Club News

IMBA Trail News
Volume 18, Number 4
Winter 2005

Southeast

Northeast In Augusta, Georgia, Long Cane Trails LLC, IMBA Trail Solutions and the Southern Off- Road Bicycling Association (SORBA) have completed 5.6 miles of the FATS trail. Fiftyseven volunteers logged more than 500 hours on the trail in 2005.

SORBA's Walter Bready is the new Georgia Trails Education Specialist at Gainesville State College. Walt takes over for trailbuilding guru Mike Riter who pioneered the innovative program five years ago.

Florida's Office of Greenways and Trails plans to partner with volunteers from the Ocala Mountain Bike Association (OMBA) on a statesanctioned freeride area, to include a slope-style jumps course and a skills area.

SORBA's Middle Tennesee chapter held the first Long Hunter Mountain Bike Festival on Nov. 12 and received an overwhelming response. About 150 mountain bikers of all ages and ability levels enjoyed 5 miles of newly built beginner/intermediate trail at Long Hunter State Park, near Nashville.

The National Park Service released a revised draft management plan for Georgia's Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA). The latest draft includes two alternatives (dubbed "E" and "F") both of which improve off-road cycling prospects in the park.

Northeast

Four hundred riders made their way to Cape Cod to celebrate the finale of NEMBA's Harpoon- Topeak Mountain Bike Adventure Series. The event raised more than $6,600 for the American Red Cross. Riders filled the campground at Sandwich's Camp Lyndon, enjoying plenty of food and a couple of kegs of fresh IPA and Octoberfest beers donated by Harpoon Brewery.

On Oct. 12, New York City Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined Michael Vitti, vice president of CLIMB, to break ground on the first official trail open to mountain bikes in New York City. "This 2.5- mile trail will create a first-of-its-kind recreational venue in Inwood, and will allow the growing number of bike enthusiasts to exercise in an otherwise underused section of the park," said Commissioner Benepe.

This fall, Jack Chapman, president of the Friends of Massabesic Bicycling Association, (FOMBA) presented the Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Hampshire a check in the amount of $5,000. (The advocacy group helps underpriviliged kids negotiate New Hampshire's courts system.) The funds represented the net proceeds from the 10th Annual Watershed Wahoo, a mountain bike race held by FOMBA in Candia, part of the Eastern Fat Tire Association New England Championship Series.

Midwest

The Chicago Area Mountain Bikers (CAMBr) received a $5,000 trail improvement and advocacy grant from Recreational Equipment, Inc (REI). The bulk of this grant has been earmarked for a bridge at the Palos Forest Preserve, in partnership with the Cook County Forest Preserve District. "This is like no other project we've ever taken on," said CAMBr President John Siwinski. "It's a civil engineering project and I don't think any of us expected to take trailbuilding to this level."

In Indiana, The Hoosier Mountain Bike Association will oversee a trailbuilding project at Brown County State Park. A federal RTP grant of $150,000 will fund 10 miles of new mountain bike trails, two new trailheads and a connector path to the park campgrounds.

The National Association of Counties presented an award to the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC) at a Dakota County Board Meeting. Dakota County is Minnesoata's third-most populated county; the productive partnership that MORC has formed with the county's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee has led to several new riding opportunities in recent years.

Rockies

Moab, Utah, recently gained new singletrack. Nat and Rachael Lopes, the Western Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, designed and layed out trail with the assistance of Kimberly Shappert (IMBA's State Rep) in May 2004. The trail was completed by local Moab trailbuilding volunteers this past summer. It's about 4 miles long and is the only singletrack trail in Moab closed to motorized users. The name, Baby Steps, reflects the small steps that local trail organizations are taking to improve the quality of riding in Moab. Baby Steps is accessed via the Klondike Bluffs trailhead. It's an intermediate level trail and offers tight singletrack, slickrock sections and great views.

In Boulder, Colorado, the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee has decided to recommend a connector trail between Hall Ranch and Heil Ranch, two popular riding areas just north of town. The Boulder Offroad Alliance helped bring about a favorable vote by organizing a strong turn-out of riders at public meetings held in October and November.

In Northern Colorado, the Larimer County Parks and Open Lands presented a draft for the Horsetooth Mountain Park Management Plan. Concerned that the park user survey suggested mountain bikers comprise only 20 percent of all park users, local riding groups are organizing a campaign to convince officials that the survey may be flawed, and that existing shared-use trails should not be closed or converted to hiking-only useage.

The Pacific

In late September of 2005, the Forest Service released Revised Land and Resource Management Plans for Southern California's Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests. "Their decision to support alternative 4A is good news," says IMBA's Jim Hasenauer. "This is a credit to the high-road commitments, partnerships and involvement of the mountain bicycling community."

Twenty miles of trails were secured for mountain biking when the BLM announced the Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan. Horse Ridge was previously an unauthorized winter riding area, and a team of bike advocates from Bend, Oregon, lobbied succesfully to protect the trails for riding.

In southern Nevada, the BLM is preparing for a major re-seeding project on Mt. Potosi and Cottonwood. The BLM has tentatively agreed to allow access for mountain bikes. Fences in the restoration area will be installed to limit access by ATVs, trucks and jeeps.

Matthew Fritzinger, the director of the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League, was presented with the Bay Area Jefferson Award for public service. Starting with four students at Berkeley High School, he created an entire league of high school mountain bike races in Northern California.

The World

IMBA's master trailbuilder Joey Klein recently conducted a seven-week, six-state tour of Australia, teaching trailbuilding clinics, meeting with clubs and fostering partnerships with land managers. Highlights included a visit to the Sydney Olympic Park, and stops in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Tasmania and Brisbane. "Australia boasts wonderful terrain for mountain biking and a growing network of committed cycling advocates," said Mountain Bike Australia's Executive Officer Tony Scott. "IMBA brings 17 years of experience in resolving access issues and building better trails ... bringing Joey back to Australia [this is Klein's third trip Down Under] is a major boon."

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	Club News IMBA Trail News Volume 18, Number 4 Winter 2005 Southeast Northeast In Augusta, Georgia, Long Cane Trails LLC, IMBA Trail Solutions and the Southern Off- Road Bicycling Association (SORBA) have completed 5.6 miles of the FATS trail. Fiftyseven volunteers logged more than 500 hours on the trail in 2005. SORBA's Walter Bready is the new Georgia Trails Education Specialist at Gainesville State College. Walt takes over for trailbuilding guru Mike Riter who pioneered the innovative program five years ago. Florida's Office of Greenways and Trails plans to partner with volunteers from the Ocala Mountain Bike Association (OMBA) on a statesanctioned freeride area, to include a slope-style jumps course and a skills area. SORBA's Middle Tennesee chapter held the first Long Hunter Mountain Bike Festival on Nov. 12 and received an overwhelming response. About 150 mountain bikers of all ages and ability levels enjoyed 5 miles of newly built beginner/intermediate trail at Long Hunter State Park, near Nashville. The National Park Service released a revised draft management plan for Georgia's Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA). The latest draft includes two alternatives (dubbed "E" and "F") both of which improve off-road cycling prospects in the park. Northeast Four hundred riders made their way to Cape Cod to celebrate the finale of NEMBA's Harpoon- Topeak Mountain Bike Adventure Series. The event raised more than $6,600 for the American Red Cross. Riders filled the campground at Sandwich's Camp Lyndon, enjoying plenty of food and a couple of kegs of fresh IPA and Octoberfest beers donated by Harpoon Brewery. On Oct. 12, New York City Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined Michael Vitti, vice president of CLIMB, to break ground on the first official trail open to mountain bikes in New York City. "This 2.5- mile trail will create a first-of-its-kind recreational venue in Inwood, and will allow the growing number of bike enthusiasts to exercise in an otherwise underused section of the park," said Commissioner Benepe. This fall, Jack Chapman, president of the Friends of Massabesic Bicycling Association, (FOMBA) presented the Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Hampshire a check in the amount of $5,000. (The advocacy group helps underpriviliged kids negotiate New Hampshire's courts system.) The funds represented the net proceeds from the 10th Annual Watershed Wahoo, a mountain bike race held by FOMBA in Candia, part of the Eastern Fat Tire Association New England Championship Series. Midwest The Chicago Area Mountain Bikers (CAMBr) received a $5,000 trail improvement and advocacy grant from Recreational Equipment, Inc (REI). The bulk of this grant has been earmarked for a bridge at the Palos Forest Preserve, in partnership with the Cook County Forest Preserve District. "This is like no other project we've ever taken on," said CAMBr President John Siwinski. "It's a civil engineering project and I don't think any of us expected to take trailbuilding to this level." In Indiana, The Hoosier Mountain Bike Association will oversee a trailbuilding project at Brown County State Park. A federal RTP grant of $150,000 will fund 10 miles of new mountain bike trails, two new trailheads and a connector path to the park campgrounds. The National Association of Counties presented an award to the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC) at a Dakota County Board Meeting. Dakota County is Minnesoata's third-most populated county; the productive partnership that MORC has formed with the county's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee has led to several new riding opportunities in recent years. Rockies Moab, Utah, recently gained new singletrack. Nat and Rachael Lopes, the Western Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, designed and layed out trail with the assistance of Kimberly Shappert (IMBA's State Rep) in May 2004. The trail was completed by local Moab trailbuilding volunteers this past summer. It's about 4 miles long and is the only singletrack trail in Moab closed to motorized users. The name, Baby Steps, reflects the small steps that local trail organizations are taking to improve the quality of riding in Moab. Baby Steps is accessed via the Klondike Bluffs trailhead. It's an intermediate level trail and offers tight singletrack, slickrock sections and great views. In Boulder, Colorado, the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee has decided to recommend a connector trail between Hall Ranch and Heil Ranch, two popular riding areas just north of town. The Boulder Offroad Alliance helped bring about a favorable vote by organizing a strong turn-out of riders at public meetings held in October and November. In Northern Colorado, the Larimer County Parks and Open Lands presented a draft for the Horsetooth Mountain Park Management Plan. Concerned that the park user survey suggested mountain bikers comprise only 20 percent of all park users, local riding groups are organizing a campaign to convince officials that the survey may be flawed, and that existing shared-use trails should not be closed or converted to hiking-only useage. The Pacific In late September of 2005, the Forest Service released Revised Land and Resource Management Plans for Southern California's Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests. "Their decision to support alternative 4A is good news," says IMBA's Jim Hasenauer. "This is a credit to the high-road commitments, partnerships and involvement of the mountain bicycling community." Twenty miles of trails were secured for mountain biking when the BLM announced the Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan. Horse Ridge was previously an unauthorized winter riding area, and a team of bike advocates from Bend, Oregon, lobbied succesfully to protect the trails for riding. In southern Nevada, the BLM is preparing for a major re-seeding project on Mt. Potosi and Cottonwood. The BLM has tentatively agreed to allow access for mountain bikes. Fences in the restoration area will be installed to limit access by ATVs, trucks and jeeps. Matthew Fritzinger, the director of the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League, was presented with the Bay Area Jefferson Award for public service. Starting with four students at Berkeley High School, he created an entire league of high school mountain bike races in Northern California. The World IMBA's master trailbuilder Joey Klein recently conducted a seven-week, six-state tour of Australia, teaching trailbuilding clinics, meeting with clubs and fostering partnerships with land managers. Highlights included a visit to the Sydney Olympic Park, and stops in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Tasmania and Brisbane. "Australia boasts wonderful terrain for mountain biking and a growing network of committed cycling advocates," said Mountain Bike Australia's Executive Officer Tony Scott. "IMBA brings 17 years of experience in resolving access issues and building better trails ... bringing Joey back to Australia [this is Klein's third trip Down Under] is a major boon."


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