Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Bike Resource Night

Great to see all the bike folks from the City of Fort Collins coming out for the evening to talk bikes and share their love for cycling with others. Barb and I talked to a lot of people about Overland and passed out some new brochures and a lot of stickers. All in all, it was successful.

Finishing Out the Week

Well, it's been a busy week and it ain't over yet. I'm most excited about The City of Fort Collins Bicycling Resource night hosted by none other than David 'DK' Kemp. It's tonight at the Drake Center. Show up and check out '09 bikes, opportunities to get involved with bikes in the area, etc.

We've also got our weekly Singletrack Social tonight and on Sat. morning, a bunch of training for mountain bike patrollers and more. Here's a quick rundown.

Wednesday, April 29
5:30pm
Singletrack Social - Group Ride, meet at Maxwell Parking Lot
6:00pm
First Aid/CPR Challenge and Review Classes - see details on our calendar
6:00pm
Volunteer Training-City of Fort Collins - note, see our calendar for change in venue
7:00pm
Resources for Bicycling in Fort Collins -Drake Center, 802 W. Drake
Thursday, April 30
6:00pm
First Aid/CPR Classes
Saturday, May 2
8:30am
Singletrack Social - Group Ride. Meet at Soderberg Trailhead
9:00am
Gowdy Grinder Mountain Bike Race @ Curt Gowdy State Park
Sunday, May 3
9:00am
Outreach Day @ Devil's Backbone

Take A Kid Mountain Biking Filled Quickly

Well, that was pretty amazing. Our newest event, Take-A-Kid Mountain Biking Day, Spring Edition, filled up quickly. We're sorry if you're son or daughther didn't get a chance to register for our Spring event. Space was limited.

Luckily, you won't have to wait long until we do it all over again and host our much larger Take-A-Kid event at Lory State Park the first weekend in October. Keep checking back at our website for registration details.

For now, see you out on the trails.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Singletrack Socials: Group Ride Giddy-Up

With the warmer weather ahead of us, we've now begun our Singletrack Social Group Rides. On Wednesdays, meet at the Maxwell Parking Lot at 5:30 p.m., gear up and be ready to ride before 6 p.m. (The Maxwell Parking Lot is just South and west of the CSU Football Stadium)

On Saturdays, we'll meet at the Soderberg Trailhead @ 8:30 a.m. to gear up and be ready to ride no later than 9 a.m. (The Soderberg Trailhead is past the East Bay Marina off of Shoreline Drive on the west side of Horsetooth Reservoir.)

On Saturdays, we'll also be planning some Skills Clinics. Keep your eye on the calendar and this blog for more info.

Family and friends are always welcome as we'll offer a 'Chill Ride' for those who would like to take it a bit easier and a more advanced ride.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

New trails on the Western Slope

OMBC member Greg Mazu has been working in Grand Junction, CO all spring to bring more sustainable singletrack to the Lunch Loop area.

Singletrack Trails has been working for Bicycle Colorado, the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association (COPMOBA), and the BLM to construct 6 miles of new trails. Greg and his crew have constructed vital new trails to bypass the infamous Widowmaker Hill and the asphalt/gravel road section of the Gunny Loop Trail.

You can follow the progress over the next couple of weeks of the Singletrack Trails crew at www.blog.singletracktrails.com and see more photos here.

OMBC President Barb Allan testing out a new feature on Gunny Loop

Riders flowing the sweet singletrack goodness.

Race Photos

Hey All,

Just a quick note, some NBB Short Track Photos can be found on our website @ www.overlandmtb.org/gallery Click on the 'Events on the Trail' Gallery.

And if you haven't made it out the the races, there are still 2 left. Great time had by kids and adults alike whether you're participating or spectating.

Hope to see you out there next week.

--Kory

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Day At The Races

I've never been the racer type...well, that is until I moved to Fort Collins. And although I didn't race this past Tuesday, I have a few on the calendar for this season. But enough about me.
(BTW: That's Charlie on the left and Bill on the right after beating themselves into the ground for 30 minutes. Dont' they look like they had fun? Nice work boys.)

The First Race of the Short Track Mountain Bike Series out back behind New Belgium Brewery was a perfect example of what is great about this town. On a Tuesday night, well over 100 people showed up to race. Little kids, big kids, and women and men of all ages. On top of that, a bunch of people showed up to spectate, take pictures, and volunteer to make sure the evening went smoothly. The atmosphere was positive, focused on fun and it seemed like everyone from the race director to the racers to the people hanging out on the hill watching, had a great time.

Weather permitting, we'll be back out there next Tuesday. First race begins at 4:30. Hope to see you out there. (Another BTW: For those of you who have kids, it's a family friendly event. When they weren't watching the races, the playground equipment and a huge sandbox kept my kids busy.)

Monday, April 6, 2009

Get Greasy. Maintain Your Ride.

I've been tinkering on bikes since my dad first introduced me to his tools. He was always fixing something. Since then, I have no idea how many bikes I've wrenched on. I enjoy looking after my bikes, my family's bikes, and my friend's bikes. It's therapy for me. There's something satisfying about getting a bike in running condition and knowing someone will enjoy their bike again.

That being said, the Overland Mountain Bike Club, in partnership with the Fort Collins Bike Co-op, recently offered an evening of bike maintenance that was well received by the attendees. Check out what Doug and Mary had to say:

On Thursday, March 26, 2009, Six Overland Mountain Bike Club members (3 men and 3 women) participated in a bike repair workshop at the Bike Co-op. The Overland Mountain Bike Club sponsors this repair program for it's members by donating to the Co-op. Doug Cutter was our host and there were six certified bike mechanics to work one on one with us. We were excited to learn how to repair and replace shifter and brake cables as well as adjust derrailleurs and brakesets. The women were especially stoked to now have the confidence to make repairs while on trail. What an awesome program! Our thanks to the Overland Mountain Bike Club and the Co-op!

We hope to continue these evenings once a month. If you're afraid of tinkering on your bike, have questions you'd like to have answered, would like to have the confidence to do your own tinkering, sign up for one. Keep an eye out for the next one. Hope you can make it.

--Kory

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Curt Gowdy hits the national news

One of the new favorite riding locations in the Front Range recently got another dose of national respect. Curt Gowdy State Park and club member Todd Thibideau were the focus of a news article in USA Today.

Club members have played a significant role in creating sustainable, singletrack trail system with many volunteer hours of trail building.

Rumor has it that the Wyoming winter has not been that harsh and the trails should be drying out very soon.