Archive for the ‘Rides and Events’ Category

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May CORBA Kids Club Ride

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

The CORBA Kids Club monthly ride was held on Saturday May 7 at Cheeseboro Canyon. After a hot week in SoCal, the weather cooled, and the kids enjoyed perfect riding conditions. Out for the ride were 8 kids (William, Julia, Josiah, Elliot, Ethan, RJ, Nolan, and Sean) and 5 adults (Larry, John, Joy, Dave, and Dave). As usual, the kids were super excited to see each other, make new friends, and get their tires onto the dirt.

After Larry reviewed safety guidelines and trail etiquette, we left the Cheeseboro trailhead with one Dave in the lead and another Dave on sweep. Most of the gang took the short single track option and pedaled up to the picnic tables for our first break. After some drinks, snacks, and tomfoolery, we did some hill climbing practice on the short but steep hill behind the picnic tables. Hats off to William, the only kid who cleared the climb!

After the break, we rode on past “The Bees” and to the up-and-over at the sulphur creek. Entry to the creek was wet and muddy and very, very smelly! Fortunately, the tree that had blocked the trail during our April ride was all clear and we were able to continue. From there, we rode up to one of the first rock wall areas before turning back. After another break, drinks, and snacks, the crew arrived back at the parking lot, completing a ride of about 6 ½ miles. The kids did great on the ride and we were all proud of their effort and skills on the trail. The kids celebrated with more snacks and play. And as usual, everyone was having such a good time, it was hard to break up the party. You can view our photo gallery of the ride. We are all looking forward to the next CORBA kids ride in June and hope you and yours will join in on the fun.

The next ride will take place at Point Magu State Park, Saturday June 4 from 9 to noon.

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Posted in Take a Kid Mountain Biking, Youth | Comments Closed

Eagle Scout El Prieto Trailwork

Sunday, May 8th, 2011

Saturday, May 7, 2011, Connor Ryken began his Eagle Scout Project: to restore at least el prieto trailwork plansnine sections of El Prieto that were hit hardest by this past winter’s storms.

CORBA Trail Crew volunteer Steve Messer and Friends of El Prieto’s Banner Moffat provided technical guidance for the project, helping lead today’s trail crews that were organized by Connor.

A lot was accomplished today with four of the nine planned sections being completed. Two of the sections were completely wiped out by last winter’s storms, leaving fine singletrack that disappeared suddenly in the sandy streambed. With the eager help of Connor’s boy scout and high school mountain bike league friends, we were able to move tons of rock to provide a stable trailbed above the stream area. We also completed a rip rap wall and rock armoring of the last creek crossing (as you descend), and repaired some other smaller sections.

Recently, Deputy Superintendent Marty Dumpis talked of the Forest Service’s goal of opening up to 110 miles of trails and 98,000 acres of the closure before summer.  We hope Brown Mountain and El Prieto will be on that list soon.

There’s still a lot to do on El Prieto. Connor will be out there next Saturday, May 14, 2011, continuing on his project. Come out and volunteer to help restore one of everyone’s favorite trails.

Connor on the completed section:

Connor Ryken on the completed section of El Prieto trailwork

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Posted in Angeles National Forest, High School League, San Gabriel Mountains, Trail Crew, Trail Hazards | 1 Comment »

Bike Park Project Introduced to Glendale Commission

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

Monday afternoon, April 18, 2011 at 2:30pm was the monthly meeting of the City of Glendale, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission. CORBA’s Steve Messer spoke during the Oral Communications period of the meeting. The Commission were introduced by Messer to the Glendale Bike Skills Park project.

The Bike Skills Park wasn’t an agenda item, and oral communications are limited to five minutes for each speaker. After Messer made his quick presentation several questions were asked by the commissioners. They were surprised that there isn’t any other bike park in Southern California. They were also surprised that there are four High School teams using Glendale trails for training.

More questions followed about the land requirement and how this proposal dovetails with the Safe and Healthy Streets Plan, which was to go before City Council the following day, Tuesday, April 19 (see below).  The Safe and Healthy Streets Plan has been developed by Colin Bogart of the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition in partnership with the City of Glendale, under a grant from the County of Los Angeles. It includes a recommendation for a Bike Skills Park in its educational section.

Even though this was not an agenda item, Jess Duran, Director of the City’s Community Services and Parks Department made the recommendation “for the department to do a quick feasibility analysis, to put a group together including Colin Bogart and see what the feasibility might be.”  He also added, “I can tell you that now is not a good time to be requesting new projects given the challenges of the budget and the staff resources, but we could do a quick feasibility analysis. I’d also like to get some background from staff to what extent we’ve evaluated this type of project before.”

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Posted in Advocacy, High School League, Verdugo Mountains, Youth | Comments Closed

New Riders Join CORBA Kids Club in Cheeseboro Canyon

Saturday, April 16th, 2011

 

April’s CORBA Kids ride welcomed four new riders!  Despite record heat two days prior, the weather was cool and comfortable. We had such a successful ride in Cheeseboro that we are going to ride it again next month.

Before riding, ride leaders David and Larry introduced themselves to the new riders and briefed the group on trail etiquette, speed control, and described the trail.
David agreed to be sweeper with Larry riding ahead with son Elliot on a tow-a-bike. The first stop was the picnic tables on the main trail, where everybody rested, snacked, and Kat pointed out some native plants.  Wildflowers we saw along the trail included fiddlenecks, wild hyacinth, and California Peony.

The plan to ride to “The Rock” or “The Bees,” (as it is commonly known) didn’t materialize due to a fallen tree that completely blocked the main trail about two and a half miles in.  We left our bikes, hiked up to the tree and several of the kids climbed aboard it for another rest stop.  We decided to make this our turn-around point. 

Before heading back, we reminded everyone to control their speed since the majority of the trail would be downhill.  We met a family of riders at the parking lot using a trail-a-bike, and we gave them one of our fliers. 

Next ride is scheduled for Cheeseboro Canyon Saturday May 7th from 9 to noon. Look for the Gray Honda minivan with the CORBA/IMBA stickers; hope to see you there!

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Posted in California, Health, Santa Monica Mountains, Take a Kid Mountain Biking | Comments Closed

March CORBA Kids Ride: Single Track, Stairs, and Turkey Vultures

Friday, March 25th, 2011

The CORBA Kids Club had another successful fun ride Sunday March 6 in Malibu Creek State Park. We met in the lower parking lot because the upper lot was full due to the marathon.  We scouted  around the upper lot looking for additional participants, and by 9:30 we began our ride.

We started with a mini skills clinic, reviewing the importance of speed control, body positioning, and trail etiquette. The adults demonstrated descending the stairs, and those kids who were comfortable doing so also gave it a try. A few of them wanted to do it again and again.

We then descended down the small dirt path leading to the pavement and led the kids up the hill leading to the Grasslands trail. Once we made it up the first big hill (some riding, most walking), we continued riding until we reached Mulholland Highway.  There we waited for the rest of the group to catch up and catch their breath. During one of these break-and-waits, the older kids attempted to climb off-trail, and we pointed out the erosion and how hiking a non-designated area could damage the terrain. We assured them that there would be an opportunity for
a good climb later.

One at a time, we walked the bikes and the kids across Mulholland where we resumed our ride on the North Grasslands Trail. While riding the single track Grasslands Trail, we saw a member of the Equestrian MVP.  The kids knew to go off to the side and let the horse pass, and the rider complimented us on our trail etiquette. We continued past the power station and determined our turn-around point shortly thereafter.

On the way back, We stopped at the trail leading to the water tower, so the kids could hike up to it and enjoy the views. Two adults were with the kids at all times and the other adults watched the bikes. We then rode back to the cars, while some Turkey Vultures hovered overhead. The two vultures actually landed on the grass near the parking lot, and then took off again, so kids and adults got to see their wing span as they took flight.

You can view the photo gallery for this ride.

Our next ride is scheduled for Saturday April 2. Meet at Cheeseboro Canyon in the upper parking lot. Hope to see you there!

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Posted in Environment, Health, Santa Monica Mountains, Take a Kid Mountain Biking, Youth | Comments Closed

Monthly “Meet the Board” Rides

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Mark Langton

Now’s your chance to ride with a CORBA Board of Director  (maybe even more than one!) and talk one-on-one about the issues you care about most. Best of all, you get to go on a fun ride in Malibu Creek State Park (rides will be easy to moderate with minimal climbing and last no more than 1.5 hours). Tell us what you think!

Steve Messer

Rides take place the first Saturday of each month (next ride April 2) and meet at 1:30pm at Malibu Creek State Park’s first big parking lot. Click here for a map. Rain cancels.

Danusia Bennett-Taber

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Posted in Board of Directors, CORBA News, Rides and Events, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

Glendale Bike Skills Park – Show Your Support!

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Glendale needs a Bike Skills Park. Southern California needs a Bike Skills Park. Sign our petition and let the City of Glendale know!

Italian Bike Park showing Wooden and Dirt features

Bike Park showing Wooden and Dirt features (Italy)

Bike Skills Parks are a dedicated area for bicycles and include features like a pump track, progressive tabletop jumps, balance training features, XC short tracks, and much more. They can include dirt features, man-made (cut) wooden features, natural wooden features, and rock features. They are becoming more and more popular as people realize the skill-building fun and health-promoting exercise they provide.

A great example is the Woodward West Bike Park in Fresno. The City of Fresno, local mountain bike advocacy groups and the community came together to make this park a reality. We would like to see that model emulated here in Glendale.

In 2007 and 2008, the CORBA trail crew assisted the City of Glendale in developing their Trails Master Plan. In that plan are several desired new trail corridors in the Verdugos, San Rafael Hills and the foothills of Mt. Lukens. The biggest and most significant addition to the Trails Master Plan is a Bike Skills Park.

In Glendale’s Citywide Trails Master Plan for the San Rafael Hills (available as a PDF here), a bike skills park location is identified as “A” on the San Rafael map. Subsequent to the City’s adoption of the Trails Master Plan, CORBA volunteers worked with the City to identify the most suitable location.

With City Parks staff, we identified what we believe is an ideal location for a Bike Skills Park project. There is access from existing park facilities, and it could easily be tied in to the trail network of Cherry Canyon and the San Rafael Hills.  There are no nearby neighbors to disturb, and the location is surrounded by open space to the east and the 2 freeway on the western side. The land itself consists of debris fill from the construction of the 2 freeway.

Glendale will be revising its Bicycle Master Plan in 2011, and we want to see the Bike Skills Park included in that plan. As of this writing the public hearing dates for Glendale’s Bike Plan have not yet been set. When those hearings are held, we want to show how much demand and community support exists for a Bike Skills Park.

To demonstrate that need, we are gathering signatures on a petition. You can read and sign our petition online on iPetitions.com. If you prefer, you can print out a PDF version of our Petition and gather signatures from your friends, family and neighbors. If you choose the printed petition, please snail mail, email or fax the petition sheets back to us as they are filled.

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Posted in Bike Skills Park, High School League, Verdugo Mountains, Youth | 3 Comments »

CORBA announces new beginner mountain bike ride series.

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Here is your chance to get into mountain biking!

Join us every 2nd Saturday of the month for friendly, introductory mountain bike ride.This will be no-drop social fun ride.
We will ride some fire roads and easier single track in places like Malibu Creek, Topanga and Point Mugu (aka Big Sycamore) State Parks as well portions of Santa Monica Mountains National Area Backbone trail, Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon and Conejo Open Space (COSCA).

CORBA’s first beginner ride of 2011 will be held from 9:00 am to 11:30 am in Malibu Creek State Park. Reservations are not required. Click here for additional information.

If you are new to mountain biking consider attending CORBA’s free mountain bike skills clinic which is held every 1st Saturday of the month. Learn and then come to ride with us!

Next CORBA’s Free skills clinic is this Saturday, February 5th – click here for the details.

Click here to access CORBA’s event calendar.

See you on the trails!

Posted in Conejo Valley, CORBA News, Rides and Events, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

Pump Track Brings out High School Volunteers

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Pump Track Raising

CORBA’s trail crew took on an unusual assignment on this past Saturday, January 22nd.  Trail Crew leaders  Hans Kiefer and Steve Messer took CORBA’s trail crew trailer out to Riverside to support the So Cal High School Mountain Bike League’s construction of their first pump track.

A pump track is a man-made track comprised of rollers, bermed turns, table tops and other possible features. It is designed to be ridden not by pedaling, but by using the terrain, full body movement and simple physics to propel the rider forward around the track. It teaches one how to flow with the terrain and be more in tune with the bike and trail. It’s an incredibly taxing whole-body workout, but the most important aspect is that it is just pure fun!

The pump track will be used for training, skill building and skills clinics, and the occasional special event by the SoCal High School League. It was constructed with the generous donation of space by Woodcrest Cycling team Coach Peery and his family.  The space was created by removing about a dozen orange trees from the Peery family orchard. Renowned pump track guru Lee McCormack (http://www.leelikesbikes.com) designed a custom track for the terrain available. McCormack is the author of “Welcome to the Pump Track Nation” and was on-hand to oversee the construction.

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Posted in California, High School League | 1 Comment »

CORBA Announces Kids Club Rides

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

Thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of CORBA members Larry and Kat Ross and their sons Josiah and Elliot, CORBA is pleased to announce monthly Kids Club fun rides. Held at various locations around the Santa Monica Mountains, these kid-friendly organized rides are intended to build confidence, promote health and wellness, share knowledge of trails and riding techniques, teach respect for each other and the environment, and inspire the next generation of mountain bikers and CORBA volunteers! Children of all ages and abilities may attend (parent or guardian must be present and sign a waiver), and trailers/trail-a-bikes are welcome.

Click on CORBA’s calendar for upcoming dates, which include February 5 at San Vicente Mountain Park (Nike Tower) in Encino, March 5 at Malibu Creek State Park in Calabasas, and April 2 at Cheeseboro Canyon Park in Agoura Hills. For info contact kidsclub@corbamtb.com.

Visit our new Kids Club page!

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Posted in CORBA News, Health, Rides and Events, Santa Monica Mountains, Take a Kid Mountain Biking, Youth | Comments Closed

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