I made this less than professional figure to try and understand the bike staging.When the question comes up of where she rides and who knew it is interesting. We're told she is a "beginner" implying those are the routes she would ride, but pg 40 seems to say something different:
"From a review of Suzanne Morphew's Instagram account (obtained through a search warrant in the state of Colorado), the attached pictures of her often in biking outfits were located with the dates:
05/06/2020 4:30 PM (MST) with location "Little Rainbow Trail"
04/27/2020 4:36 PM (MST) with location "Mount Shavano"
04/20/2020 2:18 PM (MST) with location of Methodist Mountain and captions "First single track!" and "Broke my first chain (smiling emoji)"
5/6, Little Rainbow Trail. While it does have section with 10+ degree climbs it is rated as "Beginner" or "Easy".
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/little-rainbow
This is part of the Methodist Mt trail system and is south of Salida, requiring one to most likely to load up the bike in a vehicle and drive there since it is a ~15 mile trip to the trailhead.
Skipping to "Methodist Mountain" on 4/20. I can't find a specific trail labeled "Methodist Mountain", rather it is an entire trail system consisting of 12 trails of which I found were either "Beginner" or "Intermediate". But again it is ~15 miles from her house so she would have to drive to the trailhead.
It is the entry on 4/27 that I find interesting. Shavano Mt. This one is DEFINITELY NOT a beginner trail, but rather is rated "Advanced" or "Black Diamond" on different sites. This trail can be accessed from her house without driving by crossing Hwy 50 and going up the Colorado Trail. BUT it can also be accessed from the east by driving up to the trailhead as depicted here:
Methodist Mountain
Methodist Mountain is a singletrack mountain bike trail in Salida, Colorado. View maps, videos, photos, and reviews of Methodist Mountain bike trail in Salida.www.singletracks.com
Either way she accessed the trail it is a difficult ride which belies her status as a "beginner". She might be "new" to mt biking, but this lady can definitely ride if this is true. I had been riding and racing for over 20 years (mostly road) when I tried to take on a 5+ mile black diamond in the Shenandoah area and I almost didn't make it.Mount Shavano Trail
Mount Shavano Trail is a singletrack mountain bike trail in Salida, Colorado. View maps, videos, photos, and reviews of Mount Shavano Trail bike trail in Salida.
As to who knew about her riding there are a couple of points:
On pg 6. "Mallory stated that Suzanne mountain-bikes regularly during the afternoon hours, often using a wide trail across the highway. Suzanne normally took her cell phone, sunglasses and blue backpack/ hydration bladder on the bike rides." (So SM did ride up to Hwy 50 and used that trail? That one is not clear to be sure.)
On pg 16. "In March through May of 2020, Libler and Suzanne talked a lot about mountain biking and Libler looked at the trails online in Colorado and they sometimes talked before Suzanne went for a ride. Suzanne put her bike in her car on her way to the trail heads and did not often ride in her own neighborhood. She normally rode in the evening for about half an hour or forty minutes."
('...did not often ride in the neighborhood'. But often, not never. 'rode for about half an hour or forty minutes.' Now that does sound like a beginner.)
My personal favorite is on Pg 6 again. "Macy stated that Suzanne works out at the gym regularly and that recently she has taken up mountain biking daily. Macy added that Barry has mountain biked with Suzanne a couple of times."
(BM actually rode with her???? I'd like to see photographic evidence! I know it is her daughter, but I just can't picture him on a bike trying to get up even a 3% grade.)
Finally, on Pg 9. "There were personal items, to include Suzanne's driver's license and credit cards, throughout the vehicle. Items from the interior were pulled out by sections or areas and photographically documented on butcher paper. Some of the items collected included a women's jacket and knit cap in the rear, pairs of sunglasses and a key in the glove compartment, a Camelbak 16 and sunglasses in the front passenger seat, spa chemicals on the front passenger floorboard, and a Scot Bicycle Service receipt in the front driver door."
(Beginner or not, there is NO WAY you go out without either water bottles or your hydration (i.e., Camelbak) pack! No, I don't see a ride happening that day.)
(Broke her chain? On 4/20 with what is apparently a fairly new bike? Nine times out of ten I've seen the rear derailleur break before the chain gives out. Not that it has anything to do with her case, I just find it interesting.)
From this, I don't believe Libler, BM, Mallory or Macy really knew much about her riding. In fact, I don't believe anybody really knew.
I’m wondering if rather than biking on the Colorado Trail (which is a steep uphill climb to Mount Shavano from the trailhead near their house) Susan sometimes rode on the relatively flat dirt road shown on the figure that parallels Highway 50 on the north side (it is reached by going up the Colorado Trail only about 400 ft) . This would be consistent with Mallory Morphew’s statement in the Arrest Affidavit.
Page 6 of Arrest Affidavit: “Mallory stated that Suzanne mountain-bikes regularly during the afternoon hours, often using a wide trail
across the highway. Suzanne normally took her cell phone, sunglasses and blue backpack/ hydration bladder on the bike rides.”
The Colorado Trail is narrow single track, whereas the dirt road shown on this Google shot meets the description of a “wide trail across the highway.” It would also be in line with her likely skill level at that time.
It doesn’t change anything as far as the “bike incident” being staged (no phone, no camelback, no brakes, no damage, no skid marks….) but it might suggest Mr. Morphew knew she had biked in that direction in the past and it would be a plausible location for staging.
!
