Mountain bikers out to go urban

By Fred J. Aun
New Jersey Star-Ledger
April 29, 2007

New Jersey has a number of good places for traditional mountain bike riding: Large county, state or federal parks that feature long trails through remote areas. But when it comes to challenging mountain bike opportunities within the state's urban areas, the options are few.

Jeff Lenosky, a professional mountain bike racer from Sparta, believes that can change. His work in New York City proves that mountain bikers who don't drive -- or don't want to drive -- can have close-to-home places for off-road riding.

Lenosky recently joined with fellow pro rider Kyle Ebbett, the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and the New York City Mountain Bike Association to build a mountain bike skills park in Manhattan. He said similar parks can be constructed in New Jersey's urban areas if riders show initiative and local officials respond with open minds.

Chris Bernhardt, IMBA's trail solutions coordinator, said creating urban mountain bike parks often entails answering concerns from land managers about environmental damage, liability and signage. The creation of the Highbridge Park in Manhattan's Washington Heights proves it can be done successfully, he said."At IMBA, one of the things we've been pushing real hard is to get people on mountain bikes," said Bernhardt. "The paradox is that most people live in cities where there is the least amount of open space for trails. It's great on the weekend, when you can drive to a forest or large national park. But what do you do on a Wednesday evening? You don't have a lot of options."

Of course, urban mountain bike parks usually cannot include mile upon mile of single-track trail. And most cities aren't built on the sides of mountains, so urban bike parks can't usually feature leg-burning inclines and white-knuckle descents.

The alternative is a park that focuses on skills development, said Bernhardt and Lenosky.

"In a lot of these smaller parks, we put challenge features," said Bernhardt. These can include jumps and other obstacles that are "not crazy, just things that test your riding ability," said Lenosky.

He said "free-riding," where mountain bikers perform difficult stunts instead of racing against each other on long trails, is gaining in popularity. Skills parks, such as Highbridge, are perfect places to practice in a relatively safe, "controlled environment" instead of on vacant property or other less-than-ideal places now frequented by aspiring free-ride cyclists.

"In reality, these places exist all over the country," said Lenosky. "They're just illegal. Kids in lots and stuff like that or in the woods without any access to emergency personnel. They're not monitored or supervised. Basically, the only way to do it now in New Jersey is if you own property and have stuff (jumps, for example) on your property."

Converting a vacant lot into a mountain bike park -- or creating one on a section of an existing city park -- can have a positive effect on the area.

"Highbridge Park used to be a pretty sketchy place," said Lenosky. He said the new dirt jump park is situated between a basketball court and a playground. Aside from the jumps, the park features about six miles of trails "that loop back and forth and cross over each other."

Bernhardt said skills-oriented parks within cities entice young people who might otherwise never show interest in mountain bikes.

"It's often difficult for them to take their bikes on a bus to go to a (state, county or federal) park," he said. "That's just not realistic ... In a lot of these smaller parks where we put the challenge features, it becomes like a bike playground, and that's a lot more fun for a 12-year-old than doing a 4-hour-long, single-track ride. He's just not going to be into that at all."

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	Mountain bikers out to go urban By Fred J. Aun New Jersey Star-Ledger April 29, 2007 New Jersey has a number of good places for traditional mountain bike riding: Large county, state or federal parks that feature long trails through remote areas. But when it comes to challenging mountain bike opportunities within the state's urban areas, the options are few. Jeff Lenosky, a professional mountain bike racer from Sparta, believes that can change. His work in New York City proves that mountain bikers who don't drive -- or don't want to drive -- can have close-to-home places for off-road riding. Lenosky recently joined with fellow pro rider Kyle Ebbett, the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and the New York City Mountain Bike Association to build a mountain bike skills park in Manhattan. He said similar parks can be constructed in New Jersey's urban areas if riders show initiative and local officials respond with open minds. Chris Bernhardt, IMBA's trail solutions coordinator, said creating urban mountain bike parks often entails answering concerns from land managers about environmental damage, liability and signage. The creation of the Highbridge Park in Manhattan's Washington Heights proves it can be done successfully, he said."At IMBA, one of the things we've been pushing real hard is to get people on mountain bikes," said Bernhardt. "The paradox is that most people live in cities where there is the least amount of open space for trails. It's great on the weekend, when you can drive to a forest or large national park. But what do you do on a Wednesday evening? You don't have a lot of options." Of course, urban mountain bike parks usually cannot include mile upon mile of single-track trail. And most cities aren't built on the sides of mountains, so urban bike parks can't usually feature leg-burning inclines and white-knuckle descents. The alternative is a park that focuses on skills development, said Bernhardt and Lenosky. "In a lot of these smaller parks, we put challenge features," said Bernhardt. These can include jumps and other obstacles that are "not crazy, just things that test your riding ability," said Lenosky. He said "free-riding," where mountain bikers perform difficult stunts instead of racing against each other on long trails, is gaining in popularity. Skills parks, such as Highbridge, are perfect places to practice in a relatively safe, "controlled environment" instead of on vacant property or other less-than-ideal places now frequented by aspiring free-ride cyclists. "In reality, these places exist all over the country," said Lenosky. "They're just illegal. Kids in lots and stuff like that or in the woods without any access to emergency personnel. They're not monitored or supervised. Basically, the only way to do it now in New Jersey is if you own property and have stuff (jumps, for example) on your property." Converting a vacant lot into a mountain bike park -- or creating one on a section of an existing city park -- can have a positive effect on the area. "Highbridge Park used to be a pretty sketchy place," said Lenosky. He said the new dirt jump park is situated between a basketball court and a playground. Aside from the jumps, the park features about six miles of trails "that loop back and forth and cross over each other." Bernhardt said skills-oriented parks within cities entice young people who might otherwise never show interest in mountain bikes. "It's often difficult for them to take their bikes on a bus to go to a (state, county or federal) park," he said. "That's just not realistic ... In a lot of these smaller parks where we put the challenge features, it becomes like a bike playground, and that's a lot more fun for a 12-year-old than doing a 4-hour-long, single-track ride. He's just not going to be into that at all."


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