KLUNKERZ, Bike Travel, and BluChris

Is it really the first Week in December? Hope you have your Santy Claus list is made. What’ll it be this year? Rechargeable lights for evening adventures? Tubeless tires? A shiny new two-wheeler? All of the above? Whatever it is, let’s hope this season smiles on cyclists. (And ice sliders everywhere...Thanks Kevin Cullen for the Kodak moment...Is this what we'd be forced to do if there were no trails? Oh, and you oughta see this guy on skates...)

(BTW: That's Dave Sanders dropping down the stairs on Sawmill before stuffing himself on Thanksgiving.)

Vote Today - Election Time Running Out
Overland Members - Please remember to send Ron Chambers your vote for the empty Board of Directors seat. If you didn't receive the email, contact Ron or Kory and we'll get it to you. Deadline for voting is December 8th.

Local Jr. Cyclist Heading to Belgium
Skyler Trujillo, with the help of Overland Mountain Bike Club and some cool t-shirt sales at the NBB Cyclocross races, has been invited to Cross Camp in Belgium. More info HERE.

Don't Forget
Dan Porter over at Your Group Ride works diligently to keep everyone in the area up-to-date on local cycling events. There's been some great stuff recently about local riders, etc. Put it in your favorites list and check it daily.

And just because it's December doesn't mean stuff ain't happening. Check out what's heading your direction in the next week or so in the NoCoFoCo cycling world:

Tuesday, December 1st, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Bike Travel Presentation at New Belgium Brewery sponsored by Bike Fort Collins
Interested in bike travel and what types of resources are available to cyclists? This is the presentation for you.
Who: Jim Sayer, Executive Director of Adventure Cycling Association, North America’s largest cycling membership group, based in Missoula, MT, will give the latest info on bike travel.
Where: New Belgium Brewing Company, 500 Linden Street
Why: Meet people interested in cycling, bike travel and touring, and find all the resources and inspiration you’ll need to enjoy the life-changing activity of bicycle travel.
Cost: Free and open to the public. Bring friends interested in cycling and bike travel.

First Friday, December 4th, 6-8 p.m. – ‘Bike Winter’ Fort Collins - Kick-Off and Light Giveaway Sponsored by Overland Mountain Bike Club and FC Bikes
You’ve seen ‘em – barely. The invisible riders who along the roadside who don’t use lights. Working with FC Bikes, Overland MTB Club will help light up the night by giving away Knog Light Sets to FC residents who ride their bikes to First Friday. More info about other ‘Bike Winter’ activities can be found HERE.
Where: Gallery Underground, 109 Linden St/Old Town Square
Entertainment: None other than BluChris (You know him as Overland’s Chris Whitman) will be spinning the night away.

Monday, December 7th, 7 p.m. – Winter Movie Series Kick-Off featuring KLUNKERZ
So, it’s gotten a bit chilly and maybe you haven’t been hitting the trails much. No need to stop thinking about mountain biking! Join us as we show Klunkerz, the award winning movie about the history of mountain biking. We’ll also talk a bit about the High School Mountain Bike Leauge. Door prizes for a few lucky souls. We’ll also have Overland socks and jerseys for sale along with a few extra copies of Klunkerz. Admission is free. Bring a friend. Get there early. Seating is limited. Where: The Tap Room at Catalyst Coffee, 3501 S. Shields Street

And that's about all she wrote for this week, folks.

Winter Biking? YES!

FC Bikes has partnered with Overland for an event on December 4th where we'll be passing out sets of Knog lights to FC Residents who ride their bikes to the Gallery Underground where it just so happens that the unofficial dj of Overland Mountain Bike Club - Chris Whitman, aka, BluChris - will be spinning the unofficial tunes of mountain bike madness. Hope to see you there. Check what else is going on at WINTER BIKE WEEK.

Go Fast, indeed!

Here’s a link that Kate Rau with the Colorado League sent along. This is a video of the 2009 Mountain Goat Challenge, the 3rd race in this year’s NorCal League series. It was held in early April in Pilarcitos Canyon off Eucalyptus Road at Fort Ord, just a little North East of Monterey, California. Pretty cool, eh? –Dave Skram

Quick Bits for Thanksgiving Week

Hey All,

Just a few things on the horizon:

Elections - We have two eager fellows who'd like to fill the empty Board seat. Corey Rhodes and Doug Baker have thrown their hat in the ring. Thanks guys!
Overland members - please submit your vote to Ron Chambers via email as soon as possible. Election closes December 8th.

Trails Team - Interested in trails? We all are, of course. Have a pet project in mind? A trail you think really needs some TLC? Our Trails Team will continue the good work it started this past summer and continue to meet throughout the winter. Stacy Schroeder will take the helm of the Trails Team and let people know when/where the meetings will be held.

December 4th - First Friday - Light Up the Night with FC Bikes and Overland.
In conjunction with FC Bikes, we're passing out free Knog light sets to F.C. residents who rides their bike to the Gallery Underground for First Friday.

December 7th - Winter Movie and Presentation Series - KLUNKERZ
In an effort to keep everyone thinking mountain bikes throughout the winter, we're working with the Tap Room at Catalyst on a series of bike movies/presentations. Our first one will be Klunkerz. (See the post below for more info). We'll give away a few prizes, watch a movie, have a beer or two. See you there.

Enjoy your feast on Thursday. Hope to see you on the 7th!

Winter Movie and Presentation Series

Want more info about Klunkerz? Click on the flyer.

And for those of you who've been inside too much because our trail are muddy... Get your mountain bike fix HERE! And we'll see you on the 7th.

Break out the Winter Gear and Lights...It's Time to Ride

And the Winners Are....

Well, the Season Finale came and went. Congrats to Pete Skram for winning the Silver Sprocket. Congrats to Joe Perrin for winning the top Patrol Award. It’s Joe’s job to come up with a name for that cool little bike sculpture he’ll have to pass on next year. And thanks to everyone else who made Overland Mountain Bike Club’s introductory season a huge success. Also, a big thanks to each and every Patrol member. We understand the time and commitment that goes into getting certified. We look forward to improving that experience, making it easier to get trained, and supporting the Patrol as is needed.

Events Made Possible By You – Our Members

Here’s a brief list of things that were accomplished this year thanks to you, our members.

Patrol Hours – We logged 623 hours patrolling over 333 patrols. That’s raw hours and not by patroller. According to the last IMBA Patrol Newsletter, that’s more than 300 hours over their top patrol – and yes, we plan on reporting our hours to IMBA from now on.
Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day – Spring
Community Classic Bike Tour
Friends of Lory Trail Day
Lory State Park Mountain Bike Fest
Family Bike Fest @ Fossil Creek Park
Summer Slam @ Curt Gowdy
Summer Campout @ Curt Gowdy
The Tour de Fat
Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day – Fall
Bike to Work Day Station
Outreach Days at Horsetooth Mountain Park and Devil’s Backbone
Singletrack Social Rides on Wednesdays – A huge success ( I miss them…)
Trail Days – Too many to count… We worked at Curt Gowdy, Bobcat Ridge, Lory State Park, Hewlett Gulch, Horsetooth Mountain Park, and Shoreline ( I’m sure I missed something…)
Trails Team – Our Trails Team got up and running. Lots more to do but the groundwork has been laid.
Stone Temple 8 race support

And don’t forget the collective power we have just getting out and riding our bikes and letting people know who we are and why we’re out there. Thanks everybody! Keep spreading the good word.

Just Because It's Winter...

Well, even though the ‘Season’ is officially over, that doesn’t mean we have to stop hanging out and talking mountain bikes. Here’s some stuff to look forward to:

Night rides – Those of us who’ve done it know how much fun it is. We’ll keep you posted when they happen.
Weekend rides – Weather permitting, we hope to collectively get out and ride a bit. We’ll keep you posted.
Movie Nights – Once a month we’d like to get everyone together to talk mountain bikes, watch a cool mountain bike movie and socialize. Our first one will be in early December.. We’ll be showing ‘Klunkerz’. Invite your friends! Details are in the works. We’ll keep you posted. If you’d like to help organize these, contact Monty Seitz
Trail Team Meetings – We’d like to get that Pineridge Beginner Loop proposal done and start working on other plans for next year. This is a great time to sit down and hash things out. Look for more info soon.

High School Mountain Biking Coming to the Front Range
Thanks to Dave, Eric, and Pete Skram and the Ed Cleary’s for putting in some time to figure out how to help get a mountain bike league started for our high schools. They still need willing participants who can help out with Rocky and FC High. If you know someone or would like to help yourself, let them know.

Get the ‘Skinny’ on the Bobcat Trail Day

Greg Mazu of Singletrack Trails posted up this link to a very successful trail day at Bobcat. Thanks to everyone who came out and worked! http://blog.singletracktrails.com/2009/11/16/bobcat-ridge-volunteer-workday/

Rattlesnakes Hold Party at Red Mountain

Apparently, the parking lot at Red Mountain makes a great place to shake your tail. Check out this article at the Coloradoan and keep your eyes peeled the next time you’re up there. Thanks to Rodger Thompson for the link.

This year’s Board of Directors:

President: Ron Chambers
Patrol Director: Bill Heisterman
Vice President: TBD
Treasurer: Josh Shafer
Website Director: Kevin Cullen
Communications Director: Kory Swanson
Todd Thibodeau
1 open seat - TBD in email election

Please note: The Board of Directors meets often during the offseason. If you'd like to join us or have info or ideas for us, please let us know.

High School Mountain Bike League Info

Here's some exciting stuff from Kate Rau about High School Mountain Biking in Colorado:


Colorado Outreach Events
Thanks to those who participated in recent Colorado League outreach events. Some of the most common comments heard:

“It is about time this comes to Colorado."

“Wow, how cool, I wish they had this when I was in high school!”

The Press Release distributed Thursday, October 22 created a buzz according to the numerous Colorado League visitors at VeloSwap. Scores of people dropped by the Colorado League booth, including several teachers who are excited to form teams. Thank you, VeloSwap, for your
support!

The Inaugural Bácaro /Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride/ with Tom Danielson, Team Garmin-Slipstream was certainly memorable: 62 riders, 32˚F temperature, snow, a brisk pace and a plentiful gourmet Italian meal. Thanks to Fabio Flagiello and Bácaro for choosing the Colorado League as the benefactor for this new Boulder tradition. We appreciate the support provided by the Boulder TREK store, Full Cycle, FasCat Coaching, Colorado Athletic Club, Wheat Ridge Cyclery, Pro Peloton, Cycle To, Vermarc, and SMBA. * We strongly recommend attending Fabio’s next ride at Bácaro!/*

*Upcoming: *Full Cycle, 1795 Pearl Street will host a festive Colorado League informational event on Wednesday Novemaber 11th, 6:30 PM.


*2. General Schedule of Events*

April 24, 2010: Cylcefest Dinner with Dave Wiens (Denver)

June 2010: Leaders Summit (Training for Head Coaches, Asst. Coaches, and Ride Leaders)

August 2010: Beginner/Intermediate Rider Camps

August 2010: Team Training begins

August 2010: Team Registration opens

September 2010: Races 1 & 2

October 2010: Race 3 & CO State Championship


*3. Ways to Contribute*
A big thanks to those who donated their hard earned cash and valuable time to the organization, thus far. The pedals are turning and we need more of you to demonstrate your interest by making a contribution no matter how small. Please help us share your passion for the sport by
supporting us in these efforts. Donations can be made at www.coloradomtb.org and are tax deductible. All the work on the Colorado League, thus far, has been voluntary and we are making the Colorado League the best it can be.


*4. Join a Committee*
We are very grateful to those who are championing the Colorado League such as *Matt Tomasko*, *Max Bradley*, *Herschel Goldberg*, *Mark Eller*, *Ron Gager*, and *Leslie Bohm*. Please consider joining one or more of the following subcommittees:

*/Venue Committee/ *Help us locate, inspect, and choose four or five
courses perfect for young high school racers

/*Special Event Committee*/ Help us produce high quality outreach and fundraising events, such as movie screenings and a classy benefit dinner

/*Outreach Committee*/ Host an outreach event in your local area at a school or bike shop

*/Development Committee/ *High school racing is funded primarily by the passionate stakeholders who want to bring the benefits of cycling into our schools -- help us connect with potential donors and sponsors

/*League Rider Committee*/ 8th-11th graders who would like to represent this movement

*/Race and/or Camp Volunteer/ *League events will count on your help in areas such as course marshaling, registration, venue set-up and take-down, and scoring

/*Coaches Committee */ Those interested in being a Head Coach, Assistant Coach or Ride Leader, please let us know which school(s) you would like to work with

_We thank those who have expressed interest in joining the Colorado
League's* Board of Directors*._ Our application process is under review and will be announced by year's end.

Colorado League on Facebook
*Are you a Facebook user? Search and join the group "Colorado High School Cycling League" as an additional source for League news.

For more information about high school mountain biking visit: www.coloradomtb.org and www.norcalmtb.org