFBFL CRS File
- SFBFL Course on Garmin Connect
Garmin users can download directly into their supported devices from this page. Be sure to test “Do course” to make sure the track dowloaded properly.
– Go here to convert to other GPS formats
- Go here to download TopoFusion PRO Free/Demo
A couple of notes about using these GPS tracks…
- Since the route overlaps in many places you MUST read the course description below to understand where to go when the GPS track shows multiple options.
- The GPS track doesn’t help with the Dale Ball intersections. It is recommended that you print out the intersection numbers (below) and tape them to your stem.
PARKING: Please do not park at 2nd Street Brewery and respect their business. Use public parking area where available and be prepared to ride to the start.
An option for parking is at the NM State Employees Credit Union and it is located on the corner of Lorca & St. Michaels Dr. & San Mateo. They are not open on Sat. Should/could be easy parking and only half a block from the brewery. You ride right past it on the way to Atalaya on San Mateo.
Also, big parking area at NM State Offices also on San Mateo next to Mandrell’s Gym (on San Mateo, around the corner from C.U.)
Beer at 2nd Street Brewery end of the ride for survivors. 
The 2012 course is TBD at this time, below is the 2010 course info for reference.
The crown jewel of the NMES – a ~67 mile, 14k of climbing adventure!
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Starting from 2nd Street Brewery.
1. Turn R on San Mateo and make the following turns (or signs) to St. John’s College Right: San Mateo, Straight: Camino Lejo, Right: Old Santa Fe Trail, Left: Camino Del Monte Sol, Right: Camino de Cruz Blanca to St. John’s College. Once at St. John’s College head to parking lot and look for Atalaya Mountain Trailhead.
2. Follow the Atalaya Trail all the way up to the top of Atalaya Mountain. You will Cross Wilderness Gate Road after less than 2 miles. Choose either the shorter .2 mile steeper or .7 mile less steep route which join back up for much more steep climbing to the top.
3. Drop off the backside of Atalaya Mountain on the very steep and lose trail and head over to Dale Ball - look for cairns on your right. Do not miss this first right turn!!!!. Once connecting on the Dale Ball Trail Network – starting at intersection #41 follow the DB network through these intersections 41-36-35-40-32-31-30-29. Head to Dale Ball Center and connect 27-26-25-23-22-16-15-17-14-13 and head out on Hyde Park Road (R).
Remember to follow the exact route. If you miss a turn, go back and do the route properly. At the bottom of Dale Ball South, you can turn right and head up the gravel road to refill water at the Audobon Center. This is less than .5 miles out-of-the-way.
While on Hyde Park Road you may be able to beg for water at Thousand Waves Spa. I’ve never tried it, but they do have water there.
4. Follow Hyde Park Road into the Santa National Forest and look for Chamisa Trail Tr. 183 parking area on your left. When in the parking area, take the right hand trail (both go to the same place, but the right hand one is the better trail). Once you climb Chamisa Trail, you will come to an intersection – turn right and ride down to Winsor Tr. 254 and turn Right to climb the mountain.
Now begin the 4000-ft climb up Tesuque! 
You can filter water out of Winsor Creek – OR – go off course and take Borrego/Bear Wallow to Hyde Park State Park to re-fill here. This is quite a few miles out of your way though.
5. Take Winsor Tr. 254 to Big Tesuque Tr. 152 and climb some more and cross Hyde Park Road at Big Tesuque Campground. There is a creek here to filter water out of. Continue climbing until you hit Aspen Vista Road and turn right to climb to the top of Tesuque Peak.
6. Once you crest the ski area, continue on up to the cell phone towers and take in the view – you are at 12,045-ft elevation!!
* Note – you MUST crest the mountain by going up to the cell towers for a quick out and back. No cheating and rolling through the ski area.
Turn back for a few hundred yards and follow the ski trail called Sunset to Lower Burro (follow the faint truck trail) and follow that to the bottom of the ski area. DO NOT climb up to Raven’s Ridge at the big elbow near Deception Peak (the best downhill option here should be quite obvious). You can filter water out of several places here.
7. At the bottom of the ski area, in the paved parking lot look for the FS Outhouse and connect again to Winsor Tr 254, take this a short ways to Rio en Medio (REM) Tr. 163 (right at fork) and descend all the way to Aspen Ranch. Creeks and water are quite abundant, and so is giardia, so bring a filter. At Aspen Ranch turn right on the gravel road, and then look to your left for the trailhead of the Borrego Tr. 150, Ride Tr. 150 all the way over to Rio En Medio Creek. DO NOT cross the creek at this point. Turn left and follow Rio en Medio (REM) Tr. 163 downhill. This section of trail is very technical, so be careful and walk when needed.
8. About a mile before you reach the end of the REM single-track, take a right on Trail 179. It is a sharp right after a creek crossing. You should start looking for it when the REM trail flattens out and becomes easy. The turn is not too far after the last scary switchbacks. At one point, the REM trail briefly splits into two trails; one on either side of the creek, stay right/north of the creek. Trail 179 begins gently climbing a drainage before getting rowdy near the top of the first saddle. Single-speeders will want an easy gear and/or comfortable shoes. Continue on Trail 179 until you descend to Rio Nambe Creek. Cross the creek and continue up the north side. You will soon come into a small meadow with the Rio Nambe trail going right across the creek and the Rio Capulin Trail 158 continuing up to the left/north of the creek.
9. Stay left here and continue climbing on Rio Capulin Trail 158. You will eventually come into a large meadow and the trail goes faint/nonexistent. Climb the meadow long ways in a northeast direction. The wilderness boundary juts into the meadow here from northwest. Stay high and right while climbing the meadow to avoid this no fly zone. You will cross a small drainage/ditch/arroyo and the trail resumes here although faintly. Continue climbing and start looking for a well-defined trail just below the trees on your right. You continue up and slightly to the left on this trail before you reach the Rancho Viejo intersection. Note, here there are three ways to go and two of them head into the Wilderness. Please choose the third (legal) option!
10. Take the right on Borrego Trail 150 following the sign towards Aspen Ranch. You will eventually intersect Rio Nambe Trail 160 again. Go right on Rio Nambe Trail 160 for a third of a mile before continuing left on Borrego Trail 150. You will climb to an intersection with an old two-track/dirt road. DO NOT climb this road, descend it and look for the Borrego Trail 150 continuing on the right. Go right on the signed single-track and descent back to the creek crossing and REM trail intersection. Go left on REM and climb back to Aspen Ranch.
11. Go right past Aspen Ranch and descend past the meadow. The road starts up a small climb. You’re looking for a single-track along a fence line on the left that starts a few hundred yards before the top of the climb. Look for some dead fall stacked on both sides of the road pointing towards the single-track. This is a short piece of trail that cuts off a little bit of road. Head left when you rejoin the road.
12. You will intersect Pacheco Canyon Road shortly. Go left and climb Pacheco Canyon Road to Windsor Tr. 254.
13. Sweet Descent! Turn R on Winsor and descend Tr. 254 all the way back down to the Chamisa Trail.
14. Turn L on Chamisa and climb back up to the saddle with the map and 5 way trail intersection.
15. At the top of saddle at Chamisa, turn R and climb, climb some more (i.e make sure you are climbing, not descending at this point) on sweet single-track on Sidewinder Tr. 232. Continue Sidewinder Tr. 232 to Tr. 399, but turn left at the fence line (there should be a cairn) and descend toward Hyde Park Road. Part way down the hill there will be an intersection, stay straight/left here and continue descending to the bottom. At the bottom of Tr. 399 there will be another trail intersection.
16. Continue straight/left and follow Little Tesuque Trail Creek east to Hyde Park Road. This is less than ¼ mile from the intersection. Go right on Hyde Park Road towards Santa Fe, there will be a 250ft climb up to Ten Thousands Waves.
17. Head towards Dale Ball Central, and go left at the main parking area for Dale Ball North/Central. This is intersection 13. Follow these intersections: 13-12-18-20-24, until you reach Cerro Gordo Rd
18. Turn left on Cerro Gordo Rd. Right; Upper Canyon Rd, Left; Camino Cabra. Follow Camino Cabra until you pass the turn for St John’s College. Retrace your steps from the morning, back to Second Street Brewery:
Right; Camino de Cruz Blanca, Left; Camino Del Monte Sol, Right: Old Santa Fe Trail, Left Camino Lejo, Straight; San Mateo
19. Congrats, you just finished the hardest mountain bike ride in Santa Fe, NM!
Santa Fe Smaller Big Friggin Loop option
(for those that despise Atalaya Mountain)
This option is the same as above, but skips Atalaya Mountain by taking route through Dale Ball South. Here are the changes to the above SF BFL route:
A. Follow SF BFL route (above) to St John’s College and enter the single track at Atalaya trail head.
B. Shortly after entering the single track there is an intersection. Cruz Blanca Trail goes left and Atalaya trail goes right.
C. Take the left on to Cruz Blanca Trail which eventually parallels Camio De Cruz Blanca road (trail is a dirt side walk at this point). Follow this past the Dorothy Stewart trail head which will be on your left across the street. At the top of the hill Camio De Cruz Blanca road turns right. Here you will see a small parking lot on the left side of the road for the Dale Ball South trail head.
D. Look for the Dale Ball Trail sign on the left end of the parking lot. Enter the Dale Ball Trail system here riding down a corridor between wooden fences. The intersection numbers for Dale Ball South that you will folow are: 39-40-32-31-30-29 . Follow this trail for ½ mile climbing up to intersection 39. Take the right trial and climb up for 1/3 mile to intersection 40. Take the middle of 3 trails towards DB intersection 32 .
G. At this point you are back on the SF BFL route (in the middle of step 3 above) going downhill. Follow it for the SF BFL route for the rest of your EPIC ride.
Maps;
Excellent maps exist from the following;
1. Santa Fe County for Dale Ball Network (not needed however because all intersections of the trail network are marked with a map.)
2. Sky Terrain Trail Maps has the entire course mapped out – including Dale Ball. This is an excellent Map and will cover you entirely.
3. Drake Mountain Maps are also available all around Santa Fe and cover most of the network but not all of Dall Ball.
General Notes;
1. Re-water point will be on Big Tesuque Tr. 152. As stash of water will be placed in the rocks just before popping out on Hyde Park Road. Another stash will be placed at Aspen Ranch (we’ll be coming by this intersection twice. Exact location of the stash will be announced at the start of the event.
2. Bail-out points. They are numerous and easily accessible. Please look at the map above and understand where you can bail out if necessary.
3. The final rally point is at 2nd Street Brewery. IPA….das good!
4. Remember – Start with the group at the designated time and place. Follow the exact route posted here (including out and back to cell towers!!) and be prepared to support yourself in order to receive credit for finishing. Read the rules, bring all maps, a GPS, water filter, and enough food in order for you to not only complete the trip, but also for you to survive. Please know your abilities.
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