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IMBA-SORBA is officially opening a brand-new trail system in Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina. 15 new miles of fresh singletrack are opening up… and this is just Phase 1 of development! According to the press release, there are many, many more trails planned for the forest, and they intend Uwharrie to become a true regional mountain bike destination.
While North Carolina already has an abundance of epic singletrack, it’s way cool to see even more trails being built for mountain biking. If the Southeast is a fire of mountain biking opportunities and development, the trails in North Carolina are definitely the coals burning bright in the center!
Full press release:
Uwharrie Phase One Grand Opening Set for November 12Albemarle, NC, October 29, 2011
Mountain bikers have over 15 miles to celebrate in Uwharrie’s Wood Run Area, including six miles of new singletrack! The Tarheel TrailBlazers <http://www.tarheeltrailblazers.com/index.cfm> chapter of the International Mountain Bicycling Association-Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (IMBA-SORBA) is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of over six miles new, purpose-built singletrack mountain bike trails at the Wood Run Area Trails in the Uwharrie National Forest <http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/%21ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTJw8jAwjQL8h2VAQAzHJMsQ%21%21/?ss=110811&ttype=recarea&recid=48934&actid=30&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&navid=110170000000000&p> located in Montgomery County, North Carolina <http://www.montgomerycountync.com/> . The event begins at noon on November 12 at the Wood Run Area trailhead. Festivities include a ribbon cutting, trail rides, games and food. The Wood Run Area trailhead is located on NC 24/27 between Albemarle and Troy, two miles east of the bridges over Lake Tillery/Pee Dee River.
Tom Sauret, Executive Director of IMBA-SORBA explains “Several years ago, the International Mountain Biking Association identified the Uwharrie National Forest as having great potential to be a Ride Center that offers a vast array of mountain bike trails. These trails are meant to be not just a local, but also a regional destination for mountain bikers. Phase 1 is just the beginning, but it’s an important milestone in the enhancement of mountain biking in the Uwharrie National Forest and the surrounding area. Already the parking lot is filling up regularly, and we’re hearing great things from the riders who’ve tried the new trail."
Phase 1 at Wood Run, begun in 2009, was an extensive project that touched the existing Wood Run Road, Supertree <http://www.tarheeltrailblazers.com/TrailsReview1.cfm?trailid=52> , and Keyauwee <http://www.tarheeltrailblazers.com/TrailsReview1.cfm?trailid=51> trails. Phase 1 included design, construction and rehabilitation. IMBA Trail Solutions (ITS) initially analyzed the area, designed and flagged the trail, and sought a contractor to make their design a reality. ITS also designed Albemarle’s City Lake Park Trail, which was built by SORBA Pro Trails. This one-mile Gateway Trail was built to give area residents a taste of the work to come at Uwharrie.
Brian Bristol, a local advocate who’s worked on this project since the beginning, says, “The new trail and upgrades make for excellent mountain bicycle riding, and the rehabbing will make the existing trail much more sustainable. Although designed and built to be attractive to mountain bikers, these trails are open to other recreational users, such as hikers and trail runners. It’s a great resource that enhances our community. We invite bikers and outdoor enthusiasts to come experience what we’ve accomplished”.
The community is solidly behind this project, and has worked to see their dream come true. The majority of funding for Phase 1 came from a Recreational Trails Program <http://www.ncparks.gov/About/trails_grants.php> grant and a matching donation from First Bank <http://www.FirstBancorp.com> of Troy. Additional contributions were made by Uwharrie Capital <https://www.uwharriecapitalcorp.com/index.html> , Montgomery County Tourism Development Authority <http://www.uwharries.com/> , The Albemarle Rotary Club <http://www.albemarlerotaryclub.org/> , Tarheel Trailblazers <http://www.tarheeltrailblazers.com/index.cfm> and individual donors. Volunteers have added time and labor to augment the monetary donations.
Trail Dynamics <http://traildynamics.homestead.com/> , based in Cedar Mountain, NC, was contracted by IMBA-SORBA to carry out the construction. Trail Dynamics is an experienced multi-use trail construction outfit that has analyzed, designed, and built trails throughout the country on public and private lands. A shining example of their work in North Carolina is enjoyed by thousands of mountain cyclists at DuPont State Forest <http://www.dupontforest.com> . Their work at Uwharrie increases the length of available mountain biking trails at the Wood Run trail system to over 15 miles.
The history of the Uwharrie Ride Center Project stems from over a decade worth of conceptual ideas on how to best use the region’s natural resources for quality recreation and economic growth. Central Park NC <http://centralparknc.org/about-us.html> , as the region is known, initially adopted the idea of a Uwharrie Cycling Center over a decade ago, and that concept eventually attracted IMBA and their regional division SORBA. The region of Uwharrie met the qualities IMBA recognized as an ideal destination for their new Ride Center Initiative. Thus a project was formed and given traction through industry funding, state and federal grants and local support.
Contacts:
Robin Allen
IMBA-SORBA Communication Director
2125 Elachee Drive Gainesville, GA 30504
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> 404.819.4655
http://www.sorba.org <http://www.sorba.org>Brian Bristol
IMBA-SORBA Uwharrie Trail Coordinator
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]?subject=SORBA%20Uwharrie&body=Info> 704-438-5663
2125 Elachee Drive Gainesville, GA 30504
http://www.sorba.org -
Cool. I’ve been wanting to get down that way and ride some of the existing trails. Sounds like there is more in the works. 😃
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