The voice of off-road bicyclists

New on the CORBA Website
 

There’s a saying that goes something like, “as soon as there’s two of anything, there’s going to be a competition.”

Competition, in the form of racing, has probably been around since pre-historic times. When it comes to bicycles, racing has been part and parcel of the activity since the very beginning, and in the early 1900s track racing was the most popular sport in the United States, drawing bigger crowds than baseball.

But like most things, there’s a time and a place for racing. As a motorcycle RiderCoach for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, I am constantly reminded of the statistics of sport bike riders who are killed or severely inured because they race each other on the roads of our local mountains. I am also constantly reminded that people like to go fast on their mountain bikes on our local trails, to the detriment of others and even to themselves. I have nothing against people who race. The problem I too often see is with people who think that because they are training for a race, they can ride the local shared use trails at race pace. Our trails in the Santa Monica Mountains are used by a wide variety of people, including new mountain bikers who have no idea what “on your left” means.

Again, I have nothing against people who race, or go fast for that matter. But when around other users, there is no excuse for not slowing down to others’ speed, uphill or down. If you want to go fast, make sure you can see far enough ahead so that your speed will not impact other trail users.

If you want to go fast but are not into racing, there are several places you can go where speed is allowed, such as Mammoth Mountain Bike Park (mammothmountain.com).

As I’ve said before, simply slowing down for other users (slowing to their speed) virtually eliminates the problem that people have with mountain bikers; being scared by getting passed at a high rate of speed. Slowing down improves things for mountain bikers, both from an image and safety standpoint. And it makes for a much more pleasant experience for everyone. Remember, your actions speak for the entire mountain bike community.

For a limited time, CORBA has special 25-year anniversary T-shirts on sale for the low price of $15. The price includes shipping. Order yours today before we run out, available from the CORBA online store! And socks will be available soon...

CORBA Kids Club Ride Summer Summary

Despite many people being out of town during the summer months, the CORBA Kids Club has managed to beat the heat and keep the faith in parent/child mountain biking! The groups were smaller, but the enjoyment was tops. An unusually hot spring kept us on the west side of town and current temperatures continue to do so. June’s ride at Sullivan Canyon, welcomed two new riders; we hope to see them again soon. A total of 8 riders and one hiker traversed Sullivan until we hit the downed tree, took a break, and headed back. See the full story in our blog.

September 15: Mesa Peak Backbone Singletrack in Tapia / Malibu Creek State Park. Come out to help us fix up the singletrack at the bottom of Mesa Peak Motorway on September 15th! We’ll be removing some overgrowing bushes and fixing major ruts at the bottom of the trail. CORBA will treat participants to lunch afterwards and provide some great mountain biking prizes, including CST tires. For full details and to register, see our registration page. We hope to see a good turnout of local mountain bikers at this event!

October 20-21: The IMBA Trail Care Crew will be visiting. Check back for details!

As a long time bicyclist who rides on the pavement and the dirt, I thought that I had the right-of-way over others whenever I was out getting in a workout. After all, it's much easier for a hiker to move off the trail for a moment to let me pass, right?

Recently, I began hiking the Backbone Trail. Walking along the trail I was amazed at how little most bicyclists pay attention to the trail courtesy signs that are displayed at trailheads. Nearly every cyclist I encountered along the trail slowed down a little bit as they passed with some yelling out “Hi!” and some just smiling. As a hiker, they thought, as I had, that I was the one who should get off the trail to let the bicyclists by. I am your average ‘nice’ hiker but I kind of expected that I would hear the words “Thank you and have a great hike!” on occasion. As trail users who make good use of these trails and who are also interested in getting access to more trails, it makes sense for us cyclists to realize that we are not more entitled than others We would be better accepted if we lived up to our part of the agreement for access to multi-use trails.

It was not all bad out there on the trails. One amazing thing happened on the first segment of my Backbone trek – two bikes approached me as I ascended the Wood Canyon Vista Trail – they stopped and got off their bikes and greeted me. I could not wipe the grin off my face for a mile or so. This behavior should be the norm – that is what the trailhead signs demand. But it is not and may never be.

I have to tell you that encounters like this one change peoples’ perspectives regarding bikes. The flip side is that hikers silently grumble about those darn bikes tearing up the trails when we do not yield. So, if you want more trails to ride, slow down and yield to other trail users. It feels great and it is definitely Win Win.

George Sherman is a long-time CORBA member and open space trails advocate. To sum up what George is saying—what I have been saying in nearly every one of my President’s Messages for the past few years—slow down to others’ speed when on the trails, even if it includes stopping and letting others pass! –Mark Langton

Trail Cyclists Liable for $375 Fines, and Worse

It has come to our attention through dialogue with representatives from National Park Service that over the last few months there have been several incidents involving cyclists traversing the trails unsafely. It has gotten to the point that rangers will now be stepping up their patrols and being more proactive in citing cyclists who they deem to be endangering the safety of themselves and other trail users. The following information was provided to us from the National Park Service (NPS) and would be enforced in such areas as Cheeseboro Canyon and the Backbone Trail. State Parks will likely begin increasing patrols in Pt. Mugu State Park as it is also an area of increased unsafe incidents. See our blog article for the list of possible citations and fines.