Xanadu: Mountain biking’s stately pleasure dome

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In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree…

—Samuel Taylor Coleridge

We’ve been riding (and walking) the Xanada Trail outside of Leavenworth WA for several years now and been fascinated by its progression. But it’s been pretty much a Pacific Northwest secret.

Now a couple of videos have surfaced to give Xana its du.

The first head-turner came from Evil Bikes’ Luke Strobel and Lars Sternberg. These guys are pros, so you’d be advised not to try this at home. Especially at their speed. Or if you’re a first timer to the trail.

That said, Xanadu isn’t quite as hairball as their video makes it out to be (@2:20 to 3:20). When my wife saw it she made me swear I’d never ride the thing. I did but had my spokes crossed the entire time.

Don’t forget, you can always get off and walk.

A more representative video for the typical rider just got posted. It’s not only a spectacular video for any mtb ride, it captures Xanadu better than any I’ve seen. An expert rider and videographer, Coby Trudell, took a lot of trouble to do this, as anyone who understands solo ride documentation will immediately appreciate.

Anyway, the purpose here is to introduce and stoke folks to ride Xanadu, a jewel of Northwest biking.

ONE LAP – Lars Sternberg & Luke Strobel, Xanadu on Vital MTB

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