Club Notes: Midwest

IMBA Trail News
Volume 14, Number 1
Spring 2001

It's -8 degrees in Elk River, Minnesota, today, but the sun is shining brighter than ever on local mountain bikers. The Blast Team (www.bikeblast.com) has gained permission to design and construct a new mountain bike course on more than 80 acres at Hillside Park. More info: e-mail IMBA Minnesota State Rep Bob Mueller at .

More news from the Land of 10,000 Lakes: Last summer Dakota County (south of Minneapolis) began updating the master plan for Lebanon Hills Regional Park. Thanks to strong representation from Minnesota Off-Road Cyclist (MORC) members, the park plans to increase mountain bike access. More info: www.morcmtb.org.

In the game of word association, singletrack and strip mine are normally on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Central Ohio Mountain Biking Organization (COMBO) is bucking stereotypes, however. COMBO has logged more than 1,000 hours developing a new trail system on former strip-mined land owned by AEP Power Company. A grand opening is on tap for summer 2001. More info: www.joincombo.org.

Big changes are at hand in the Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA). MMBA E.D. Dwain Abramowski has retired and is moving on to other ventures. Dwain will be greatly missed - he served as E.D. of MMBA from 1986-2001 and has been one of the most effective mountain bike advocates in the history of the sport. Thanks and good luck Dwain! In light of Dwain's retirement, MMBA is now seeking a full-time professional Executive Director. For more info on the position, and Dwain's retirement letter, check out www.mmba.org.