Carry On
Rebecca Rusch’s Top 5 Spots for Mountain Biking
Endurance athlete and mountain biking champ Rebecca Rusch was in New York City last week, greeting fans at the special showing of Race Across the Sky, a documentary film about the 2009 Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, in Colorado.
Rusch was the female winner of the race and shared the podium with Lance Armstrong, who, after finishing second in 2008, came back to vanquish the reigning home favorite and six-time Leadville winner, Dave Wiens.
The race is unusually grueling, with 102.3 miles on both mountain and road terrain and 12,440 feet of elevation gain, which in my book gives Rusch, who finished with a time of 8:14:53.7 and a huge smile on her face, demigoddess status. 
After shaking her hand, I asked her for her top 5 recommendations of the best places to mountain bike on earth. Her picks:
1. Sun Valley, Idaho
2. Wanaka, New Zealand
3. Pucón, Chile
4. McKenzie River Trail, Oregon
5. Moab, Utah
Laura Teusink is the associate managing editor at Travel + Leisure.
Photos courtesy of Rebecca Rusch and Jessica Cassity.
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Grueling
Those locales seem like they would be grueling terrain for biking. Doesn't she have any ideas that are just as scenic, but maybe a little less strenuous?
Hey, HillGal,
Here is a response from Rusch, herself!
Grueling places? No! Every place listed has easy and hard stuff, that's the beauty of them. Even Whistler, which is a mecca for mountain bike riding and where they film many of the extreme bike movies, has beginner trails. They realize most people are not pros and everyone has a different skill level. They might seem like exotic locations, but that's what makes riding there so nice. You can travel to a great location and see th... More
Top 5 places to Ride
Hillgal,
McKenzie River trail is THE scenic trail. The upper section through the lava beds is a bit technical (and plan on a puncture or two) but lower down through the forest it is loamy and smooth and the views are hard to beat. One can ride sections of it out and back or the whole length of the trail w/ a shuttle. If you get the chance go for sure. Moab too has plenty of mellow easy terrain. Same for Sun Valley. I have yet to journey to New Zealand or Chile but I am sure they are ... Read More