Winter FAC, Improvements, and a few Reminders

There’s a light dusting of snow outside my house today. Not exactly what I was hoping for… Especially since I drove by Bobcat Ridge yesterday and the signs said ‘Trails Open’. By the way, the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas program keeps trail closures updated on their website. If you’re wondering, check them out.

Aside from trails, we’ve got a few things coming your way. Read on:

We’re working to develop our Facebook page as an online source for shared information regarding trail conditions, etc. The page allows people to share their riding experiences, hold discussions, and post information about trails and other upcoming events. Become a fan today!

Improving our Club
As most of you know, our Trails Committee formed last year in order to help us pinpoint our trail needs. The committee meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at Café Vino and is still in need of some people to step up and fill some roles. Stacy Schroeder, the committee chairperson, sent out an email highlighting what goals the committee has for the year and the areas she needs help. If you need more info, or deleted that email, please contact Stacy at schroeder.stacy (at) gmail.com.

We are currently working to develop a Communications Committee whose focus will be to help get the good word out about Overland Mountain Bike Club and it's service arm, Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol. We’ll be looking for some help with this also and will let you know what types of things we need from people. If you'd like more info, contact Monty Seitz. You can track him down on Facebook or by logging in through our website.

By the way, committees are a great way for us to focus our individual talents. If there’s an area not yet being developed and you see a need, contact the Board of Directors and share your ideas. We’d love to hear your ideas.

If you haven't registered your membership for this upcoming season, what are you waiting for? Along with our Standard Membership for $20 ($23 online), we've added a 'Household' membership for $35 ($38 online). You might as well go ahead and SIGN UP NOW! It's the best $$ you'll spend all year long.

Dates to Remember

1. 3rd Annual Winter FAC for all Overland Members. Please login to our website and sign up if you plan on attending. This usually turns out to be a pretty well attended event. Hope to see you there. Event information can be found on that website.


2. Spring Kick-Off is March 8th. That’s less than a month away! As always, we’ll be meeting up at New Belgium Brewery and getting the mountain bike season rolling. Hopefully we’ll have some dry trails to ride by then!


3. First Aid Classes - Monday, March 15th @6:00 and Thursday, March 18th @6:00. Bill Heisterman, our new Patrol Director, has been working diligently to get this stuff planned with Tim Gaines and Thuan Ngyuen. Give these guys a big hug the next time you see them. In the meantime, get these classes on your calendar. We’ll let you know how to sign up in the near future.


4. A service of Overland Mountain Bike Club, Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol kicks off its season on Monday, March 22nd at New Belgium Brewery. Mountain Bike Patrolling really isn't what you might assume it to be. Come find out everything you need to know about DPMBP and the great group of patrollers who volunteer countless hours each year.

Cinema Spun

Thanks to the Fort Collins Club for hosting our first ever Cinema Spin Session last Monday night. It was great to see all the folks who showed up! Not a bad way to get in some pedal time when it’s cold, cold, cold. I can’t wait to see you all out on the trail mastering some of those monster drops and other tricks. Thanks to Monty for the use of his dvd player, Josh for the use of his projector, and Matt for his copy of Roam.

Local Youth Competes in World Championships

Overland Mountain Bike Club helped Skyler Trujillo get to Cyclocross World Championships. Check out this VIDEO of him during the race in Tabor. Skyler had a great time and thanks us all for our support.

Summer Trail Job

This just in from Todd Thibodeau, the Grand Master of Trails in Wyoming: Wyoming State Parks has a position at Glendo State Park for a full-time maintenance person who focus will be on trail development. Wyoming State Park plans on developing the next IMBA Epic Trail System at Glendo. This will eventually be a 50 mile trail system that blows anything in this region away. This is a full time seasonal position and will be available from February 15th to August 15. The pay will be around $8 per hour, but it includes housing on-site. If anyone is interested they should contact Paul Gritten at pgritt@state.wy.us or 307-777-8557.

And that’s about it. If you’re just itchin’ to get out and ride that mountain bike of yours, check out the 4:50 Club. That’s right, 4:50 in the a.m. all year long. I bow before them. See you on the 26th, if not sooner.
--Kory

Doesn't Anyone Want to Spin?

Yes. That is correct. You are tired of the snow. I'm tired of the snow. Rumor has it a few trails around town might be rideable. Someone posted something on Facebook about a horse laughing... Someone else visited a bobcat. And others, yes others, yearned so deeply they drove south...and they loved it.

Become A Fan and Tell Us About It
This week looks like it's going to be a bit more clear - 40's during the day. Maybe there'll be some more drying happening. If you are discovering dry trail, please head over to the Overland Mountain Bike Club page at Facebook and post it? We're up to about 70 fans on the page. If you're not a fan, become one. All of us can benefit from your experiences. Attempt a trail and find that it's too muddy? Post it. Find a trail that's rideable? Post it. Have a great ride? Post it. Go over the bars and need to share? Post it.  Not a Facebook member? It's easy enough to sign up.

Cinema Spin Social Ride
Thanks to Todd Heenan, owner of the Fort Collins Club, we're taking over the Spin Room at the Club next Monday night, February 8th at 7 p.m. I posted it last week and got one response. (Thanks Doug.) That either means you aren't reading what I'm writing or you were confused. I'm going with 'confused'...so, let me re-invite you.

Here's the lowdown: It's a group ride - inside. A movie will be shown. It's our version of New Belgium's Bike-In Movie except you ride inside and watch a movie. (This was all inspired by our own Stacy Schroeder) We'll be adding in some sprints and some hill climbs depending on the action in the movie. No one will get 'dropped'. After we've all worked up a sweat, we'll refresh ourselves with cool beverages. (Adult and non-adult refreshments will be available for purchase.) The event is open to all Overland Members but the Spin Room is limited to about 25 riders. You must RSVP to Kory. Entry to the club is free but bring some cash for beverages and snacks. The pedals on the spin bikes are SPD compatible. Not an SPD user? Regular sneakers work fine. That's about it. Fill up my inbox with RSVP's. First come, first served. So far there are two of us. That leaves 23 spots open.

Other Calendar Items:

Winter FAC - At Kory's house, February 26th. 5 p.m. Sign up on the Overland site - the event is listed - so we can plan for food and drinks. Hope to see you all there. This is a members/significant others event.

Season Kick-Off at New Belgium - March 8th. This is where it all begins. Bring your friends. Bring yourself. Bring your colleagues. Great time to talk bikes. Hear about what we have planned for the season. There's something for everyone.

First Patroller's Meeting - March 22nd - Patrolling just might be for you, but how will you know if you don't get the info. Last year we certified 15 new patrollers. They can't all be wrong, can they? Come to this informational meeting on our nationally recognized mountain bike patrol - Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol.

A good deal of events have already been added to the Overland Calendar  All the monthly meetings are listed. The Take A Kid days and the Tour de Fat which is once again going to be held on Labor Day weekend. Get it on your calendar now. We need you.

That's about all. If you're out there riding, beware of the ice, keep the rubber side down, and try not to fall through any holes in the ice. If you're not riding, come on out on Monday and spin the night away. Hope you all have a great week.