As we hiked up the trail one of the first mountain bikers did not yield to us or even slow down. Then later in the day there was another rider that did the same thing. Though around 40 riders went through and all but the two mentioned were nice and slowed to cautiously pass us those two riders are the only ones the Trails Council folks will remember. Perhaps you passed right after one of these riders and they took it out on you?

Remember people hikers have the right of way! Stop for them or if they pull off for you pass slowly.

Nevertheless, as the trail crew leader for CORBA on Saturday, I am disappointed that you disapprove of the work we were doing. Our objective it to maintain the trails so that they continue to be safe and fun to use. Please see our blog articles on the work we did on Saturday and why we did what we did. What you describe as “speed bumps” and “ditches” are called ‘rolling dips’ that are designed to divert running water from the trail and prevent rutting.

http://corbamtb.com/news/2010/11/15/trail-maintenance-get-the-water-off-to-preserve-the-trail/
http://corbamtb.com/news/2010/11/15/saturdays-rejuvination-of-the-wood-canyon-vista-trail/

CORBA would like to extend an invitation to you (and all riders!) to come to our monthly meetings and join us on trailwork days to make sure that your concerns are heard.

You should also know that Saturday’s trailwork was a joint activity between CORBA and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council. We had 10 mountain bikers and 3 SMMTC workers (at least one of whom is an active mountain biker as well as hiker and trail runner). In general, the CORBA workers were closer to the top of the trail and the SMMTC workers were closer to the bottom. The SMMTC crew works every Saturday on trails in the Santa Monica Mountains and we like to join forces when working on trails that are open to mountain biking.

As for not supporting CORBA in the future, that’s certainly your decision. CORBA will continue to support your business by keeping the trails open and fighting for more trails to be opened to mountain bike use. And in case you were not aware, the Wood Canyon Vista Trail is open to bicycles because of CORBA, as is Guadalasca Trail. You can go to corbamtb.com and see which trails are currently closed and which are open, and specifically the ones that are open because of CORBA’s efforts.

I am a local bicycle shop owner and cycling enthusiast. If I see more anti mountain biking sentiment from CORBA volunteers or if CORBA crews continue to create speed bumps and dangerous ditches, CORBA will not get my support at future events or fundraising. I was happy to see the trail work was “erased” by the following day.