A peek behind the curtain of a prolific mountain bike association reveals responsibilities and duties that, quite frankly, kind of suck, especially when considering that it's done on a volunteer basis. 

Advocacy and stewardship are very hard work, but it's not without its rewards, and in Tucson, AZ, there are two separate but equally tenacious trail associations looking to reap as many rewards for local mountain bikers as possible.

SDMB (Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists) and TORCA (Tucson Off Road Cycling Activists) have taken a divide-and-conquer approach to the several hundred miles of trails surrounding the Sonoran Desert oasis that is Tucson, Arizona. The city is the 2nd largest in the state behind Phoenix, with a metro population of over 1,000,000 and growing. It’s 50 miles north of the Mexico border and is surrounded on all sides by 5 minor mountain ranges, including the Rincons to the east, the Santa Ritas to the south, the Tucson Mountains along the western border, and both the Santa Catalinas and the Tortolita Mountains north of the city. Spread out amongst all of that, as well as within the city itself, is over 350 miles of trail available for mountain bikers, so much so that both trail associations have their hands full managing their respective pieces of the pie.

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While SDMB deals largely with the city itself and Pima County Parks and Recreation, TORCA has a mostly singular but equally sizable focus: Mount Lemmon. The massive eminence northeast of Tucson reaches an elevation of just under 9,200 feet above sea level. The trails on Lemmon are managed by the United States Forest Service, and TORCA has become the 501c3 partner organization with the USFS, effectively functioning as their trail maintenance arm.

The mountain is part of the Santa Catalina Mountains in southern Arizona, with Lemmon as the high point of the range. Mount Lemmon is 1 of 27 sky islands located between Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico. The term “sky island” refers to a mountain or mountain range separated from other ranges and surrounded by a completely different environment. On the way up to the top of the mountain, you’ll pass through a number of biomes, from desert scrubland to grassland to mixed conifer forest, Oak woodland, and Spruce-fir forests.
 

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I've often felt that mountain bike advocates not only have to educate land managers on how mountain bikers are generally some of the planet's greatest stewards of the forest, but also have to fight the stigma among mountain bikers who might worry that the riding sensibilities of their local mountain bike association might not align with their own. 

A large chunk of my professional existence is spent discussing big picture implications with various mountain bike communities and the advocates who are helping shape them. For whatever reason, it seems that those among us who are dedicated to the cultivation of strong communities and access to land are often perceived as a bit out of touch as riders. I know that's often very far from the reality of a situation, and TORCA would prove to be a shining example of the symbiosis of rad riding and mountain bike advocacy. There is nothing on Mount Lemmon for beginners. That is in part due to the fact that there hasn't been a single new trail on the mountain for nearly 20 years, which means that everything available to ride down is decidedly un-purpose built. The resulting ride is often fast, loose, jarring, technical, and riddled with consequence. It's a style of trail that breeds fast, strong, and fit riders. You might wonder, ‘Well, if they're not building new trails, what are they actually doing on that mountain?’
 

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Frankly, it starts with reliable stewardship on the mountain. The United States Forest Service has been under significant pressure to do more with less over the last 18 months. For many USFS employees, it can be a struggle to get out of desk duty, let alone develop an intimate knowledge of a large mountain chain that sees thousands of daily visitors, so being able to rely on a non-profit group like TORCA can not only be helpful for the forest service, but it builds cache for the riders as well. TORCA brings a lot of value to the forest service with upwards of 2,000 volunteer hours per year, so when it comes to conversations around trail use, they certainly have a seat at the table. While new trail can be tough to come by on Mount Lemmon, the sweat equity TORCA has put into the mountain is not without its rewards. 

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