Remy Nelson collecting rocks on the nearly completed Interior Greenbelt Trail on a Thursday evening

When I showed up that first morning, there were about 70 other volunteers ready to get to work. We walked out to the site, which started the day as a eucalyptus, blackberry and ivy covered hillside. The intention was for this overgrown area to end the day as the Edgewood trail, a quick connector between the winding trails above Medical Center Way and the residential Edgewood Avenue below. Before I had much time to contemplate how we were going to achieve this, we were separated into crews and got down to business.

The crew I worked with spent most of our work day excavating a large hole that had been filled with old pallets, plywood, camping mattresses, odd rocks and other debris. After we cleared out this erstwhile campsite, we worked with another crew collecting large rocks and soil from the hillside with which to fill it and create our section of trail. As surprised as I was at how much work our crew got done in those few short hours, I was even more stunned when I walked the length of trail to see what others had been doing and discovered that a retaining wall had been built, several switchbacks constructed and the Edgewood trail more or less completed.

Swoopy turns in the making

Well, this had me hooked. I wanted to know how one could look at an overgrown hillside and see the route a trail might take across it, how to layout that trail to shed water and also design it to be a fun and beautiful place for its myriad users.  I wanted to work on it from beginning to end and, of course, I wanted to run, hike and ride across that trail knowing how it had been created.  The satisfaction I feel after a good ride through these little urban outposts of open space is nothing compared to the connection I feel with that same piece of dirt after having contributed to its existence.

Tools of the trade…

You can see what my first day of trail work looked like by watching the video below or you can come out and see what it’s like for yourself.  National Trails Day 2011 is fast approaching. On June 4th, the Interior Greenbelt Trail (connecting the Edgewood trail down to Stanyan Street), which has already had thousands of hours dedicated to it by SF Urban Riders and other volunteers, will be completed. And there will no doubt be a few amongst them (maybe you…) who will be, as I was, hooked by the experience they have that day.

Words and photos by Isabella Battig

Conquering Mount Sutro by Mountain Bike.

The SFUR Summer Mountain Bike Camp  in partnership with the Presidio YMCA, was once again an overwhelming success.  Over 45 youth participants between the ages of 10-14 years old attended the week long camps. Schools from all over the city were represented, such as Brandeis, Claremont, Marina, Presidio, Everett, Aptos, Star of the Sea, Claire Lilienthal, Live Oak and more.

After a day of safety instruction and primary skill building challenges, the action moved to some of the best local riding spots.The smooth and gentle trails of Golden Gate Park, the rolling hills of McLaren Park, the switchbacks of Mount Sutro, and the awesomeness of China Camp Sate Park as a finale. Some of the more adventurous rides started at the top of San Bruno Mountain and wound all the way down via pavement and dirt trail to McLaren Park, while another ride started at  Mount Sutro and rode all the way through Golden Gate Park and back to the Presidio YMCA.

The advanced group rolling San Bruno Mountain towards McLaren Park.

Each days location offered a progressive learning step to the next in order to build strength and confidence along the way. Each location also offered its own unique outdoor experience. The group learned about micro climates like the fogginess of Mount Sutro vs the Sunniness of the Presidio on  the same day. The locations also offered numerous wildlife experiences like Hawks, Deer, Turkey, Snake, Lizard, Birds, Bugs, Gophers, and numerous native and non-native plants.

From the many smiles along the way, we are certain our curriculum was enjoyed by the participants. The first day of the program was spent entirely on black top and structured around teaching the basics of balance, breaking, and shifting followed by a progressive series of skills challenges like a balance beam, small teeter totter, ramp ups, drop offs, tight corners and usually by popular demand some basic wheelie instruction. Learning these  skills in a controlled environment, with appropriate spotters made the transition to the trails much easier. When the action moved to the trails, instructors were able to emphasize lessons as they pertained to upcoming sections of trail, and set up safety spotters on more challenging sections. Individual instruction was targeted where necessary.  The program offered plenty of challenge, and participants were able to learn at their own comfort level.

Enjoying a post ride beach experience at China Camp.

Speaking of our training curriculum. Many thanks need to be given to the Norcal High School Mountain Bike League, whose brilliant approach to teaching basic bike fundamentals was heavily borrowed from. The Norcal League has a coach’s manual, and even offers a coaching clinic every October which SFUR considers mandatory for any youth instructor.

A big shout out to the Instructor Crew of Matt , Mark, Tanya , Lilly, Ted ,  and Dan, with major help from our Volunteers Christy McCain from SFUR, and Zach Moore from the Norcal League.

SF Urban Riders has several awesome Youth Mountain Biking Events coming up in the Fall of 2010. Keep in touch for more details!

Switchback training on Mount Sutro.

Jeremy masters the rocky section of Bayview Trail at China Camp.

The old BMX trail in McLaren Park was a fan favorite.

]]> http://sfurbanriders.org/wordpress/news/summer-mountain-bike-camp-a-huge-success/feed/ 0 http://sfurbanriders.org/wordpress/news/summer-camp/ http://sfurbanriders.org/wordpress/news/summer-camp/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:44:14 +0000 Mo http://sfurbanriders.org/wordpress/?p=1521 It’s summer!!!!

Ok, it’s only March, but between the switch to Daylight Savings Time and wonderfully sunny days, we are already thinking about not coming home after work until we are totally tired and dusty or chain-ringed and mom calls us home for dinner.  And we are adults.

What about the kids?  You gotta figure they are thinking the same thing, but it’s a little tougher them to get out so easily.  Not to  worry,  we’ve got plans for our junior brethren to help them create their own 2-wheeled adventures,  so that  they, too, can spend the rest of their lives dreaming on 2 wheels.

Yes,  SF Urban Riders are doing summer camp.  Similar to last year, but more, bigger, and better.  Like last year, we are working with the Presidio YMCA folks, who have the expertise and the good camp cred already in place.   But bigger and better because the SF Urban Riders are adding more dirt to the Y’s camp offerings, by helping them with 5 camps that will be focused on mountain bike riding.   That’s right, five (5!) weeks of opportunities for a kid you know to go play in the dirt, NO PARENTS, to  learn some new skills, to become a better rider.   if you think we are excited about summer, we are PSYCHED!!!! about creating the next generation of cross-country riders, teaching them both how to ride well and how to enjoy, respect and preserve the lands they travel through.

You got to be an official kid to go to these camps.   See the YMCA flyer for age groups, dates, etc. (Click for a hi-rez pdf).  We have a little more pedal-to pedal info on our Youth page.  Click over to it for more info on the how each day of the camp week turns as well as some big smiles from last year’s happy campers.

For the over-15 set, click over to the calendar our monthly ride schedule, or send us an email at info@sfurbanriders. org, we’ll hook you up with some places to go, and we won’t tell your mom where you are.

Wilderness First Aid Training

16 hour certification course

**Class Size Limited to 24 participants

For those of us that enjoy excursions in the outdoors, knowing what to do in case of emergency is the most valuable tool you can ever have with you.  With that in mind, SFUR has worked with Foster Calm to bring a Wilderness First Aid class to San Francisco this March.  Details below.

REGISTER: via email at info@sfurbanriders.org
COST: $120 per person, check payable to SF Urban Riders
DUE: ASAP – first come first served

This is a four part course:

DATES:
Monday – March 8th   from 6pm – 10pm
Tuesday – March 9th  from 6pm – 10pm
Monday – March 15th  from 6pm – 10pm
Tuesday – March 16th  from 6pm – 10pm

LOCATION: UCSF Parnassus Campus, Millberry Union, 500 Parnassus.
INSTRUCTOR: Foster Calm: www.fostercalm.com

We all love riding in the currently green, often golden hills of Marin, and we now have a chance to show up and improve some multi use trails in Marin.   May the multi use trails prosper and flourish among those beautiful yet prohibited hills.  Come out and lend a hand if you can.

Trail Work and Habitat Restoration near Muir Beach

MCBC and Share the Trail will be partnering with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy on two upcoming trail work projects:

Trail Work and Stone Wall Construction – Saturday, February 20, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm.
Native Planting and Weed Pulling – Saturday, March 20, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm.

On Saturday, February 20th we are looking for volunteers to help do tread work and stonewall construction on the Dias Ridge Trail. This is a great opportunity to get a sneak peek at the new multi-use trail, while helping make sure it’s ready for its official May opening.

On Saturday, March 20th , we’ll be planting natives and pulling weeds along Redwood Creek. The work will help restore a healthy creek ecosystem, one that can better support the coho salmon and steelhead trout that swim up the creek to spawn in the Muir Woods.

We’ll meet for both projects at the Muir Beach parking lot and walk back across Highway 1 to the area in front of the barn at the Golden Gate Dairy Stables. For those who want to ride their bicycles out to Muir Beach, you can lock your bike to the backside of the mailbox row along the highway.

We’ll provide tools, snacks and water. Come dressed in a long sleeve shirt, long pants, boots, and, if the forecast calls for it, rain gear. Heavy rain cancels.

Please contact Tom Boss to RSVP at 415-272-2756 or tom@marinbike.org

SF Urban Riders wants to be sure you know all the opportunities out there, whether it is to make/maintain trails or check out the meetings, and help you understand better the big old machine that is the San Francisco planning process.

So much going on, we don’t want you to get overwhelmed, we know you have busy lives, but we want you to know as much as we do about upcoming events, and why we think its important to go participate.

and with that (drum roll please)

We would like you to know about a Public Meeting about a space that is near and dear to our single-track lovin’ hearts -  Mt. Sutro.    The SF Rec & Park is proposing to reopen the section of the Interior Greenbelt that connects Sutro to the Stanyan St. Trailhead.   See the official flyer for a little more information.

Stanyan St. Trailhead -Interior Greenbelt Mtg – Public Notice 2-8-10

Why we think this is important – > This is about opening up an old trail and its entrance at Stanyan.  It is a route that anyone coming over from the Haight and East would be interested in and Rec & Park has said it would be multi-use.  This could be a beautiful new trailhead, with direct connection to our Mt. Sutro trails

And of course, its plain-ole important that we cyclists make a special effort to attend any meeting that is about trails in SF.

Grab a burrito on your way over, and enjoy the civic process.  If you can, think through why this trail is or would be important to you and yours, and speak up.  We always have to work to improve the public perception of who mountain cyclists are, so remember, you are helping represent, and we all appreciate it.

So there you go.  This Monday night, Feb 8, 2010.  from  6 to 8pm at Grattan Elementary.

The good news is that the open space supervisors seem to acknowledge that to exclude mountain bike use from the open space discussion is a unwise endeavor, and the question is how will MTB use be incorporated?

The Marin IJ has an interesting article you can read here. (beware the annoying popups)

Please vote, and show how many people are open to MTB use on trails through our parks.  It works elsewhere, why not here? Separate but equal, a bike park, or some such consolation has to be given to the half of the populace that strives for access.

But if you ride a bicycle, an inanimate, and non-furry creature (with exceptions of burning man and durham bikes) then you are told you can’t ride anywhere but the widest roads.  You cause less damage, ride in plenty of control, and contribute to volunteer trail workdays.  Lets change all this, shall we? Please spread the word and help change the awful trail access situation in Marin.

So many shoes, so many shoes, that our kids will soon have beautiful trails to ride and glorious bike parks to explore…  Nike, the same powers that brought Union Square visitors the giant, gaunt, and intense poster of Lance Armstrong’s race face are now running a 650,000 dollar grant to support community and school groups which aim to unlock the potential of young people through programs that focus on sport.   Well, as you can see in the current lead story – SF Urban riders is all about getting the young’ns out on the trail.

We need your help to secure funding from this unique opportunity. Please follow this link to vote for our group and spread the word via facebook!

With your help we can secure funding to organize regular youth rides and skills camps.  If anyone remembers our skills clinics at the local Pilarcitos race series last fall, those type of programs are exactly what we will expand upon and bring to more places, with more quality features, challenges and lessons to engage and exhilarate children who stop by, no matter what their age.  If you don’t remember the events, perhaps the images and video below might stir your imagination.

Thank you for helping us in this unique community based fundraiser.

Maybe it will never be that easy. It probably shouldn’t ever be that easy. However, the easiest thing you can do to enhance and expand your riding experiences when you venture to the land of Tam, Repack, Headlands, and Tamarancho is to visit IMBA’s site and write comments into the local government. There are miles of sustainable, beautiful trail, that we are not allowed to use solely because of our choice of vehicle. Let’s take one more step towards a beautiful future where cyclists, hikers, dog walkers and runners can all share miles and miles of beautiful trails.  Please take a moment to write in and indicate your support for more mountain bike access to our local trails.

Click HERE to take action and help open up one more trail to mountain bikers.  And be sure to use this whole interweb to tell a few people about us and about this opportunity for new singletrack access in Marin.