On the Trail with IMBA

This is how we roll in the Floridizzle. (Hannah Park, Jacksonville)

Get out and ride.

-Ryan

Collect 14 dirt love’n Wisconsinites…

Fuel them up with beer, cheese curds, and roasted grasshoppers.

Yes, grasshoppers. They taste like the salty shell of a sunflower seed, then the legs get stuck in your teeth! (Remember, never attempt to assess, design, or build trail on an empty stomach!)

Build! The project at Lowes Creek in Eau Claire, Wisconsin was one of the most complicated reroutes we’ve done. It included 60 feet of rock armored stream crossing, 400 feet of beautifully executed reclamation, and 1900 feet of new trail construction. This was all necessary in order to eliminate a creek crossing at a subsiding stream bank. Helpful hint: creek crossings should always occur where the stream is straight. Winding streams meander, and sometimes they meander right into your trail. Our hard work’n Wisconsin crew of 14 finished the job in two 4-hour work days.

Impressive. Most impressive.

If you are ever near Eau Claire make sure you get a ride in at Lowes Creek and say “Hi” to the fun folks at the Chippewa Offroad Bike Association. While you are at it, make the trip down to Levis-Trow Mounds near Neilsville. It’s an IMBA Epic and one of the sweetest trails in the midwest. Both trails offer a lot of different flavors in one sweet system.

And just when we get acclimated to beer and squeeky cheese curds (a belly of those is tougher to ride with than thin mountain air), we’re off to big sky country.

-Ryan

…kid in a candy shop.

…an 80’s metal band at the Aqua Net Discount Store.

…a cat in a bird sanctuary.

…a roadie at the neon spandex factory.

We were cyclists in paradise.

(The above bicycle utopia is provided by Budget Bicycle Center in Madison, WI)

-Kristin “More Bikes! More Bikes!” Butcher

Sure, I love bacon and I love Rockstar and I love cats in santa hats too.

But, I really love skills clinics. I fell madly in love with clinics since first taking one 5 years ago. Just like in grade school, I was an eager student striving for gold stars. I practiced my trackstands non-stop, during lunch, during breaks, even during the instructions for how to do a trackstand.

And that was when I tipped over and knocked down the rest of my class like a set of wheeled dominos. My gold stars were immediately traded out for a scratch n’ sniff “Adequate” sticker.

I took home a few new skills, like cornering and wheelie drops. But, mostly, I took home a new understanding for the power of confidence. Skills I once saw as impossible became a snap as the cheers from the crowd drowned out the echoing doubts of my mind.

In the years since, I am usually found on the other side of skills clinics as an organizor and instructor. This is where I was for the Women’s Skills Clinic at the Santos Fat Tire Festival in Ocala, Florida. The festival atmosphere and the challenge park built by IMBA’s Trail Solutions provided the perfect venue to pass on a few skills.

Twenty-five women attended. These 25 women came from different backgrounds and were of varied skill levels. Some wore spandex and Sidis while others were comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts. Some brought their friends, others brought their daughters

You see, with skills clinics, it all starts with the basics… and a 2×8.

With a little help and guidance, that 2×8 soon becomes a bridge.

The bridge becomes a rock.

The rock becomes a lofty goal.

And then the goal becomes an accomplishment.

In just a few hours, sandwiched between the first introductions and the final cheers, the power of confidence is born.

-Kristin “You can do eet!” Butcher

In celebration of National Trails Day the Southeast Off-Road Bicycling Organization’s Walt Bready hosted a Subaru IMBA Trail Care Crew visit at Tsali NC. We had a great time working on trails and enjoyed a wonderful stay at the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

Over 75 people attended the festivities, worked hard on fixing a large section of trail, and got out on their bikes for some great rides!

Those who attended the trail building school had a chance to see their newly built drainage features in action as the afternoon thunderstorms rolled in to cool us off.

We had a fantastic time working with all the characters from SORBA, RAMBO (Rosewell-Alpharetta Mountain Bike Organization), TORC (Triangle Off Road Cyclists) and other local cycling clubs! Thanks for all the hard work and good times!

—Jason and Anna