In 2003, teams at Fort Lewis College in Durango won national championships in both Cyclocross and Mountain Bike events. Apparently, those folks know how to ride the dirt.

For the sake of science, we here at Trailcentral decided to go down to Durango recently and see what makes the locals rip so well. After three days of investigation, we think we may know at least some of their secret: a plethora of beautiful, winding singletrack, both technical and smooth, with lung-bursting climbs and white-knuckle descents. Much of this top-notch trailage is within riding distance of town. Some of it is just about in town.

After a rough drive through Wolf Creek Pass construction zones, we dropped down into Durango through the rounded desert hills surrounding the town. The main street looked attractive, with several bike shops, a few coffee stores and an appropriate number of pubs. Our accommodations were spacious, if a bit odd: For some reason, the architect decided to put the living room and tiny kitchen on the second floor. We didn't care. Stripping and changing, we were on our bikes in minutes, and from the door of the condo it was a quarter-mile ride down College Drive to the first spin of the weekend.

We turned left and rode uphill to the Power Line trail, which parallels power lines overhead. From the moment our tires touched the dirt, we knew we had some good times coming our way. Quick leaps up the mountain, sudden turns, enough rocks to keep it interesting and a handful of superb rolling jumps had us laughing by the first trail junction.

Power Line is one access point for Durango's Telegraph Trail System, an expansive network maintained by Trails 2000. Their Web site says the system is "30 miles or more, directly east & south of Durango." It is at least 30 miles -- we think it's more than 40 -- and is remarkable enough to be one of IMBA's official "Epic Rides".

There are dozens of trails in the system, almost all of them loops. Nearly every trail junction is marked with a complete map of the area. This was a mixed blessing for unfamiliar riders; though it was great to know at all times where we were, the sheer number of intersections and choices definitely interrupted our flow. Next time, of course, we'll know where we're going and will stop less often.

Dropping off Power Line, we rode up Horse Gulch Road, the double-track artery of this trail system, to the famous Telegraph trail. It takes its name from an old telegraph line that it follows over a saddle between two peaks, and it is a smooth delight. It rambles around the feet of the hills, into groves of scrub oak, across hardpack shoulders, down into gullies and around big boulders.

After a challengingly loose section near the top of the saddle, Telegraph splits in several directions. Riders can go back down the front side of the hill, or take one of two trails down the back, or head up a steep-looking scramble to a scenic overlook. We chose to head down the back towards Sidewinder for some canyon-wall swerving. It was a good choice -- fast, with perfect berms at every corner.

We climbed back up along Crites Connect, which was a steady, slightly technical ascent that dipped into some pine woods occasionally, until we reached the Telegraph saddle again. At this point we'd driven six hours, pedaled nine miles and climbed about two thousand feet, so we were feeling rather thirsty. We decided not to take the Anasazi Descent trail, which is steep and short, and buzzed back down Telegraph in the late afternoon sun.

Descending was so much fun, we wanted just a little more. We looped from the bottom of Telegraph up around Stacy's Loop. While we were straining up the short climb we were reminded of the brewery we'd seen in town, and we longed for a delicious beverage. But it wasn't far to the next trail junction, which was quickly followed by two others. The top of Stacy's Loop is a maze of intersections in loose scrub forests, three trails going up and three trails going down.

We surveyed the meadow below us, paths webbing out in every direction, and pointed our fronts along the north side of the Meadow Loop towards town. It follows a low ridge along the edge of a beautiful open field; for riders who like airtime, the trail offers a few nice jibs. It was a fantastic, thrilling descent.

In no time at all we had returned along Power Line to the condo. Not long after, our bellies full of homemade baked ziti, our beers empty, we were asleep.