Sitting in a coffee shop in the Minneapolis area... Attended the Outdoor Adventure Expo this weekend and scored a couple of fantastic deals on bike lites and classic skis.
Brought my "new" bike down with me and put it through the paces on a local trail that I really like, it's a nice flowy trail with short climbs and swoopy corners that for the most part you can take as fast as you can ride the straights...think bird's hill burr oak trail meets whittier park...
The stunning part of this is that this trail was built AT THE REQUEST OF THE CITY!!!! Inver Grove Heights approached MORC (the minnesota 'equivallent' of the MCA but way way better) to build a trail in a little used park. While it is open to hikers and trail runners, it was built with mountain bikers in mind and there's non of this "bikes yeild to pedestrians" crap. Wow, a bike trail for bikes!!!!
So it made me think; (and this is where this post becomes more rant/vent than observation) that Winnipeg could be like this, with an active and vibrant trail building/maintaining community that CLOSES trails when they're wet to preserve them, builds new trails and improves existing ones. Their local committee (MORC) seems to be more action than talk which would be a very very welcome change from the way things are in Winnipeg.
Sigh, sadly, nothing will change in spite of any efforts to spur new trail building/maintenance and only the most dedicated will do anything to attempt to make our local trails any better.
I cannot vent about lazy trail riders without pointing the finger at myself somewhat; I do not do much trail maintenance. I will however, get off my bike and move branches and trees off a trail when I they are small enough for one person to move but I have never carried any kind of a saw to tackle some of the bigger downed trees. BOO ME!!!
Having said all that, I do strongly wish that some group would adopt some of the local trails and at least once or twice a season "spruce it up" to make riding more enjoyable and flowier for all of us.
Vent completed, rant terminated.
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Gerald Adams and I started building trails in the city about 12-15 years ago. We would go down by the river, and hack some trees out then ride the hell out of it. Each year someone would come along and continue our work. Eventually, these trails grew into a networks of ‘monkey’ trails the run along beside the river up to Ass Park. Kevin B has been working on a trail by U of M, and Rob, some other team mates and I used to go down to the Sane every year to clear out the trails that run between the Red and the Golf course. A number of people have also been working on the ‘technical’ trails that run beside the train tracks at Whittier, but the city goes in from time-to-time and rips it all down. A unified effort would better serve the ‘cause’. Every year for the last 15-years I have been suggesting that race teams take responsibility for one of the race courses. That team would then have a trail building party. Every team would be invited to join in the effort, and a fun ride and chow down would follow. To my knowledge this has never happened. I have two strong hands, some tools and lots of enthusiasm and energy. If you want to organize a trail building brigade I will offer my labor.
ReplyDeleteBuild it and they will come!
Oh ya… there was talk of building a ‘park’ along the floodway… using all the extra dirt, bank and wide open space… they let the ball drop… again!
Coach Dave
I have used my week off to build nearly 2 kms of sweet climbing goodness out here... where I wanted it, I'm 1/3 done this trail, and I'm loving it! Though stiff as hell. Saying that, we have it good, better than most... and hills... many many hills... I get over one, and there is another.. I show you all someday.
ReplyDeleteYou want it, you need to put in the time.. or so I feel now... liberating...
Also rode for 12 hours this week..... I'm dead.
This may not have made sense... way to many wobbly pops tonight... but I'm tired and sore, so Beer is good!
You guys are the exception to the rule and I applaud your efforts... but like Dave said, we need a centralized unified effort. It would be amazing if we could interconnect some of these trails to allow some level of commuting on them. While I strongly advocate for a bike's right to use the road, the more time we spend off the road, the safer we are...
ReplyDeletei had done a little trail building a few years back with Tim L, but nothing too serious.
ReplyDeleteThis year I have spent most of my "fun time" building and cutting instead of riding. Almost 2km of new stuff in the city, right by your apt Gord. Honestly i enjoyed "just doing it", without any politics and opinions, just go make some fun trails. if i had to go to more meetings just to do trail work or make trails - NO WAY, NOT INTERESTED.
I agree we need more trails, an "organized" effort would be good, but i seriously fear the political side of it and getting permission. i would prefer it was kept to a small semi organized group of "mystery trail builders", would probably get a lot more done.
oh, and change the colour of your text on your blog, red on blue is killing my eyes and almost totally unreadable. OUCH!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kevin, that we should be much more "work" and a lot less "talk" but I still think there's a place for some level of organization. Outside of the MCA for sure because then politics would most certainly get in the way, and differing agendas.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the answer is, I just think Minneapolis is on the road to getting it right while we're stuck in the mud arguing about who, what, where, when and why... (and I dont mean us guys, I mean in general)
minneapolis is such a special place. the entire area is so spread out with so much green space. it's like they actually like nature or something. anyway, they certainly have some great terrain and some awesome parks.
ReplyDeletemost of our urban trails get flooded out along the river. it's too bad we don't have more space or interesting terrain to develop.
much better colour now BTW.
That is my favorite trail in the area! About 4 miles from my house and I hardly ever see anyone on it.
ReplyDelete