2016: A Busy, Productive Year

January 4th, 2017

2016 is behind us, and what a year it was for CORBA and mountain bikers! We were extremely busy last year, cutting trails, cutting trees, and working on behalf of the mountain bike community to ensure continued and improved access to mountain biking in the greater Los Angeles and Eastern Ventura County areas.

Jim Burton cuts the ceremonial ribbon, as Steve Messer, Matt Lay and Jenny Johnson of MWBA, and Ken's daughters Heather and Tania look on.

Opening of Ken Burton Trail

In 2016, the Gabrielino Trail Restoration project, with REI, Bellfree Contractors, and Los Angeles Conservation Corps, was completed.  Ken Burton Trail restoration with MWBA was completed, opening the Ken Burton trail and a popular loop after seven years of closure, thousands of volunteer hours, and nearly three years of planning.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Angeles National Forest, Bike Skills Park, Board of Directors, California, CORBA News, CORBA Youth Adventures, Environment, Etiquette, Free Basic Skills Clinic, GirlzGoneRiding, High School League, Los Angeles, MBU, Palos Verdes, San Gabriel Mountains, San Gabriels National Monument, Santa Clarita Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains, Trail Access, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew, Verdugo Mountains, Youth | Comments Closed

Have you thought about joining the “Yellow Jerseys” in the parks…?

December 30th, 2016

The National Park Service, California Department of Parks & Recreation, and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority

MOUNTAIN BIKE UNIT (MBU) 
www.mountainbikeunit.com

The Mountain Bike Unit, sponsored by the National (NPS) and State (CDPR) Park Services and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), is looking for mountain bikers who might be interested in joining the unit.

Here’s what it’s all about:

The MBU assists in providing park visitors with a quality outdoor experience and preserving natural resources while patrolling over 60 thousand acres of public parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Orientation Day will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017, 9:00AM at the King Gillette Ranch Auditorium. Orientation Day is an indoor meeting to learn more about patrolling with the MBU and is an opportunity for you to ask questions.  Bring your bike and helmet, and if the weather is good, we’ll go on an optional fun ride after the presentation. There is no commitment to join the MBU if you attend Orientation Day.

All degrees of riding experience are welcome!

Patrol areas include National Park Service locations (Cheeseboro/ Palo Comado and Zuma/Trancas Canyons, Rancho Sierra Vista, and Circle X Ranch) and State Park locations (Malibu Creek, Will Rogers, Point Mugu, and Topanga). In addition, we patrol MRCA areas near metropolitan Los Angeles.

You patrol with an MBU partner, self-scheduled on the MBU website. Eight hours per month average is what we ask. 

Other activities in which the MBU participates include the Youth Adventures Program which offers disadvantaged youth an opportunity to enjoy mountain bike experiences in the parks, plus assisting in such events as Wheels to the Sea, the Los Angeles Marathon, and the Ventura County Fair.

Still have questions?

For more information and to be added to our mailing list, contact our Contact Administrator on the MBU website.

Posted in MBU, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

CORBA RAM Ride & Pancake Breakfast CANCELLED Again; Will be Rescheduled

December 30th, 2016

Due to muddy conditions in Pt. Mugu State Park (Sycamore Canyon), the RAM Ride for Jan 15th has been cancelled. It will be rescheduled.

Ignore the following text, it’s just there for historical perspective…

Come join CORBA & Michael’s Bicycles for the rescheduled RAM (ride & mingle) Ride and pancake breakfast! Meet at the Wendy/Potrero trail head in Newbury Park RTR at 9am. We will ride over to the TEE PEE for a big group photo, then split up into groups. Guided, no drop rides will be offered for beginners, intermediate’s and advanced riders!

Directions to trail head: Take the 101 Freeway to the Wendy exit in Newbury Park. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south on Wendy until it dead-ends at Potrero Road. Park in the adjacent dirt parking area.

Rain cancels the ride and if we get 1/2 an inch or more the night before, we will need to cancel it as well. Sycamore does not hold up well in the rain. You can email Wendy Engelberg for info: wendy@girlzgoneriding.com.

Then we will see you at Michael’s Bicycles in Newbury Park at 12:30pm for a pancake breakfast! A $10 donation to CORBA is suggested. Check out Michael’s Bicycles at Michael’s Bicycles:

MICHAEL’S BICYCLES

(805) 498-6633

2257 Michael Dr.

Newbury Park, CA 91320

We look forward to riding, mingling and eating pancakes with everyone!

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

GGR: Girlz Gone Riding Year in Review

December 30th, 2016

2016 marked a year not only in immense growth in the women’s mountain biking movement and GGR, but was a true year in growth for my own adventures on the bike.

Highlights!
GGR added 2 new chapters in 2016!
Kern County headed up by Tracy Jones! Kern County GGR Chapter

Mojave Desert Chapter headed up by an awesome leadership team of Kingman, AZ locals!Mojave Desert Chapter

Specialized and Cynergy Cycles presented me with a 2016 Specialized ERA Expert for the 2016 season! WHAT an honor to ride this incredible machine! This bike earned me many podium spots and incredible adventures! I was so very honored to have ridden this bike for the season!

Another super fun and successful Women’s Only Weekend in Big Bear! Every August, GGR & Bear Valley Bikes Bear Valley Bikes hosts a women’s only weekend in Big Bear. I think this summer’s was by far my favorite. Since we had more vet ride volunteer leaders for Saturday’s Down Hill at Snow Summit, we were able to now add a beginner’s DH group. So all of the riders groups were perfectly matched in speed and ability so all ladies just crushed it! We had a huge group dinner Saturday night and Sunday half the ladies went to XC in Fawnskin and the rest got an INTRO to Enduro day thanks to Bev at Rim Nordic! Rim Nordic Mountain Bike Park

On a personal note, I had the most incredible and adventurist summer of racing bikes with friends. I had the amazing opportunity to race XC at the super fun summer series Pedalfest: Pedal Fest Enduro at Rim Nordic: Rim Nordic Bike Park and race on teams for 6 and 12 hour endurance events hosted by SoCal Endurance who always, always encourage women to race! SoCal Endurance

The highlight every year for GGR is of course our annual Rocktober Festival. This year was different….new location….Castaic Lake and pouring rain. We still had well over 200 women that not only showed up but stayed the day. They rode around the lake, demo’d bikes, took a skills clinic and shopped at all the vendors. RST Suspension and REI were the title sponsors for this year’s festival. BOTH companies are very involved in their communities and support women’s mountain biking. This year’s community award went to The Squeaky Wheel Bike shop! The Squeaky Wheel Bike Shop. The most improved rider for 2016 went to Anne Yeoh of the Inland Empire chapter! Leigh Donovan was back again as head coach leading our skills clinic from I Choose Bikes.
The date is set for the 2017 Rocktober Festival! October 8th at Castaic Lake! Registration opens August 18th. This is a FREE event for all women mountain bikers!

(Scroll to the bottom to see the conclusion!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GGR ended the year with our annual CO ED holiday ride and luncheon. January brings on a new and exciting year! Chapter rides, endurance races and January 28th, we have the REI ALL OUT/OPT OUTSIDE event at Malibu Creek State Park. REI has asked CORBA and GGR to run the mountain bike portion of their event! We are so very excited and honored to be a part of this day! Spots are limited, so get signed up now! It’s free! REI All Out Event January 28th 2017

Until next time….we at GGR wish all of you a bright new year of prosperity, health, happiness and most important…epic riding!

Posted in GirlzGoneRiding, Rides and Events | Comments Closed

Staff from Giant Bikes and Amgen repair CORBA’s adopted trail

December 12th, 2016
IMG_5534.jpg

Volunteers hike up the Dragonback hills to get to the work area.

Workers from two companies with headquarters in Newbury Park took Friday morning December 9th off from work to help repair the Los Robles Trail West as part of their company’s community outreach programs. We expected 30 volunteers from Giant Bicycles and Amgen but at least 37 showed up, supervised by three COSCA rangers and one of CORBA’s trail crew leaders. Because of the large turnout, we got the work done in record time.

The work area started at the top of the most eastward Dragonback hill, almost a mile from the Felton St. trailhead, and continued for 0.4 miles towards the picnic table at Angel Vista. Work consisted of treadwork: digging out stumps, filling ruts, adding or repairing drainages, resloping and raking loose rocks off the trail.

A few days earlier, the CREW had cleared out overgrowing brush so we didn’t have to worry about that.

One huge rut on the most eastward Dragonback hill was filled and the trail leveled, however it was still loose because the dirt was so dry. To address that, the rangers came back a few days later with 30 gallons of water, hauled on a power wheelbarrow, and soaked the loose dirt to pack it down.

Overall, everyone did a fantastic job and this section of the trail that has been neglected for years is in much better shape and should be able to withstand the winter rainstorms without damage!

You can see before and after trail conditions, and the folks doing the work, in this Giant/Amgen volunteers photo gallery.

Posted in Adopted trail reports, Conejo Valley, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

December Skills Clinic photos posted December 5

December 5th, 2016

There were only a few participants for the last chance for the year to take part in the Basic Skills Clinic at Malibu Creek State Park. This month neither Steve nor the primary backup photographer Graham were available, so Ezra did double duty as both Mark’s assistant and photographer. The clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month. You can see the photos in our December photo gallery.

Posted in Free Basic Skills Clinic, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

Are you ready to #OptOutside on Black Friday?

November 10th, 2016
#OptOutside

#OptOutside

Last year, CORBA supporter REI chose to break the Black Friday shopping frenzy trend, and remained closed the day after Thanksgiving. Instead, they encouraged people to #OptOutside for some quality recreation.

We applaud their efforts and want to encourage everyone to spend Friday, November 25th riding a bike, hiking a trail, playing in the snow, or just communing with nature.

Black Friday has become synonymous with crowds, checkout lines, and camping outside retail stores on the sidewalk. That’s not the kind of camping we like to do. It’s also become synonymous with deals and sales over the last two decades, but these days so-called “black Friday sales” often last a week or more.

While there are certainly some deals to be had, is it really worth the hassle? Studies have shown that many black friday “sale” items can be purchased at similar prices at other times of the year. Black Friday itself isn’t even the busiest shopping day of the year.

So won’t you join us, and #OptOutside for Black Friday?

Tags: ,
Posted in Health, Industry, Rides and Events | Comments Closed

November Skills Clinic photos posted November 5

November 5th, 2016

It was a perfect day in Malibu Creek State Park for the Basic Skills Clinic. This month there were 10 participants. The clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month. You can see the photos in our November photo gallery.

Posted in Free Basic Skills Clinic, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

CORBA Welcomes Two New Board Members

November 2nd, 2016

Scott Mabbutt

With Mark Langton leaving CORBA’s Board of Directors, we put out a call for Board nominees. We’re happy to announce that we have welcomed two new board members, Scott Mabbutt and Joyce Deprest.

Scott is a respected filmmaker, storyteller and self-declared cat whisperer.  When asked how he came into mountain biking, his is an unusual story: “My first bike was a portable folding bicycle that I bought because I heard that Talking Heads artist David Byrne rode one around New York City.”  That quickly led to a full-blown love of bicycles, and especially mountain bikes.

Scott is a member of the Mountain Bike Unit (MBU), a group of mountain bike volunteer patrollers that work closely with the National Park Service, California State Parks and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) patrolling the Santa Monica Mountains to assist and educate visitors on the trail.  Scott can be found somewhere in the Santa Monica mountains every weekend.

He has attended several CORBA board meetings over the past few years, just to keep abreast of what’s happening in the area. Now he’ll be attending as a CORBA board member, helping keep CORBA on mission. We’re delighted to have him aboard.

Also joining the CORBA board is Joyce Deprest. Joyce is an MBU member and patroller, with her favorite place to ride or patrol being Point Mugu State Park. Joyce has been instrumental in re-introducing MBU members to do trailwork.

Joyce Deprest is a native San Fernando “Valley Girl.” Her professional life began working in Non-Profit Organizations, including event planning, office management and as the Director of a Synagogue in the San Fernando Valley. During the past 6 years Joyce has rediscovered her love of the mountains, canyons and oceans.

Joyce Deprest

The re-experience started with an impromptu hike up a narrow trail in Serranio Park, meeting up at Dirt Mulholland and then up what appeared to be an impossibly steep hill to climb.  The adventure was so exciting the next day she did it again.  She was hooked.  Joyce soon discovered that not only did she enjoy the hiking and being in mountains, and embracing the awesome canyons and ocean views, she loved meeting people on the trails.  She found that without an effort, people talked with her and asked her for directions.  Joyce started talking to Mountain Bikers and learned that by mountain bike riding she could go further, see more and grow her experience with the Santa Monica Mountains.  After her first ride on her 10 year old hybrid bike, in Sycamore Canyon/Point Mugu, she realized that a mountain bike with suspension was necessary.  The knowledge grew and with that knowledge and a few crashes she realized she needed some MTB riding lessons.  One day online she discovered Mark Langton.  For the next 4  months she and Mark met in Los Robles for weekly training sessions.  In addition to hiking and riding, Joyce was also interested in learning about the trails and trails maintenance.  By the end of that year Joyce had completed a one week Trails Maintenance class with COSCA and had participated in many hours of trail maintenance with CORBA.

Joyce continued to hike, ride and work on trails.  She joined Girlz Gone Riding and in January 2015 Joyce joined the Mountain Bike Unit with the goal of supporting the parks, advising and assisting visitors. Shortly after graduating from the MBU Joyce took on the role of Fundraising Coordinator with the Mountain Bike Unit. Her commitment and sense of stewardship of our public lands is inspiring.

We’re excited to have two new board members who also serve with the MBU. The MBU was a CORBA program, arguably the first organized volunteer patrol in the country. The MBU program grew beyond what CORBA could manage, and is now an independant program of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service. IMBA’s National Mountain Bike Patrol is largely based on CORBA’s early work in establishing the MBU.

While our Board of Directors now stands at five members, we are still interested in expanding the Board, and will continue to accept nominations.

We invite everyone to meet the CORBA board of directors at one of our Board meetings, or the upcoming Ride and Mingle event on November 27.

Posted in Board of Directors, MBU | Comments Closed

Thank You Mark Langton!

November 2nd, 2016
Mark Langton

Thanks Mark!

Mark Langton was one of CORBA’s founders in 1987 and one of IMBA’s founders in 1988. He served 13 years on CORBA’s steering committee, and subsequently joined the CORBA Board of Directors.  He has served as CORBA’s president, as one of the first volunteer patrollers for the Mountain Bike Unit and he’s taught the CORBA Introduction to Mountain Bike Skills Class every month since 1992. Now after 29 years, he’s stepping down from the CORBA Board as of December 2016.

Thanks Mark, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Mark was a BMX and mountain bike racer when trails started to be closed to us in the mid 1980’s. In August 1987, when the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy held a meeting to discuss a prohibitive mountain bike policy, Mark was one of about 30 riders who showed up to argue for shared use trails. We lost that night, but Mark and several others met weekly to form CORBA, organize local mountain bicyclists and interact with the agencies and other trail users.

It became clear that trail closures to bicyclists were emerging as a national problem. Preliminary talks between California clubs began about forming an umbrella organization of local clubs. CORBA sent Mark and Kurt Loheit to the meeting which marked the formation of IMBA.

CORBA’s approach has always been to show up, to participate, to take the high road and to be persistent. Mark has done all that and more. He’s been deeply connected to the sport as a racer and for several years as the editor of Mountain Biking magazine. He was the co-author of Riding Santa Monica Mountains Best Trails with Jim Hasenauer and of Where to Bike Los Angeles Mountain Biking with Jim Hasenauer and Steve Messer. He also wrote the Outdoor Action Guide Mountain Biking, and a skills manual, Mountain Bike Master: Essential Skills and Advanced Techniques Made Easy. He worked as Director of Communication for Giant Bicycles and for the National Off-Road Bicycle Association, before it was absorbed by USA Cycling. His knowledge, his ability to communicate and his industry connections brought national attention and resources to CORBA.

When the Conejo Opens Space Conservation Authority began dealing with the same trail access issues as the nearby Santa Monica Mountains agencies, they took a more open, community-minded approach. They told the complainers “These trails will be shared by the community. Work it out.” Mark was one of the founding members of the new Conejo Open Space Trails Advisory Committee and his efforts built strong alliances with equestrians and hikers. For years, COSTAC has been a model of user cooperation and the power of education in not only reducing user conflict but building a strong, united, and inclusive trail community.

Mark teaches the basics at CORBA's free skills clinic

Mark demonstrates the basics at CORBA’s free skills clinic

Mark’s longest service commitment has been the CORBA Mountain Bike Skills classes that he has taught every first Saturday of the month since 1992. No matter how much you know or think you know about mountain bikes, Mark’s class will improve your riding. He has the uncanny ability to see the deficiencies in riders’ positions or techniques and clearly, incrementally help those riders improve. Literally thousands of riders have taken Mark’s course. He also does fee-based coaching.

While Mark will be stepping down from the CORBA Board, he won’t be going away. Mark will continue to lead our free monthly Mountain Bike Skills Clinics. Remaining board members, Jennifer Jacobson, Wendy Engelberg and Steve Messer, will carry the CORBA torch forward, with the addition of two new board members. 

CORBA and mountain bikers locally and across the country owe Mark a huge debt of gratitude for his years of dedication to the growth and advancement of mountain biking.

All we can say is Thank You Mark.

 

20110422004-eagle-rock-loop-jim-hasenauer-mark-langton

Tags:
Posted in Board of Directors, Free Basic Skills Clinic | 4 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »