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A Message from CORBA’s President
By Mark Langton
I was going to write an article about perception vs. reality relating to how
different trail users perceive others on the trail: For example, I may be riding
my bike at 15 mph, a relatively modest speed, but someone walking might think
it’s way too fast. But a recent email sent to us more than illustrates this
concept:
Dear CORBA,
I sometimes walk my big dog on fire roads also used by mountain bikers. I
try to pay attention as to the whereabouts of the bikers so that I can pull my
dog aside, but I’m often distracted. I’ve had a number of near-misses and one
bad accident. A biker came around a bend very fast, could clearly see my back
and the face of my big dog. I didn’t hear him coming. My dog lunged at him,
which slammed me into the ground, and she dragged me as she tried to chase him.
I screamed. Did the biker stop, turn around, show concern? No. He kept
going.
 It seems that many bikers have no idea how to “share
the road” with animals. Does COBRA provide education to bikers? Is there a way
to communicate to the mountain biking community that you shouldn’t ride toward
or near a big dog, especially when the owner doesn’t see you. A dog will think
its owner is being attacked and will go into defense mode. That translates into
lunging at or jumping on the biker. A safe practice for the biker would be to
shout “Bike!” when approaching a big dog walker who doesn’t appear to see him,
and give the person a chance to pull in the dog. That keeps everyone
safe.
Tracy Sulkin
Here was my response:
Hi Tracy,
Sorry to hear about your incident. It is troubling to hear that the rider
did not come to your assistance, and as a human being I am disappointed he did
not show more concern.
Yes, CORBA does try to educate riders about situations like the one you
describe. Unfortunately, there is no way for us to control or educate everyone,
nor can we install common sense and courtesy.
Your experience points out that we all need to be aware of things that
could potentially be dangerous out on the trails.
Sincerely,
 Mark Langton
You may have responded differently, but the bottom line is, different people
react differently to different situations, and we all should treat each other
with as much respect as we would expect from others. Forty-Seven
Riders turn out for Take a Kid Mountain Biking
On Saturday October 1, 47 riders came out for the IMBA’s Take a Kid Mountain
Biking Day at Malibu Creek State Park. Riders on unicycles, trailer bikes,
tandem bikes, and various sized mountain bikes dotted the trail on a pleasantly
warm October morning. View the rest of this
article, and the photo
gallery, on our blog...
 Upcoming
and Recent Trailwork
For many years, most trailwork has been done by volunteers because of budget
cutbacks at our parks systems. So come out and help CORBA and
other volunteers keep our trails in top riding shape! You can learn
more about what to expect and what you'll need to bring with you
on our Trailwork
web page. Keep in mind that CORBA now provides prizes and lunch
after the event for volunteers who register
in advance! And by registering in advance, you'll help us prepare
by knowing how many volunteers to expect. If you come out to two
or more trailwork days in a year, we'll give you a cool long-sleeved
CORBA trail crew shirt - be sure to ask for yours!
Trailwork days are being planned for November in the Angeles
National Forest, but the dates have not yet been confirmed. We'll be posting
the dates on our calendar as soon as they are confirmed.
October 15: 20th Annual COSCA Trailwork
Day. On a perfect day for trail work, nearly 170 enthusiastic volunteers turned out
for the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency’s 21st annual Trail Work Day on
October 15. This year’s location was in the northern portion of COSCA’s property at the
Sunset Hills Trail. A new section of trail was created and completed, making a
wonderful 1.5 mile loop with a great view of Bard Reservoir, Simi Valley, and
Santa Rosa Valley. See the rest of this
story on our blog...
To see all trailwork dates, including those of other groups,
visit the CORBA
trailwork calendar.
Join our mailing list to get updates on trailwork
opportunities!
Send an email to Trailwork-Volunteers+subscribe@corbamtb.com
General
News
My First Trail Building Experience During the COSCA Trail Work Day
Contributed by Jesse Ettinger, North Ranch Mountain Bikers
I ride mountain bike trails for free. By “free” I mean “not withstanding any
of my tax dollars that may be used for park & trail maintenance.” (In the
Conejo Open Spaces, most of the trail construction and maintenance is done by
volunteers, the exception being large-scale removal of chaparral and weed
overgrowth.) So, with all the riding I do, it really was a no-brainer to me that
giving back is something I can and should do.
I feel such joy when I ride my mountain bike on a great trail, and wanted to
experience the joy of building or repairing one so other bikers, hikers and
equestrians can do the same. I had my first opportunity to do this on October
15th, and it was as rewarding as I could have hoped.
Roughly seven or eight of us from North Ranch Mountain Bikers showed up for
the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency’s (COSCA) Trail
Work Day. We were a small fraction of nearly 170 people who felt compelled
to turn out for the same reasons I described. Some of us had done this type of
stuff before, many, like me, had not. See the rest of Jesse's
story on our blog... New on the CORBA Website
- The
Startle Factor
- IMBA Trail Care Crew in Tehachapi Nov 18 and 19
- San Gabriel Watershed and Mountains Special Resource Study – Revised
Draft Released
Recreational
Rides
For a list of upcoming recreational rides, please visit the CORBA
Calendar.
CORBA’s Recreational Rides calendar provides a full
monthly schedule of mountain bike rides for all skill levels. Mountain bike
rides are organized by CORBA member clubs and led by experienced and
knowledgeable guides. Recreational rides are a fun and social way to experience
a variety of trails in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and beyond.
Free Mountain Biking
Skills Clinic
 Saturday November
5th is the next skills clinic.
The CORBA free skills clinic is held on the first Saturday of
every month at Malibu Creek State Park.
Mountain biking is a lot like tennis or skiing. Just a few minor
adjustments in technique can make a huge difference in your
control and proficiency. If you want to get better faster,
you need to know the fundamentals of mountain biking technique.
Whether you're just getting into mountain biking or have been
riding for years, you'll learn some valuable tips from our Introduction
to Mountain Biking skills class that is offered each month.
Check out our Skills Clinic
web page for all the information. After the clinic, see photos
of your new skills on the CORBA web site that you can share
with your family and friends!
 Follow
CORBA on Twitter and Facebook
We have set up accounts with Twitter and Facebook to help keep people informed
of the latest developments in our trail advocacy, recreational rides and trailwork days. Follow
us on Twitter at twitter.com/CORBAmtb
and Facebook at facebook.com/CORBAMTB.
Get Our Blog Articles Delivered to Your
Desktop
Have you ever wished you could get our blog articles without having
to check
the CORBA website every day to see if there’s anything new? Well, you
can! Even though our blog software won’t send articles by email, you can
still get them delivered to the inbox of most email readers like
Microsoft
Outlook. You use the “RSS feed” functionality for this. In fact, you can
read
our articles in any software that receives RSS feeds, such as Internet
Explorer
and other web browsers. This
blog
article on RSS feeds shows you how.
Support
CORBA
Join or Renew your membership today on our membership
web page. Join Our Team! Do you have any ideas about mountain biking recreation in the
L.A. region? Would you like to apply your skills and manage projects
that contribute to the sport and lifestyle that you love? Is there
an advocate in you? We are recruiting motivated individuals who
work well with others. Send an email to info@corbamtb.com
or come
to a monthly Members Meeting to find out more about what we do and how you
can help. Check the calendar
for the next meeting.
Other simple ways to
support CORBA
- REI:
Use the link at left and REI will donate 5%
of the purchase price to CORBA
- Ralphs grocery stores: Use your Ralphs card and help CORBA
- Holmes Body Shop: Get that dent fixed and help CORBA
(Click on the links above to get more details!)
CORBA
News eMail List
Please do not reply to this email as the corbanews mailbox is
not monitored by people. To contact CORBA, email to info@corbamtb.com
or visit our 'Contact Us' page
for other addresses.
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