Cross Country racing returns to Pocahontas Trails
The old-school, East Coast riding that make the trails at Slatyfork famous more than two decades ago are back with an expanded race weekend at the Pocahontas Trails in West Virginia. The new, three-day format features a short track race, an XC race and an enduro August 22-24.
The weekend of racing showcases what the Slatyfork trails are all about: scenic singletrack, challenging rock gardens, 100-year-old railroad grades, spruce forests and spectacular vistas.
Read more about the event and the rebirth of the trails.
TweetMt. Tam Dirt Fondo adds second event
One of our favorite rides every year is the Mt. Tam Dirt Fondo that samples some of the sweet singletrack where mountain biking was born on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California.
The original, 46-mile ride will still take place September 7, but this year the Marin County Bicycle Coalition has added a Summer Solstice Ride on June 29. You’ll get to ride with some of the legends of the sport, enjoy a tasty barbecue afterwards and get a free T-shirt. Proceeds from the Dirt Fondo supports MCBCs Off-Road Program, which works to expand trail opportunities for mountain biking while promoting good trail etiquette and environmental stewardship.
Sign up for the Summer Solstice Ride here.
Sign up for the Dirt Fondo here.
Read about our good time at least year’s event here.
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Richmond Ride Center wins East Coast Bell Built Grant
With 13,896 votes being accumulated in the last two weeks, the Richmond Regional Ride Center in Richmond, Virginia, will take home the final slot as the winner of the East region.
Learn about the Ride Center here.
TweetCentral region winner chose in Bell Built Grants, voting now open for East
With voting live for the past two weeks in the Central region, Bell Helmets has announced that the Cottage Grove Bike Park in Cottage Grove, Minnesota pulled in the most votes out of the four Central region finalists to earn a share of the 2014 Bell Built Grants. The project, headed up by the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC), will split the $100,000 in grant money with the other two regional winners.
TweetDirt Rag Spring Break 2014: Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing
By Karl Rosengarth and Eric McKeegan. Photos by Justin Steiner and Jon Pratt.
For all of Pittsburgh’s endearing qualities, its wet, pre-spring weather sucks. There are weeks on end when the trails are just too wet and muddy for responsible riding. The optimal solution is to load Dirt Rag’s “trusty” Ford E-Series van with test bikes and head south, where spring is already busting out all over (or is close enough to permit proper bike testing). This year’s spring trip wound its way south and east—to Wilderness Adventure at Eagle’s Landing, located in the mountains near Roanoke, Virginia.
Help the ‘5 Bucks a Foot’ fundraiser and you could win a $10,000 Santa Cruz
The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship in Northern California, along with partners Santa Cruz Bicycles has announced another “5 Bucks A Foot” campaign. Up for grabs this time is the eventual winner’s choice of any complete Santa Cruz bicycle with a value up to $10,000. Every purchased foot of singletrack for $5 is an opportunity to win, and the random winner will be chosen on June 3.
TweetMarin Museum of Bicycling to construct Mt. Tam Legacy Wall
The Marin Museum of Bicycling recently announced it would begin construction on the Mt. Tamalpais Legacy Wall in Fairfax, California, that will be fitted with brick titles funded by museum donors. The public can purchase bricks and help fund the museum, the future home of the Igler Collection and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
TweetBell Built Grants announces West Coast winner
$100,000 in prize money? Split between three winning trail networks? That’s what’s at stake in the annual Bell Built Grants. Bell Helmets and IMBA have teamed up to build three dream trail projects and after whittling the contenders down to 12 finalists in three regions, the West Coast winner has been decided by popular vote.
TweetNICA continues to expand leagues for high school mountain biking
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), the governing body for interscholastic mountain biking, announced recently that Alabama and Virginia will be the newest states in its growing nationwide school cycling program, bringing the number of leagues in NICA network to 13.
One of the key features of NICA is its structural ability to work in concert with existing organizations that have parallel missions. Two of the leagues added in 2014, Virginia and Wisconsin, are built on established existing mountain biking programs.
NICA now has league clusters in several parts of the United States. Northern California, Southern California and Arizona; Utah and Colorado; Minnesota and Wisconsin; Texas; New York and Virginia; and Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.
NICA has over 1,300 licensed coaches who are working with 3,500 student-athletes in the USA, giving a very favorable overall supervision ratio of one adult to three student-athletes.
Watch for more as NICA continues to grow.
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Donate to create new singletrack and you could win a Moots Rouge valued at $8,000
Even if you don’t live in Colorado or might never have the chance to sample its sweet singletrack, it’s hard to pass up an opportunity like this. The Routt Country Riders – a local IMBA chapter – is raising funds to purchase some new trail building equipment, and Moots is pitching in to help.
For every $50 ticket you purchase, you’ll get another entry in a raffle to win a Moots Rouge YBB, a 27.5 titanium hardtail with Moots’ famous YBB softtail design. That’s an $8,000 value we’re talking here.
If you’re not familiar, the partnership between Moots and the RCR goes way back. Formed in the early 1990s, the club advocates for both mountain bikes and road riders, and has earned a Bronze level certification from IMBA and built the only IMBA Ride Center in Colorado and one of just 17 in the world. They also worked with Moots to create the amazing “chainsaw” trail building bike we saw at NAHBS last year.
Only 250 tickets for this raffle are available now through June 10, and you can grab yours at the Moots online store. Good luck!
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See the 12 finalists for the $100,000 Bell Built trailbuilding grants
Bell Bike Helmets and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) have announced the 12 finalists for the 2014 Bell Built Grants: $100,000 in technical assistance money put up by Bell for three bike projects to be built in 2014 by IMBA Trail Solutions. Public voting to choose the winners is open now and ends May 18, with winners announced May 19.
TweetTime is running out to win a Marin Rocky Ridge
I recently got back from my first ride in Marin County, California, and I was blown away by how nice the trails were – especially in February! Access4Bikes is working hard to turn the tide in Marin and open up even more riding opportunities for our vibrant mountain bike community. They are selling raffle tickets to support the trails there, and the lucky winner will take home a Marin Rocky Ridge like this one.
TweetVideo: ‘Crossing the Divide, Protecting the Places We Ride’
Trails are useless to mountain bikers when they’re off limits. But that access also needs to be balanced with the needs of other user groups and especially the environment.
“Crossing the Divide, Protecting the Places We Ride”, produced by Grit and Thistle Film Company, documents how IMBA and its chapters work with the conservation and recreation communities to create bike-friendly land protection designations. The goal is to both protect the natural landscapes and ensure the continuation of thriving recreation-based economies, including mountain biking. The film focuses on pending federal legislation that seeks to protect land in Colorado’s Summit, Eagle and Pitkin Counties.
TweetSupport trail access in Marin County and you could win this bike
Marin County, the birthplace of mountain biking, has suffered for decades with lack of good, legal singletrack. Access4Bikes is working hard to turn the tide in Marin and open up more riding opportunities for our vibrant mountain bike community.
Funds raised from this campaign will go to building more trail miles at Camp Tamarancho, one of the best riding spots in the county, and to advocating for more singletrack on public lands. Marin Bikes and Access4Bikes are giving away a 2014 Marin Rocky Ridge 7.6. Tickets are for sale now at Access4Bikes.com for $10 each. The more tickets you buy the better chance you have to win. Ticket Sales will be open until March 4 at 5pm and the winner will be announced on March 5 on the Access for Bikes Facebook page. The winner will also get a 2 year Tamarancho trail pass.
The Rocky Ridge 7.6 is a hardball designed for aggressive trail riding, with low, slack geometry and 27.5 wheels. Read our first impressions of the bike here, and watch an upcoming issue of Dirt Rag for a long-term review.
Access4Bikes has a long history of strong advocacy to change policy and elect bike friendly officials across the county.
There is a big opportunity to influence the Marin County Open Space road and trail management plan. For more information visit access4bikes.com/win-a-marin.
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Fat Bike Summit brings trail users together
Photos by Griff Wigley
The Midwest Fat Bike Access & Grooming Workshop was held on January 9 and 10 in Cable, Wisconsin. This gathering brought together over 70 advocates from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin devoted to improving off-road cycling and fat biking in winter. The event was sponsored by Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) and hosted by Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC), International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), and the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA).
Read more about the event here.
TweetCold Rolled – Marquette, Michigan’s Fat Bike Route – Chapter 4
Cold Rolled is an action documentary from Clear & Cold Cinema, Salsa Cycles and TravelMarquetteMichigan.com that will explore the history and progression of winter cycling culture in the adventure-loving Lake Superior harbor town of Marquette, Michigan.
Marquette’s Noquemanon Trails Network has nearly perfected equipment and techniques used to launch its Snow Bike Route, a 15-mile winter singletrack developed for fat tire bikes. The fast narrow trail features flowy terrain, steep descents and large bermed turns. It’s believed to be the first trail of its kind–but more importantly, it’s pretty fun.
Chapter Four is a humorous documentary segment featuring Noquemanon Trails Network lead trailbuilders Mike Brunet and Matt Belic that traces the thought process behind creating dedicated snow singletrack and the physical process of fabricating a special groomer to keep Marquette’s abundant snowfall ridable.
See all episodes of “Cold Rolled” here.
TweetCold Rolled – Marquette, Michigan’s Fat Bike Route – Chapter 3
Cold Rolled is an action documentary from Clear & Cold Cinema, Salsa Cycles and TravelMarquetteMichigan.com that will explore the history and progression of winter cycling culture in the adventure-loving Lake Superior harbor town of Marquette, Michigan.
Marquette’s Noquemanon Trails Network has nearly perfected equipment and techniques used to launch its Snow Bike Route, a 15-mile winter singletrack developed for fat tire bikes. The fast narrow trail features flowy terrain, steep descents and large bermed turns. It’s believed to be the first trail of its kind–but more importantly, it’s pretty fun.
Chapter Three explores the ever-shifting moonscape of the frozen shoreline of the world’s largest body of freshwater, Lake Superior. This segment was shot over two days in late March 2013 about a half mile offshore within the city limits of Marquette. Over the course of the long winter Lake Superior’s legendary storms create an otherworldly landscape of ice and snow that shifts with each gale. The ice formations, created by wave action and freezing temps, are usually anchored on the lake bottom and can rise from the water up to 30 feet in some locations. Lake Superior’s water temperature hovers right around freezing, and is the leading factor in the region’s high snowfall totals that have influenced the winter cycling culture in this adventure-loving town on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
See all episodes of “Cold Rolled” here.
TweetBell and IMBA team up to award $100,000 in 2014 trail building grants
Last spring Bell Helmets and IMBA partnered to award a total of $100,000 to three trail projects in the first Bell Built Grants. With the hope of making it even bigger in 2014, Bell and IMBA hope to spread the word so riders all around the country realize the opportunity they have for a trail to be built in their community for the benefit of local shredding. Like last year, Bell will be providing IMBA with $100,000 in grant funding in support of trail building.
Starting in January and running through the end of February, Bell and IMBA will begin taking applications for 2014 trails, with finalists named during the first week of March. Voting will then come in three regional phases, starting in April with the West coast, and ending in May with the East coast, with central voting in between. From there, all winners will be officially announced in May 2014, with trail design and construction beginning in June.
Bell and IMBA received over a hundred grant submissions last year from IMBA chapters, clubs and land management agencies, and it is expected that the number of applications will increase in 2014. IMBA Trail Solutions, the international leader in developing singletrack trails, was responsible for the building and designing of all three trail projects and will continue this in 2014 with help from local volunteers.
Bell and IMBA have also produced a short video of each of the 2013 winners. See them below. Keep checking back here to see how to nominate your community.
TweetMore cowbell! 2013 Moots Ti Sticks now available
Cyclocross season may be winding down, but if you’ve got Holiday Fever, the only solution might be MORE COWBELL. Moots is happy to obliged with the annual release of Ti Sticks, a noisemaker made from excess or scrap tubing from Moots frames.
The titanium tubes are cut and finished in just a way to provide the perfect resonance for heckling your favorite racer. They will undoubtedly ride faster and farther thanks to your assistance.
Each year, 100 percent of the proceeds from the Ti Sticks goes to charity or advocacy groups. For 2013, the recipient is the Great Colorado Flood Relief, a natural choice after the devastating floods along the Front Range in Moots’ home state. Each of the 2013 tubes is also marked with the Great Colorado Flood Relief logo for extra specialness. There are only 31 being built this year, and with Cyclocross Nationals coming up in January in Boulder, these are likely to go fast. Order yours here.
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