Get ready for the upcoming COMBA Buffalo Creek build weekend!

Thank you to the crew who has volunteered their time to help us build a new trail in Buffalo Creek which will be made by mountain bikers for mountain bikers. We will be building this Saturday and Sunday, May 30th and 31st. We will be meeting at 8:30 AM on Saturday and again Sunday at the Miller Gulch trailhead south of Bailey. Please be at the Miller Gulch trailhead and ready to go at 8:30 AM. We will be camping at the Miller Gulch trailhead as well. Don't forget to bring your own food and water for the weekend (we will be packing our lunches into the work site), sturdy work clothes and boots, and your bike!

How do I get there?

We will be meeting up and camping at the Miller Gulch trailhead south of Bailey. Please use this map to help guide you to the Miller Gulch trailhead.

• From the intersection of Highways 285 (Hampden Avenue) and C-470, take Highway 285 south (also west) to Bailey.
• At the bottom of Crow Hill just as you’re entering the town of Bailey, turn left onto Wellington Lake Road. Look for the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms store and you’ve made the correct turn.
• Go approximately 5 miles on Wellington Lake Road (also Forest Service Road 560). Bear left onto Forest Service Road 549.
• Go approximately 2 miles on Forest Service Road 549 and bear left onto Forest Service Road 553.
• Go approximately ½ mile on Forest Service Road 553 and turn right onto Forest Service Road 554 and into the Miller Gulch trailhead.
• Look for CoMBA event signs along the way.

What should I wear?

Dress in sturdy work clothes. Boots, long pants, and work gloves are recommended. Hats, sunglasses, long sleeve shirts, and your camelback are important too.

What should I bring?

Our trail building weekends will be friendly, back-to-the-basics camping weekends held at the Miller Gulch trailhead. Bring food and water for the day or weekend depending on whether you committed for a single day or for the full weekend. If you are camping bring your camp gear. Tools for trail building will be provided by COMBA. Bring your bike!

Jason Bertolacci
Colorado Mountain Bike Association
jason@comba.org
www.comba.org

Social Ride this Thursday - 5/28!

WHEN: Thursday May 28th
WHERE: Lair o' the Bear main parking lot
TIME: Meet at 5:45 p.m., wheels down at 6 p.m.
WHAT TO BRING: A working mountain bike and all the fixins' (water, tubes, shoes, gloves, helmets, etc.)
CONTACT: Please RSVP for this ride or shoot questions to grouprides@comba.org

NOTE: for this first Social Ride, the Board of Directors plans to join, so come on out and meet COMBA leadership!

please join us in creating a sustainable designed-for-mountain-bike trail with advanced features in Buffalo Creek

Calling all crew leaders and volunteers: please join us in creating a sustainable designed-for-mountain-bike trail with advanced features in Buffalo Creek...

The quick and dirty:

  

We are going to purpose build a "black diamond" level mountain bike trail in the Buffalo Creek area of the Pike National Forest.

  

The project is sponsored by the Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) and will be built in partnership with the US Forest Service, Front Range Mountain Bike Patrol (FRMBP), International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and  Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, and local bike retailers and manufacturers.

  

The trail will have advanced features like drops, steep rollers, wall rides and other technical problems which utlize the unique local terrain found in Buffalo Creek. Alternate lines will be built around the advanced features to make the trail accessible to a wide audience of experienced mountain bikers.

  

There are three build weekends scheduled for 2009: May 30th and 31st, July 18th and 19th, and August 15th and 16th.

  

Volunteers will have an opportunity to build a great mountain bike trail while learning advanced mountain bike trail building skills, including the opportunity to participate in the free  Subaru/IMBA TCC Trailbuilding School to be offered in August.

  

To become involved please RSVP for our May 30th-31st trail building weekend at: http://go.imba.com/site/Calendar/1648131972?view=Detail&id=104541

The full story:

As background, Scott Dollus and the South Platte Ranger District of the US Forest Service have been great friends to the mountain biking community. This friendship is a result of the outstanding shared-use trail system the Forest Service has created in Buffalo Creek with the help of volunteer labor provided by mountain bike groups such as IMBA, COMBA, Team Evergreen and the Front Range Mountain Bike Patrol. The FRMBP, led by Keith Clarke and Stu Miller, and local mountain bike author Tom "Barn" Barnhart deserve
special praise for the success of this partnership, having developed and maintained the relationship with the South Platte Ranger District for 12 years and having donated 4,668 hours of volunteer labor in the process.

One product of this community partnership is the desire and willingness on the part of the Forest Service to expand the total mileage of trail in Buffalo Creek, including building black diamond level trails to round out the already outstanding trails in Buffalo Creek. There are plenty of trails in the Front Range which are technical due to poor construction, decades of erosion, and rough natural terrain, but sustainable public purpose-built gravity trails are missing from the Front Range.

In Buffalo creek the Forest Service has given us a granite boulder strewn ridgeline to purpose-build expert trails. It is unfortunately not shuttleable terrain, but the climb is manageable and the terrain technical, making it a good black diamond trail candidate. What is a "black diamond" trail? When I think "black diamond", I think of the opportunites and lines that open up on trails like Amasa Back and Rock Stacker in Moab, UT when riding a stouter trail bike with 5 or 6 inches of travel. 

The trail can be ridden on a short-travel cross county mountain bike -- even a rigid bike -- but aboard a bike from the evolving class of good pedaling long-travel bikes, the trail becomes a whole different beast.

Our new trail in Buffalo Creek will cater to this type of riding with drops, steep granite rollers, and wall rides all built in a sustainable manner and blending with the character of the unique local geography. The top of the ridge offers some of the best views in the Buffalo Creek area. From those views the trail's descent follows long expanses of granite slickrock giving sweet line options weaving around, over and between boulders from the size of cars to small homes. Alternate lines will offer routes around the bigger moves keeping the trail accessible to a wide audience of experienced mountain bikers. If you have ever looked up at the granite domes and boulder fields along the ridges in Buffalo Creek and wondered what it would be like to ride a line up high -- this is our opportunity to build that line.

In the Fall 2008, a group of local riders led by Keith and Stu flagged a trail corridor climbing to the top of the ridge and descending back into the valley. The corridor has received the approval of the  Forest Service and we are ready to put shovel to dirt beginning the weekend of May 30th-31st. These trail building weekends will be friendly, back-to-the-basics camping weekends held at the Miller Gulch Trailhead with easy access to vehicles and facilities. We welcome volunteers on either day, but we encourage everyone to spend the weekend and join us around the campfire. You bring food, water and a tent, and we will bring the beer.

In addition to a great new trail in Buffalo Creek, we hope this project will build a new community of IMBA educated trail builders in the Front Range. Many of you participated in COMBA's  Forest Service led crew leader training  last summer. This is an opportunity to take those skills and expand them into building sustainable designed-for-mountain-bike trails. The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care crew will be joining us on the weekend of August 15th and 16th offering our vounteers the opportunity to particpate, without cost, in the TCC Trailbuilding School.

This is an incredible opportunity to build a new advanced trail on public land, but the project will not succeed without your help.  Please join us a volunteer or volunteer crew leader by RSVP'ing to our May 30th-31st trail building weekend at:

http://go.imba.com/site/Calendar/1648131972?view=Detail&id=104541

Jason Bertolacci

Colorado Mountain Bike Association

jason@comba.org

303-956-9099

Inaugural Socail Ride - 5/14!

The first ever COMBA Beginner Social Ride begins Thursday evening, May 14th. Let your beginner riders know all about this!! It's a great way to get familiar with the trails, learn the rules of the trail and meet new people!

When -- May 14, 2009
Where -- South Table Mountain Trail head-- 5:45 with wheels down at 6:00pm

What do you bring with?

• WORKING bike


• helmet required


• appropriate riding clothes and shoes


• water


• energy gels/bars


• wind/rain jacket


• extra tube


• pump


• patch kit


• BIG SMILE

Directions from Denver: 6th ave west to the Indiana St/Colorado Mills Mall exit. Exit to the North on Indiana St. Go straight across Colfax (Indiana turns into South Golden Road). Stay on S. Golden Road and turn right onto Quaker St. (at light). Go to the end of the road to where it curves left. Go about 1/4 mile and you will see parking on the right at the base of S. Table.

Google map link to Quaker St. and Golden Hills Rd.

Who to contact: grouprides@comba.org for info and to RSVP

Apex Review: JCOS Seeking to Improve Visitor Experiences

Give Jefferson County your Feedback on Apex Park!

Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) managers recently contacted COMBA to inform us they are beginning a public input process to consider opportunities and methods to improve visitor experiences at Apex Park. Their goal is to increase the safety of park users, and provide more positive experiences for visitors.

The public input process has four parts that require your participation and awareness:

1) Written Input: JCOS is soliciting pubic input on visitors' preferred management techniques. To streamline the submission of requested feedback from the cycling community to Jefferson County, an electronic version of the JCOS feedback form has been made available by the Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). Please go here to participate. Upon submission, a copy of your answers and comments will be automatically emailed to Thea Rock, Jefferson County's Manager of Citizen Outreach. The deadline for submitting Feedback Forms is June 30, 2009.

2) Open Houses: Two open Houses will be held in June at the Open Space Ponderosa Meeting Room located at 700 Jefferson County Parkway in Golden. A large turnout from mountain bikers will help ensure our standing in these important discussions! Mark your calendars and attend if you can: Thursday, June 18, 2009 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m; Saturday, June 20, 2009 from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.

3) OSAC Report: Findings from public input will be reported at the Open Space Advisory Committee’s regular meeting on July 2, 2009 at 7:00pm. COMBA will be there to make sure our input was captured fully, and hope you will be too!

4) Spread the word! Please forward a link to this post to everyone you know who values their mountain biking experience at Apex, who will want to be part of this important process. Our voices matter!

COMBA is encouraged that JCOS is conducting extensive outreach in this process, and appreciates that its managers are asking all park visitors and stakeholders to take an active part. Open Space managers want to put as many ideas as possible on the table for consideration before any decisions are made. COMBA has been assured by all levels of JCOS management that the public input process now underway is meant to generate ideas and foster outreach, and that no changes in Apex Park management are expected this year.

As always, thank you for your support of COMBA, and being an active member of our Front Range mountain biking Community. (PS to Facebookers: Stay in the loop by joining COMBA's Facebook Group!)

COMBA Attends PLAN Jeffco's Annual Dinner with County Commissioners

What is PLAN Jeffco?

PLAN Jeffco began with a grassroots effort of passionate people with a clear vision: to increase, preserve and protect Jefferson County parklands. In 1972 that cause was fortunately led by Carol Karlin, an active member of the League of Women Voters. Through her and the tireless efforts of many devoted colleagues, on November 7, 1972 County voters approved the purchase of land and properties with historical value, and Jefferson County Open Space ("JCOS") was essentially born.

Today, PLAN Jeffco thrives as an influential volunteer group dedicated to acting as a watchdog for Open Space. It has a managing Board of 13 Directors with 70 members. PLAN Jeffco provides comment on projects, reviews plans, and makes recommendations for property acquisition.

PLAN Jeffco's Annual Dinner

On April 23, 2009 PLAN Jeffco held their annual dinner with the County Commissioners, the Open Space Advisory Committee ("OSAC"), and open space staff at the Mount Vernon Country Club.

The dinner's historical focus celebrated the County's 150 anniversary. Dr. Tom Noel, Professor of History at the University of Colorado Denver, spoke on The Historical Importance of Jefferson County Open Space, showcasing contemporary and historic photos of the area.

COMBA in Attendance

As supporters and partners of PLAN Jeffco, COMBA celebrated the County's dedication to Open Space by presenting a plaque of appreciation to Ralph Schell, Director of Open Space, for the program's stewardship of the land and commitment to Shared Use.

COMBA President Terry Breheny (l) presents plaque to Ralph Schell (r), Director of Jefferson County Open Space

The Key to Success: Public Representation and Involvement

PLAN Jeffco's success comes from a clear vision, active participation by committed members, and effective, consistent, and organized public representation. PLAN Jeffco makes their ideas considered, concerns known, voices heard, and changes made by maximizing their exposure through multiple avenues of public influence and communication.

As part of those efforts, PLAN Jeffco attends every OSAC meeting open to the public. Following this lead, COMBA will do the same — our purpose to stay aware of Committee discussions, report items of interest to our members, and act faithfully in our community's best interest.

COMBA Needs You

An important aspect of this process will be making our community's presence consistently known to Open Space officials. COMBA is therefore requesting members to attend OSAC meetings with us. Making the many faces of County cyclists and residents familiar to Open Space managers will send a message of community involvement and unity, an important asset for our user group.

OSAC meets on the first Thursday of the month at 7:00pm in the Open Space Building at 700 Jefferson County Parkway in Golden.

If you are a mountain biker who is interested and available to attend OSAC meetings with us from time to time, please send an email to michelle@COMBA.org so that our representation can be coordinated and maximized. Your participation is needed, and greatly appreciated!

Thank you PLAN Jeffco!

Were it not for the vision and commitment of Carol Karlin and so many of her devoted colleagues in the 1970s, the parks we cherish today would simply not exist. With deep gratitude and utmost respect, COMBA sincerely thanks PLAN Jeffco for its incredible achievements, remarkable vision, commitment to the community, and warm welcome of our user group.

COMBA looks forward to a fostering a strong partnership with PLAN Jeffco, and working together to create harmonious and abundant open space experiences for all.

trail closures

Mt. Falcon and White Ranch are temporarily closed due to muddy conditions.

MOAB MOAB MOAB!

April 17-19

The Dirt Divas have invited COMBA members to join them for a co-ed spring weekend in the desert!

• Please RSVP to ride coordinator, Nancy Kelly, by Tuesday, April 14th.

As a bonus, Golden Bike Shop is offering a special deal for this trip:
50% off demo bike rentals! Now is your chance to take out that sweet new ride you've been eyeing and put it through the paces on the trails of Moab. After RSVP'ing, contact the shop directly to make arrangements.

LET'S CRUISE!

Join Woody's, New Belgium, Golden Bike Shop, Dirt Divas and COMBA for the Golden Cruiser Ride on Tuesday, March 31st to shake off the spring snow with some cruiser bike shenanigans, pizza and beer.

Mini-crew

Terry, Joe, and David had a fantastic meeting with Reven Swanson– founder/leader of the successful "mini-crew" program. COMBA is happy to continue to support such a worthwhile project, and many ideas were discussed about how best to work together in order to help JCOS with their ongoing trail needs.

(The "Kind Crippler" beer at Mountain Sun wasn't so bad either).
;-)

COMBA Attends 2009 National Bike Summit

COMBA’s Policy Director Michelle Beckman returned from Washington, D.C. after attending the Ninth Annual 2009 National Bike Summit sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. Founded in 1880, the League represents the nation's 57 million cyclists, and has a membership of 300,000, including 40,000 individuals and 600 affiliated organizations. The purpose of the National Bike Summit is noble -- to bring together advocates, industry leaders and retailers to share ideas and best practices and craft a persuasive national case for bicycling -- but that's not all. Before concluding, cycling supporters make a finely honed pitch, in person, directly to elected officials on Capitol Hill.


Summit Notables

The 2009 Summit was the largest yet, and brought together a record-breaking 580 registrants from 47 states and four countries. Major sponsors included Bikes Belong, IMBA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Bicycle Dealers Association, Interbike and AARP. Keynote speakers included Congressional Reps. James L. Oberstar (D-MN), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dan Lipinksi (D-IL) Doris Matsui (D-CA), and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE); and Ambassador Friis Petersen (Denmark).



Breakout sessions offered a variety of topics on legislative issues and opportunities, and workshops were designed to educate attendees how to advocate for bicycling on the local level. Workshops of particular interest to COMBA members follow.

Better Biking in National Parks discussed Congress’s Centennial Initiative investment in the National Park Service, the rule change regarding bicycles on park trails and improving park bike policies and programs.

During IMBA’s Wilderness Workshop, staff and volunteers talked about IMBA’s goals to protect the land and bicycle access, as well as initiatives to protect public lands and open space. Participants shared ideas and strategies on how to form better partnerships.

Urban Trails and Jump Parks demonstrated how local communities can provide urban riding opportunities as a low-cost, space-efficient way to attract youth to mountain biking. Michael Vitti, President of the Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists (New York), and Jon Kennedy, Program Director the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance (Seattle), presented urban trail park success stories and demonstrated how their parks have transformed neglected pocket parks into community treasures.

During the workshop Rich Edwards, Trail Solutions Coordinator for IMBA, shared best practices in trail building technique, and noted that beyond physical sustainability, a trail must also be designed for social sustainability. Rich noted that “user conflicts are more about trail design than people just being angry.” In practice, that means extending sight lines, creating smooth switchbacks down hills in lieu of steep chutes, and designing trail features that encourage faster riders to slow down (such as meandering trails, chokes, gateways, and building in sharp turns before intersections) are all smart, effective ways to reduce conflict. Participants also discussed how effective signage is required to set visitor expectations and modify behaviors before conflict is created.

Were you aware that in the past 15 years more than $4.3 billion of federal investment has gone toward promoting bicycling and walking? In Bicycle Friendly America: Smart Investments in Businesses, Communities, and States panelists shared their viewpoints on how those investments are working, and special attention was given to the role of recreational and mountain biking in building a strong cycling community.

During the Reconnecting Kids with the Great Outdoors luncheon, Larry Selzer of The Outdoor Foundation reported that bicycling is the #1 gateway activity that gets kids interested in the outdoors. Selzer is spearheading a crusade to reconnect children with nature through the National Forum on Children and Nature, which now includes 50 of the nation’s most influential leaders, including governors, mayors, CEOs and public leaders.


Meetings on Capitol Hill

On Thursday, March 12, advocates from the Summit visited more than 350 congressional offices and made a strong and unified statement in support of bicycling. In these meetings members of Congress were urged to support greater federal investment in cost-effective, beneficial bike projects.

Representatives were urged to renew the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), increasing its funding to $550 million over five years. RTP provides funds to states to develop and maintain recreational trails, provide trail education and training programs, conduct trail patrols, and provide trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. Summit advocates educated members of Congress about how outdoor recreation benefits communities, informing them that it contributes $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy and reminding them that trail tourism is an important economic contributor for many cities.

Members of Congress were also urged to support the America Bikes Agenda, CLEAN –TEA (The Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act), and Complete Streets policies.

The meetings on the Hill made a powerful case in support of smart transportation, geared to solve the 21st century challenges of climate change, dependence on foreign oil, health issues, congestion and safety. And this powerful case could not have been made at a better time, since Congress begins writing a new federal transportation funding bill now.




Congressional Bike Caucus Bike Ride Heralds a “New Era” for Bicycling

What better way to end a bike summit than with a bike ride? On Friday, March 13, Summit advocates took part in the traditional closer to the National Bike Summit by joining in the Congressional Bike Caucus Bike Ride. The ride showed off bicycle facilities in the Washington, D.C., area, including access across river bridges, bicycle parking at National Stadium and RFK stadium, newly created bicycle lanes, and the new SmartBike bicycle rental system that provides 10 stations for convenient bicycle rental and return around the city center.

Few if any of these amenities would exist today were it not for the vision and hard work of bicycling advocates who made them possible.

There was a lot of optimism at this Summit. Finally, after years of clamoring for attention, it seems that issues many people at the National Bike Summit care about have significant traction at the highest levels of the political establishment. Our nation has a new president, a new Congress and a new commitment to improving our transportation and energy infrastructure. With all of these factors coming into alignment, there may never be a better opportunity to harness its power and ring in a new era that creates a bicycle friendly America.




What Does the National Bike Summit have to do with COMBA?

More than asking Colorado representatives to support bills that will bring greater federal investment to trail projects in our backyard, the National Bike Summit provides a much-needed lesson to mountain bikers across the Front Range: Cyclists, working together, are a powerful political force and can make real, positive change in our local environment.

On the Front Range, important progress is being made in cycling advocacy, and there may too never be a better time to harness the power of bicycling right here in Colorado. So, whether you’re a downhiller, cross-country racer, sometime commuter, reluctant winter roadie, trials riding expert, new recruit to the church of single-track or just a rider who loves the dirt and cherishes your access to it – know that our representation as mountain bikers is stronger when we advocate for the rights and issues of cyclists together.

COMBA urges you to get involved. Join us in group rides and trail projects. Sign up for a working committee. We want to hear your ideas and concerns so write us an email, attend a meeting, or post a note to COMBA's Facebook Group.

COMBA also urges you to join as many local advocacy groups that support cycling as you can. If you’re unfamiliar or unsure about an organization, simply sign up to their email list to find out more about them. Because the lesson from the National Bike Summit is that no matter what kind of bike you ride, or where you like to ride it, in the work of cycling advocacy – when we act together - we are one powerful voice, that is heard, and that makes a difference.

Call for Volunteers: COMBA Adopts Section One of the Colorado Trail

The Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) is proud to announce their continued support and maintenance of the Colorado Trail, Segment One, in 2009. As adopters of the Waterton to South Platte segment; COMBA pledges to clear dead fall, clean water diversions and provide clear communication with the CTF/AAT Coordinator.

COMBA will need help in maintaining this section of the Colorado Trail. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Hillary Seminick at Hillary@comba.org

COMBA Board Meeting Scheduled for Tuesday, March 10

The Colorado Mountain Bike Association Board of Directors will hold their monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at Bent Gate Mountaineering, 1313 Washington Ave., Golden.

The agenda will be posted on www.comba.org on Monday, March 9, 2009. All COMBA members are welcome to join us.

Just as an FYI … our last meeting went pretty long due to a very heavy first-meeting-of-the-new-board agenda, and we didn’t have time for a collaborative work session with members. Sorry about that. We want to thank all the members who showed up. Our goal, once we get through these initial meetings, is to carve out some time for truly interactive work sessions, but we can’t promise that it’ll happen at the upcoming meeting.

Hillary Seminick Joins COMBA Board

Please join us in welcoming Hillary Seminick to the COMBA Board of Directors. Per COMBA bylaws, Hillary was appointed by a majority vote of current board members. She replaces Paul Murphy, who tendered his resignation in February.

Here’s what she has to say about herself by way of introduction:

"My humble beginnings took root in Florida about five years ago; where I raced cross country and the occasional 12-hour. My favorite way to discover Colorado, the beautiful state I’ve called home for almost three years, is on a bike, whether it is my trusty cross bike or my burlier all-mountain rig. I also love commuting by bicycle to work or wherever else my wheels might take me.

I believe cycling activism is an integral part of riding a bike. In Florida I helped in a grass roots effort preventing the sale of a beloved Tallahassee trail to developers, was involved in trail building efforts and volunteered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission mapping trails throughout the state. Since moving to Colorado, I’ve been involved with the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol and COMBA. When I’m not riding a bike, I’m a spatial analyst and cartographer, skills that I will continue to contribute to COMBA.

COMBA has such great potential, and I am honored to be part of a board with such brilliant and talented minds. I am very excited to work with these passionate and dedicated mountain bikers. Thank you for allowing me to serve you. "

Michelle Beckman Goes to Washington

COMBA is proud to announce that board member Michelle Beckman will be traveling to Washington, D.C., on March 10-12 for the 2009 National Bike Summit.

Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, the 2009 National Bike Summit is focused on making a powerful case for expanding federal support for bicycling – both for active transportation and recreation. It will include more than 500 cyclists that represent a broad range of interest, including advocates, industry leaders and retailers. The goal is to show a unified voice as Congress begins writing a new federal transportation funding bill.

We’re extremely pleased that Michelle will represent COMBA at this important event. Keeping up with her during the D.C. visit will be easy because Michelle will be "tweeting" updates via Twitter (Username: COMBAorg), along with participants from IMBA and Bikes Belong. Keep an eye on www.comba.org for updates.

Daylight Savings Time is Almost Here … Time to Ride

Volunteers Needed to Help Plan COMBA Group Rides

As you probably already know, Daylight Savings Time starts Sunday, which means after-work rides are just around the corner. COMBA is planning to host monthly group rides this season, but we need your help. If you're interested in helping plan COMBA group rides for 2009, join Nancy Kelly (project leader) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, at Woody's Pizza in downtown Golden. If you’ve got questions, email grouprides@comba.org for more information

Staunton State Park Open House

Staunton State Park, near Conifer, is expected to open as the 43rd State Park in the Colorado State Park System. The park is currently not open to the public and will remain closed until a full public planning process is completed and park infrastructure has been constructed. The Master Plan is the first step in that public process.

A public Open House is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, 2009, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at the Conifer High School Cafeteria. Since the board will be meeting that same night, we’re hoping to get some volunteers to head up and make sure that mountain bike voices are represented – now is the time to ensure potential future riding opportunities.

We’ve Got Some Big Trail News Coming

As you all know, one of COMBA’s top priorities for 2009 is adding to the stock of Front Range trails, and we are making progress on this very quickly. BUT we can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet, but we are bursting with excitement about a new project we’re undertaking that will add new trail to one of the region’s most popular riding destinations. Get your big-hit bike ready and stay tuned …

Comments Needed for the Lake Pueblo State Park Trail Management Plan!!

Although out of our immediate "territory", COMBA is urging any and all Front Range mountain bikers to provide comments on the Colorado State Parks trail management plan for Lake Pueblo State Park by February 28.

For history on why we need to take action see the following article: http://www.pueblowestview.com/news/1235026800/1
To make comments on the trail management plan go here: http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/LakePueblo/Trails/

where would YOU build a local bike park?

...in the denver-metro-foothills area?

tell us where—specifically—and define what kind of park (pump track, dirt jumps, skills/progression, etc.) you envision. this project will be a high-priority goal for us in 2009. we have had preliminary meetings with local municipalities and are cautiously optimistic about the chances for this to come to fruition. the next step, however, is to identify specific locations so a more formal proposal can be put together and forwarded to the relevant land owner.

Success!

Thanks to everyone who was able to join us last night... we had a fantastic turn out. A recap will follow shortly (after we catch our breath), but we'd like to thank our partners and sponsors:

IMBA Trail Care Crew — Special Guests

Golden City Brewery — cold beverages!

Woody's Pizza — hot pizza

IMBA — schwag (hats, calendars, aprons, belt buckles, etc.)

Yeti Cycles — schwag (pint glasses, keychains, socks)

Golden Bike Shop — schwag (donated by various vendors); emergency beer run via Xtracycle!

CottonQuips.com — schwag (MTB t-shirts)

Outward Bound — host sponsor (enabling the usage of the American Mountaineering Center)

COMBA 2009 Annual Meeting -- Jan. 28, 2009

GOLDEN, Colo. - Please join the 2009 Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) Board of Directors and the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew for an early start to the 2009 Front Range mountain bike season.

COMBA's 2009 Annual Meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28, at the American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., Golden.

COMBA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving mountain biking by building and maintaining trails, teaching proper trail use, and working with government on public land management decisions affecting mountain biker rights along the Front Range - from Buffalo Creek to Coal Creek Canyon - as well as serving as a strong advocacy voice for all mountain bikers. The annual meeting will be a chance to meet newly-elected COMBA directors and engage in a broad discussion about COMBA's 2009 goals and objectives.

"COMBA has fresh leadership and a renewed vision for 2009," COMBA President Terry Breheny said. "Our top priorities include seeking opportunities to build new trails and creating a real sense of community among Front Range riders. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, and we need help from the entire mountain bike community. "It is important that COMBA receive input from downhillers, dirt jumpers, all-mountain riders, cross-country folks and others as we develop our 2009 work plan. So if you're a COMBA member, thinking about joining or just hearing about us for the first time, I hope you'll attend the COMBA annual meeting and join a discussion about the future of mountain biking in our backyard."

COMBA, with a history dating back more than 15 years, is led by a 9-member board - a volunteer group of cycling enthusiasts who represent a cross section of the Front Range riding community. The 2009 board includes local bike industry representatives, gravity junkies, cross-country racers and folks who just like to get out and ride as often as they can.

An election was held from December 14 - 30, 2008, to select new COMBA board members. The results are as follows:

• Terry Breheny, President (Incumbent Director; New Officer)
• Jason Bertolacci, Vice President (Incumbent Director; New Officer)
• Kyle Henley, Secretary (New)
• Michelle Beckman (New)
• Joe Hanrahan (New)
• Paul Murphy (Incumbent)
• Anthony Sloan (New)
• Adam Williams (New)
• Nathan Wyant (New)

"There is a lot of talent on this board, and I'm excited about the energy each member brings to COMBA," Breheny said. "The board is committed to delivering results based on achievable goals, operating with transparency and being accountable to our members."

Additionally, David Rontal, an associate at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, has been appointed general counsel and AJ Beckman appointed treasurer.

In 2008, COMBA organized a successful National Trails Day event in conjunction with the Colorado Trail Foundation; coordinated a public forum with Jefferson County Open Space officials that was attended by more than 200 cyclists; and hosted their second annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, which introduced more than 30 local children to the sport. In addition, COMBA continued to advocate for mountain bike access to regional trails.

"We're definitely looking to increase COMBA's public profile in 2009," Breheny said. "We'll be working closely with land managers, coordinating volunteers, raising funds, aggressively seeking opportunities to spread the gospel and add to the stock of local singletrack."

Toward that end, the COMBA annual meeting will include a visit from two Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews. Each award-winning Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew features two full-time, professional trail experts who travel North America year-round. They lead IMBA Trailbuilding Schools, meet with government officials and land managers, and work with IMBA-affiliated groups to improve mountain biking opportunities across the nation. IMBA's Crews have led more than 1,000 trail projects since the program debuted in 1997.

The Crews teach "sustainable" trailbuilding, which means building trails that last a long time and require minimal maintenance. This helps reduce trail damage, protects the environment, and enhances visitor enjoyment for all trail users. The Crews travel in 2008 Subaru Outbacks provided by Subaru of America - the company that has been IMBA's leading sponsor since 1997.

The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program has inspired great volunteer trailwork across the U.S. and abroad - a big help to government agencies and land managers who have limited funding for trail construction and upkeep.

"We're fortunate to have not one, but two Subaru/IMBA Trail Crews stopping in to visit COMBA," Breheny said. "I hope the Trail Care Crews will inspire all who attend to get involved and do what they can to support COMBA and our local trails."

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CONTACT:
Kyle Henley
kyle@comba.org
(303) 717-2766

Annual Meeting 1/28/09

Please join us, Wednesday, January 28th, at the American Mountaineering Center in downtown Golden, from 6:30 - 8:30pm.

Special guests: the IMBA Trail Care Crew.

Thank you for your support!

Thank you for supporting COMBA and our mission.

2009 Board of Directors