A Happy Holiday Update from SDMBA

It ‘s the time of year when we just have to sit back… way back, even lay down, because we can’t really do anything else right now with a full belly.

It’s the perfect time to reflect on all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for. The SDMBA family certainly has a lot to be thankful for.

Number one on the list is all of the dedicated individuals that make th
ings happen.

Here’s a short list of recent highlights that would not have been possible without the dedication of SDMBA volunteers who don’t hold back when it comes to spending time and energy in the pursuit of happy trails for all.

• On September 29th we had Tour de Fat, a fundraiser benefiting SDMBA and San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. 1,100 people attended the bicycle parade, 3,500 people attended the event and donated at total of $30,334!

• On October 6th SDMBA hosted Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, the annual celebration of kids and bikes. About 30 riders got together for a little education and a lot of fun at Morley Field/Florida Canyon.

Today’s kids are tomorrow’s decision-makers for important matters like land management and access to public lands for recreation.

• October 10-12th SDMBA had four delegates attend the IMBA World Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This international symposium gave insight into many topics relevant to our needs in San Diego.

Our delegates attended many great workshops including: growing our club membership and status; development and construction of mountain bike facilities; recruiting and building high-performance volunteer teams; evolution of bike-friendly land policies.

• On October 13th eighteen volunteers built just under ¼ mile of sweet single track at Los Gatos Ravine. Prior to the re-route the ranger replaced some of the existing user-built features with permanent ones worthy of a bicycle skills area.

Thanks to the long-term relationship of our liaison with the rangers, there are plans for more re-routes and technical features in the future.

• On November 3rd SDMBA volunteers helped Outdoor Outreach raise close to $31,000 at the Reach the Peak event. This event was a day of family-friendly fun-for-all including mountain biking and running races, a climbing wall, slackline, yoga, music, food trucks and adult beverages.

Outdoor Outreach serves at-risk and underserved inner city youth by providing empowering challenges like mountain biking. Whether you are a competitor or volunteer, keep this event in mind for next year!

• Also on November 3rd SDMBA volunteers attended and the first annual Fall Military Family Nature Fair at Mission Trails Regional Park. Exhibitors and attendees made valuable connections that support happy healthy lifestyles in our community.

• Recently SDMBA donated $500 to The Escondido Creek Conservancy (TECC) to support them in their quest to purchase and save 502 acres from development in San Marcos.

TECC is pursuing funding for recreation as well as conservation. Recreational funding would allow for the development of specific mountain biking based activities such as a pump track, dedicated cross country race course for practice and events, one-way downhill mountain bike trails and beginner friendly gateway trails.

That wraps up the “short” list of highlights from the past month. If you would like to get involved and help SDMBA with more things like these don’t hesitate to come on out! Join and meet like-minded people with a passion for mountain biking and contribute to the future of mountain biking and San Diego. “Like” us on Facebook and contact info@SDMBA”dot”com with your comments and questions.

Thanks for the update. It sounds like SDMBA is getting good at fundraising. What are the plans for all the new money?

A huge priority is getting a bike skills park in San Diego County. It's evident that private funding is required to kick the doors down (so to speak). Most cities are broke (or claim to be broke).

Not my experience but if you can list the trails previously designated as bike only that have since been reclassified, that's data we can make hay with.

Explain to me how something like this or this would not be good for mountain biking in San Diego.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

^^^ I'm not allowed to argue unless you pay . . . .

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

Ok. I'm officially weirded out. I'm doing this course:

https://www.coursera.org/course/thinkagain

A friend of mine earlier today jokingly referred to that Python skit when I told him about the course.
The second lecture of the course includes that skit.
And now you've posted it.

I'm not one to argue with the obvious

Rod, I think a bike park would be a really cool thing to have in San Diego, and I support the idea. I might even visit it once or twice. I also think the point Pete is making is valid, and a significant number of SD County riders might agree they'd rather see a focus on preserving and increasing singletrack mileage. Absent any demographic data or survey results from SDMBA, it's hard to say if that significant number might even be a majority.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

I totally agree with RHS on this. The bike park is a very cool deal to have but the masses just want to ride on nice single track trails. I'll bet only 2% of users would even use the bike park due to many reasons. Don't stop pursuing it but if you want to expand/unite the MTB base, new trails is a great place to start. (I know it's easier typed then done)
If San Diego had more trails to ride it could really be a great biker paradise with all the other things it has to offer. Just getting permission to even work on a existing trail can be tough and I have seen the good work you and others have done and the fights not a easy one for sure.
To RHS's point about trail types, take LPQ for discussion sakes. The Mesa is closed for everything but the fire road, many of the single tracks along the main trail are closed to bikes, and the new Cam Ru trail is cool but it's a up and back down that only goes to the park in Mira Mesa.
I know Blk Mt will have some new trails cut starting around April 2013 (hopefully) but many were closed there also.
Working with land managers, agencies, clearing and maintaining trails is a huge part of what I see SDMBA doing, and I thank you all for your efforts. Building NEW trails and expanding existing trails is what we need and they don't all have to be "multi-use" either. Hell, Check out the UT paper on Saturdays where they try to feature a trail to explore. Almost every single one they talk about is closed to bikes. We are tax payers too and should be able to use the public land equally as other user groups.
Rod- I'm not hating on you or SDMBA but we really could use trails much more than a bike park, IMHO.

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You never know what tomorrow will bring so go ride your EBike today or walk your pooch
Fear the Yeti
"Go ride your bike today, don't let the old man in.."

Mike