Fri, 17 Dec 2004:
Look to the Great White North for a solution
Editor:
The closure of Big Bear is will not solve any problems. Trail-building and abuse will not stop; it will simply go elsewhere, legal or not. Sure, there will be a few who decide to hang up or sell their bikes because it becomes too inconvenient or they just don't want to break the law. If you had just maxed out three credit cards on a $4500 downhill bike, would you stop riding it because one resort closes down? No, you would adapt and get creative. You might get in trouble with a property owner or you might not. You might cause some environmental damage or you might offend a hiker with excessive speed. In the end, you will want to keep riding.
The debate about freeriding, trail-building, etc., as sparked by the closure at Big Bear has become quite the hot topic here in Utah. Let us not forget the other "extreme sports" like surfing and gravity have waxed and waned under this kind of pressure. They are still around but only the diehards remain.
The solution may lie with our friends in Canada. Properly built, well-maintained, sanctioned trails (and stunts) have attracted hundreds if not thousands of riders to places like Whistler, British Columbia. Somehow they got an okay from their insurance company to build those stunts. What's stopping us from doing that in the U.S.? Let's find out and pull out the stops. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can put this pesky problem behind us and get back to riding our bikes.
Aaron Moulton (freerider, XC rider, roadie)
Lehi, Utah
Sat, 27 Nov 2004:
This guy deserves a Darwin Award....
http://www.thisisguernsey.com/code/shownewsarticle.pl?ArticleID=012225
This is Guernsey >News >News Stories >Cyclist Hurt
This article from
‘Road rage’ driver runs down top biker
by Alex Hanna
A TOP Guernsey cyclist was deliberately knocked down by a Land Rover while out training.
Injured Guernsey mountain biker Jimmy Carling with his battered cycle. (Picture by John O’Neill, 0149452)
Jimmy Carling, 17, was sideswiped outside the Grammar School and then threatened by the driver.
He made no attempt to help the youngster up off the road and accused him of cycling through a red light. The man snatched up Jimmy’s bike and, when asked to leave it alone, threw it to the ground and kicked the broken saddle across the road.
The driver left no contact details after Thursday’s incident and is now being sought by police. He is described as of average height and build and was driving a charcoal or blackish Freelander.
‘I’ve never been in a situation like that before and it makes me feel sick to think about it now,’ said Jimmy, who has been out on the roads training for seven to 10 hours a week. He received a letter yesterday afternoon telling him that he had been selected to compete for Guernsey in the mountain biking event at next year’s Island Games in the Shetland Islands.
‘I felt that I was on the end of someone’s aggression outlet and I felt threatened. I didn’t know what he was going to do next and he was standing pretty close to me. His parting words were "You’d better get out of the road before someone runs over you", and then drove off.’
Jimmy had come down the Rohais and was waiting to turn right at the lights into Foote’s Lane. It was about 4pm and still daylight. There were cars waiting in the opposite direction, but none to drive left into Foote’s Lane. As the lights changed, he turned in front of the facing cars.
The Land Rover appeared suddenly in the left-hand lane and came alongside him. Jimmy pulled in front of it and over towards the pavement to give the Land Rover room to overtake.
‘He started to go for it on his horn. I was a bit cross so I gave him the finger.
‘Then he pulled alongside me, revved three times loudly and drove into me and my bike went from under me.’
Jimmy’s hands were badly cut and he has road rash down his arms and side. His Specialized road bike, worth thousands of pounds, is not a write-off, but needs new parts and repairs.
‘I’ve had one or two accidents on the roads before where it could have been my fault, or the other person’s, but they have always stopped to check I was ok and we have sorted it out at the scene.
‘It has been a bit of a reality check for me and I think I’ll be a bit more wary on the roads now. I just hope that justice is done and I hope people will have a better respect for cyclists in the future.’
He thanked Grammar School receptionist Janine Tolcher, who saw most of the incident and took him inside, picked up the bike and called his parents.
‘It scared the living daylights out of me,’ said father Max. ‘It is an alarming experience and a cowardly act, particularly as he didn’t leave his details.’
Sat, 13 Nov 2004:
From: Paul Nam <vocinam@yahoo.com>
Subject: [ROMP] Ode to my mtn bike
Step on up, step on in: Hammer down!
For when just enough is just too little:
Here’s to the riders who come in with the metal!
Who climbs up and must fly down?
The mountain biker pedals and ascends to that crown.
If you have to stop and think, your riding skills must stink.
Mash on and monster pedal and always test your mettle.
The bike ain't no frickin petal, it's a super hunk of meddle.
Try to break it if you can,
after big air and when you land,
the bike’s not suicidal when its fortified with pyro-metal.
It can handle all the rocks,
that come with bottomed shocks,
and hammer round' the berms,
and drop offs in the turns.
It will master tabletops,
and handle all your chops.
Yep the bike’s a super freaking space tripper.
It is big top circus time. It is big medicine.
So throw out all your notions,
your paradigms, and worn out dogma,
and chuck out all those goofy concepts
you've been dragging over gnarly rocks and logs,
and throw your leg over that mindless beast,
clear your mind,
for soon you'll be cleaning every obstacle in the course,
and bucking like a bronco, you'll be riding like on horse,
for you will be spinning the endless chain around them shiny cogs,
attached to the best goddam' rider that ever turned a crank,
and to all those other lame asses that always rankly stank,
they will be left back in the junk pile garage of a lesser mortal rank,
your courage will never fail you,
and as your skills go up way beyond a notch,
as others riding behind you feel painful in their crotch,
you sing a little ditty, that goes a little bit like this:
"I have a bitchin’ bike, she’s as beautiful as a kiss,
with dripping multi-weight lubrication,
it’s a ride I can’t dis’ miss."
You've got to get on it and get out.
What are you waiting for?
Your trail furniture has arrived.
Now sit on it.
It's your stupid bike bozo:
The pinnacle of pedal technology.
by Paul Nam, 11/13/04
Sat, 9 Oct 2004:
From: Caley Fretz <yelac22@adelphia.net>
Subject: oh yeah
I also wonder if you realize that there is more to life than looking at things. You reiterate numerous times on your website that bikers are going to fast to see nature. I don't see why this is so bad. The reason I mountain bike is not to look at nature, it is to have fun. Having fun is pretty cool, you should try it sometime.
also, you say all bikers would have access to all trails if only they would choose to walk. You are missing the point. We find walking too boring, unless it is a very special place (some places even I think should be closed to mountain bikers because they are so beautiful, take Yosemite for example). You average woods would be boring as heck to go through at 3 mph, but at 15 or 20, AWESOME.
I know this is going right with your casting of bikers, but I feel that if I met you on a trail I would feel an immense need to shove a flower up your ass. Or maybe a frog. But I wouldn't, because your not worth that much destruction of nature.
Fri, 1 Oct 2004:
From: "Bob Bournique" <bbtcrides@verizon.net>
The other thing about most of the areas around here is that they are what
may be referred to as, "gray" areas. We either do not have permission from
the land owner to be there or we do not have permission to build legally.
How can the club have an official work party on trails that are bootlegged
in?
It's a delicate line that we ride.
Fri, 14 May 2004:
From: "G.T." <getnews1@dslextreme.com>
Newsgroups: alt.mountain-bike
Subject: Re: Someone Please Define "Freeride?"
Wonder Worm wrote:
> FUCK
> YOU!
You got it. That's the freeride attitude. Good job!
Greg
Wed, 12 May 2004:
To: bbtcmembers@yahoogroups.com
From: Chris Lowe <cyclocross@yahoo.com>
Mailing-List: list bbtcmembers@yahoogroups.com; contact bbtcmembers-owner@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: So this is where the sport has gone...hmmm....
I think it's all perspective. For me riding technical
singletrack is a snooze. Having started out as a road
rider (simply because MTB's hadn't been invented yet)
I'm used to speed. I'm also a cyclocrosser. When I see
an obstacle I just hop off the bike and run over it.
I'm just not that interested in tip-toeing over
obstacles at little more than a slow jogging pace. I
want to cover distance. I love covering large chunks
of land that I could never cover by trail running and
hiking. For me, that's the joy of mountain biking.
You'll never see me on 40 pound bike doing an 8 foot
drop. I'm impressed as all get out by guys and gals
who can do that stuff and make it look easy but I've
no real desire to try it myself. Ditto for people who
can nose-wheelie their way through a super tight
singletrack switchback or grunt their way up some
steep rocky climb like a mountaingoat. Impressive as I
may find it, you're still going to see me going
through that stuff Sven Niis style with my bike on my
shoulder.
Only thing that really counts is that your pedaling
and having fun!
Chris Lowe
Tue, 20 Jan 2004:
From: "Heiss" rlangegger@hotmail.com
Newsgroups: alt.mountain-bike
We that pay to sustain a Forest have the right to use it in anyway we see appropriate.
[I think that the following is part of a trend toward lawlessness by people who don't understand community responsibility, and are deciding to simply take what they want (e.g. people who don't want to wait for the traffic light to change, and run red lights)! Since communities are built on trust, many aspects of the community (such as parks, open spaces, and wildlife) are not well protected. People like this (for example "President" Bush) will force us toward more autocratic rule.
Since wildlife can't protect themselves from us, people who destroy wildlife and wildlife habitat, such as mountain bikers who build new trails, reduce morality to the level of child molestation.
Mike]
Mon, 19 Jan 2004 08:42:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Terry Haggard <kosmo5150@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Rise of outlaw/rogue trail building
Hmmm... I am certain you are more aware than you
seem. You should keep thinking your good intentions
are working, because you fight over areas you and
everyone else knows about, which gains good publicity
for a fight, and more money. But most trail miles
today are created unofficially, without work orders,
permits, officials, budgets or otherwise.
All the good intentions aside, many trail enthusiasts
are moving and will continue to move to areas where
few are aware of. Like the story behind the story.
Open/green spaces that few otherwise care about are
open ground for outdoor recreationalists who don't
care for the official process. Like kids building
trails near their home.
So keep up the fight. I think it's a great diversion
for those who have become too bitter and dream of more
zero impact zones. While those who don't care take
their toys/trails and go outside of the "official"
area, like East Germans and North Koreans slipping
thru holes in the border.
I'll be working more on my new network of trails
throughout the winter, as well as helping others with
their networks, bridging over wetland areas,
trespassing on frog habitat, while being entertained
by others trying to regulate the "official" areas.
In the long term, I can see fewer people wanting to go
to the "official" areas as more unofficial areas open
up. Then some of the "official" areas may not be given
enough funding to stay "officially" open. That would
be terrible. Because then people who care would not be
able to manage their "official" green space because so
many prefer the unofficial spaces.
"This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land" in
pure Woody Guthrie fashion, and when people get too
selfish on either side, trail builders get out and go
underground, to carve up green spaces no one knows or
cares about. To more trails everywhere because we can!
Sun, 18 Jan 2004 20:00:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Terry Haggard <kosmo5150@yahoo.com>
Subject: Rise of outlaw/rogue trail building
Mike, Hey! I would like to provide lateral support to
what you had to say on IMBAA & the BBTC and how "They
irritate land managers and everyone else repeatedly,
and NEVER give up, until they get the blood (bike
access to trails, especially singletrack) that they
crave -- legally or otherwise!"
My support is lateral in that the good intentions of
mt. bike trail advocates too often lead to user
restrictions or closures. And a closed trail, on
official public land or unofficial private land, is a
useless trail, to me.
So I no longer feel a need to be an advocate.
Instead, I asked how most suburban trails started?
Answer: Someone built them, officially thru officials
on official land, or unofficially thru citizen
volunteers, where ever they wanted, often in a close
to home green/open space, likely sooner or later to be
developed.
This is where the heart of the trail building
community has gone. Away from the front lines of trail
politics fighting the good fight on whatever holier
than thou side, and to suburban green spaces that
hopefully few in the official world will ever hear
about.
We build trails when, where, and how we want. We
integrate filters to keep horses and motors out, build
structures, and generally speaking ride over and tear
into what ever we want. Most importantly, we have fun.
So I encourage you to keep fighting on the front
lines, knowing there are an increasing number taking
their trails/toys and going to play with other people
not on the front lines.
Ride on!
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 20:00:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Terry Haggard <kosmo5150@yahoo.com>
Subject: Rise of outlaw/rogue trail building
Mike, Hey! I would like to provide lateral support to
what you had to say on IMBAA & the BBTC and how "They
irritate land managers and everyone else repeatedly,
and NEVER give up, until they get the blood (bike
access to trails, especially singletrack) that they
crave -- legally or otherwise!"
My support is lateral in that the good intentions of
mt. bike trail advocates too often lead to user
restrictions or closures. And a closed trail, on
official public land or unofficial private land, is a
useless trail, to me.
So I no longer feel a need to be an advocate.
Instead, I asked how most suburban trails started?
Answer: Someone built them, officially thru officials
on official land, or unofficially thru citizen
volunteers, where ever they wanted, often in a close
to home green/open space, likely sooner or later to be
developed.
This is where the heart of the trail building
community has gone. Away from the front lines of trail
politics fighting the good fight on whatever holier
than thou side, and to suburban green spaces that
hopefully few in the official world will ever hear
about.
We build trails when, where, and how we want. We
integrate filters to keep horses and motors out, build
structures, and generally speaking ride over and tear
into what ever we want. Most importantly, we have fun.
So I encourage you to keep fighting on the front
lines, knowing there are an increasing number taking
their trails/toys and going to play with other people
not on the front lines.
Ride on!