There’s been a lot in the news lately about trail building and advocacy and fortunately most of it has been good news thanks to groups like IMBA and local bike clubs. On the flip side there’s also been news out of California about illegal mountain bike trails being built on public land that threatens to undo years of positive progress.

Just last week the LA Times wrote about an illegal trail network that was found in Limestone Canyon and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. Before being dismantled by rangers and volunteers, the trail featured wooden bridges, jumps, and even sandbag-reinforced switchbacks. Apparently several other Orange County parks have seen illegal trail construction as well, though the Limestone Canyon trail was in a particularly eco-sensitive area.

Up in Marin County they’re still bitching about us and one letter to the editor of the Marin Independent Journal points to the damage freeriders have done in the Tahoe area by building illegal trails.  Here’s an excerpt:

(L)ast summer the U.S. Forest Service announced the discovery that renegade mountain bikers had secretly cut up to 30 miles of trails in the Tahoe backcountry during this past decade. In 2009, the USFS spent $29,000 to close three miles of illicit trails at Tahoe alone. Despite having 255 miles of trail access in national forests around Tahoe, that isn’t enough for the free-riders.

The writer goes on to connect the irresponsible behavior of an unknown group of riders in the Tahoe area to all mountain bikers and voices her opposition to an alternating day use plan split between hikers and bikers in Marin County. It’s really a shame because the alternating day policy seems quite reasonable and this person assumes mountain bikers won’t follow the rules because of what happened in Tahoe.

On the spectrum of things that are bad for the reputation of our sport, building illegal trails has to be one of the worst (if not the worst) things we can do. So if you’re thinking about putting a shovel to dirt this spring on land you don’t own or have permission to use, give us all a break and volunteer with your local club to improve existing trails.

If you live anywhere near Laguna Beach, CA, you have to check out the annual Crankbrothers Christmas sidewalk sale this Saturday, December 19. The event runs from 10am-2pm and you can get 40-75% off clothing and a limited number of demo wheel and pedal sets (I wonder if they’re selling the Cobalt wheels I tested earlier this year?). There’s even a “pedal spa” where you can get your Crankbrothers pedals cleaned up for the new year.

The best part about this event is that Mr. No Way himself, Hans Rey, will leading a group ride at 11am. Not sure exactly where he’ll be taking riders but the first lap is going to be “easy” while the second will be more “challenging.” My curiosity is piqued…

A portion of sales will go to a local food bank and to Rey’s charity that provides bikes to people in developing countries. If anyone is able to make it pretty please email us some pics or tell us about it in the comments. I’m almost tempted to buy a plane ticket to get there myself.

This week’s MTB news round up has a decidely “happy” flavor to it and with Independence Day coming up, what more could you ask for?

Lost mountain biker rescued. On Sunday a 58-year-old mountain biker became lost on Bummer Peak (seriously) near Lake Sonoma in California. Fortunately the only bummer was that he rode to the top of Bummer Peak and didn’t get to ride down - a rescue chopper took him to safety instead. No word on if he had to leave his bike or if it made the trip in the helicopter but the good news is he was able to get a cell phone signal to call 911. Guess his phone didn’t have GPS…

New trails proposed at Mount St. Mary’s University. Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of Mt. St. Mary’s University (MSMU) yet - it’s a small Catholic school in Emmitsburg, MD with a freshman class of about 400 students. Although you may not know the school, you’ve probably heard of Marla Streb, champion downhill racer and MSMU graduate. Marla is working with the school to design and build a network of 12 miles of biking and jogging trails on the campus which may one day connect to land owned by the town of Emmitsburg. Streb has a master’s degree in Environmental Science so she knows a thing or two about designing sustainable trails - we can’t wait to see what MSMU comes up with!

Legally blind mountain biker continues to shred. You’ve probably heard about Bobby McMullen, the blind downhill rider who was profiled in a recent documentary but Tommy Kinkle could probably give him a run for his money on the trail. Kinkle has just 5% vision in one eye and can’t drive anymore but get him on a mountain bike and just try to keep up! As a kid Kinkle was a sponsored BMX and skateboard rider and he hasn’t let his disability slow him down one bit. Read the article and get inspired!

IMBA’s April newsletter is chock-full of new trail news from across the country:

Oregon: An anonymous donor has pledged $1 million to help fund a “destination bike park” on a 35-acre plot in Portland between I-84 and I-205. The land is between two interstates and near a former jail (remember what we said about MTB trails being built on crappy land?). No matter, $1 million can go a looong way toward building sweet trails and the early plan is for free ride and skills stuff in addition to cross-country style trails. Apparently this is a large project because it is estimated to take 3-5 years to complete.

Photo from Raystown.org.

Pennsylvania: Raystown Lake just got 30 miles of brand new, purpose-built singletrack thanks to IMBA Trail Solutions and 6 other trail building firms. The grand opening for the Allegrippis Trails is set for May 9 with group rides, demo bikes, and food. Trails are rated from beginner to expert so it sounds like there’s something for everyone!

California: Paradise Royale just got a $600,000 grant to expand the mountain bike trails in the King Range National Conservation Area. Bike magazine claims that Paradise Royale “might be America’s best new trail.” With a name like Paradise Royale it better be - those are big shoes to fill

So many new trails, so little time. I gotta update my ride wishlist…

Photos by Reserverockhopper

We drove up to North Carolina this weekend for a wedding on Valentine’s Day (romantic, huh?) but luckily the weather was great and mudhunny and I were able to get a ride in yesterday (more on that later). Some of you may have had to skip your regular trail ride on February 14 but the guys who organize the Racers and Chasers MTB series in California thought ahead and offered a red rose to all race class winners - isn’t that sweet? Sure beats trying to win your sweetheart a stuffed bear at the county fair

Anyway, on the way back home we stopped off in Greensboro for a ride with some friends at the new Wild Turkey MTB trail on Lake Brandt. Wild Turkey is the newest mountain bike trail in the area and has been open for about a year and a half or so. It’s a 4.5 mile out and back trail which is a shame because the lake is looped by singletrack trails, some of which are closed to mountain bikers. The new trails are fast and smooth - swoopy with great flow. The banked turns on the descents are some of the best I’ve ridden - kudos to the Greensboro Fat Tire Society for the trail work! Riders of all ages seemed to be enjoying the trails including at least two riders on Surly Pugsleys - I didn’t know it snowed that much in Greensboro

After Wild Turkey, Jim, Gary and I decided to throw in a loop around Owl’s Roost just for old time’s sake and it was great. Owl’s Roost is much rootier than Wild Turkey and has some pretty gnarly short climbs in spots but my new 29er seemed to just glide over the bumps and leapt up the short steeps. By the time we got back to the house we had clocked over 20 miles in just over 2 hours or so, 70% of it on singletrack - incredible for a February ride!

I’m hoping the nice weather we’re seeing here in the southeast is here to stay - maybe Punxy Phil was wrong after all…