HEY DH RIDER SHUTTLERS!

PLEASE SLOW DOWN WHILE DRIVING ELDEN LOOKOUT ROAD AND DO NOT LITTER!

We have received complaints about the speed and behavior of some folks driving Elden Lookout Road to shuttle for DH mountain bike runs. We, (Flagstaff Gravity Riders/ Flagstaff Biking Organization), are currently working with the US Forest Service to put together a proposal for, among other things, legalizing these trails and incorporating them into the network of trails.

The idea of closing this road has been brought up! The bad behavior of a few drivers makes that option seem more like a good idea.

THERE MAY BE LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENT ON THIS ROAD!

Please slow down to help us to keep this opportunity to shuttle and ride open!

If you would like to be kept informed of our efforts to legalize these routes, please register as a user at http://flagstaffbiking.org/wp-login.php?action=register (this is free), or “Like” Flagstaff Biking Organization on Facebook. We’d appreciate it if you join FBO as a paid member too.

We are holding a bicycle parade float contest as part of the Bike Bazaar parade on Sunday June 3rd, the kick-off for Bike to Work Week. We really want some folks to participate so we are upping the ante…

Here’s the rules:

-Your float must be pedal powered

-Extra consideration given to floats that integrate the “cycle” into the float rather than just pulling a float “trailer”.

***1st place prize $250 cash!***
**2nd place prize $150 cash!**

Thanks to New Belgium Brewing for furnishing the awards and sponsoring Bike to Work Week!

Don’t worry, this is actually being used by American Conservation Experience, who was hired by FBO with money from the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona to build some large rolling grade dips which will help keep water from running down the middle of the trail, which causes erosion.

There will also be a couple of minor re-routes to further aid proper drainage and some tread repair.

When we scoped this work, we were careful to try to preserve all the good parts as they are, (flowy turns for example), while at the same time trying to fix some issues that are widening and deepening the tread.

Of course things will be a little lumpy and ugly until the tread gets “burned in” and some grasses reestablish, but we think most everyone will be stoked on the end results!

Please make time to attend this meeting!!

The County will be seeking public input on the Ft. Tuthill Master Plan Revision.

It is important that lots of folks come to show support for a mountain bike skills park as part of that plan!!

Thursday, May 3rd, 5:30 pm, at the Coconino County Administration Building at 219 E Cherry Avenue

More info here:

http://www.coconino.az.gov/parks.aspx?id=27168

We encourage everyone to attend and assist in the implementation of this amazing trail. For more information on the Flagstaff Loop Trail, see here.

Click here for a map to the turn-off to 301 Road. (Google Maps will not let us get you all the way to the work site). Accessing the work site will require high-clearance 2 wheel drive at a minimum.

From Downtown Flagstaff, take Route 66 to Fourth Street and turn right. Turn right on Butler. Just before Little America, turn left onto Herold Ranch Road. Continue on Forestdale until you reach Cottonwood Road. From the end of Cottonwood Road, follow the green arrows to the work site.

What to bring and other details:

All Trail events start at 8:30 am and conclude with lunch at 1:00 pm unless otherwise noted. Coffee, courtesy of Kickstand Kafe, will be served between 8:00 am and 8:30 am. Beverages and tasty lunch, courtesy of Fratelli Pizza, and FUN are all provided.

Sturdy closed-toe shoes, long pants, sunscreen, water, and head protection are required. Hardhats, gloves, tools, and trail work instructions will be provided. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Sponsored by:

KickStand Kafe

For more information on this trail day event, contact: looptrail@flagstaffbiking.org

Please write a letter to the North Kaibab Ranger District expressing support for their proposed extension of the Rainbow Rim Trail. This 8 mile extension will eventually tie in with a second extension to make a complete loop using the existing Rainbow Rim Trail, which is the only single track trail along the rim of Grand Canyon that is open to mountain bikes. You don’t need to know any legal mumbo-jumbo, just write in and let the Forest Service know you approve of this awesome trail project and you like to ride mountain bikes.

Click here for more details about the project:

http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=35820

Submit your comments to:

Attn: David J. Vincelette/ NEPA Planner
USDA Forest Service, North Kaibab Ranger District
P.O. Box 248/430 South Main Street
Fredonia, AZ 86022

or
comments-southwestern-kaibab-north-kaibab@fs.fed.us

There are groups opposing this project, so your letter *can* make a difference!

Once again we at Flagstaff Biking Organization have been busy through the winter planning our schedule of advocacy events for the spring, summer and fall! Here’s an overview of some of what we have going on…

Bike to Work Week has new dates!

Flagstaff Bike to Work Week is scheduled for Sunday, June 3rd through Friday, June 8th! We had so many years of crappy weather, we figured that moving to a little later in the year would give us a better chance that it would be warm, dry and less windy. We will have a similar schedule to previous years, with some new variations on some old themes.

Some highlights:

• Bike Parade Float Contest! If at least 5 pedal powered floats are entered into our Bike Bazaar Parade on Sunday, the best 2 will win $250 and $150 cash respectively, courtesy of New Belgium Brewing! Start drawing your plans now!
• Enter your workplace in the Worksite Challenge! Registering your workplace makes you and you coworkers eligible to win a commuter bike! Logging your commutes enters you into the daily raffles to win fabulous prizes!
• Bike to School Day is Tuesday, June 5th! The top participating schools will win the Golden Sprocket Awards! All you kids have to do to compete is ride your bikes to school!
• Bike-In Movie! Meet for a “Kid-i-cal” Mass Ride or the Jack and Martin’s Big Adventure Ride and wind up at an outdoor movie!
• Bike to Breakfast! Breakfast stops throughout Flagstaff for folks riding their bicycles to work.

Click here to see the full schedule and to register your Worksites now!

The 2012 Trail Days Schedule is Live!

We have 8 dates scheduled this year to build and maintain trails! We will be working towards closing some of the Flagstaff Loop Trail Gaps, maintaining some old favorites and even helping to re-open Little Bear Trail by mid-summer!

Our first trail work event is May 5th and is sponsored by Run Flagstaff, Fratellis Pizza and Kickstand Kafe!

Click here to see this years Trail Work Day Schedule and save a couple of dates!

Check out the 2012 Flagstaff Loop Trail interactive map!

Thank you to Aaron Seifert for building and maintaining this map!

Helping Keep Kids Safe with Bike Rodeos and helmets.

Flagstaff Biking Organization will be working with the Coconino County Safe Kids Coalition and Health Department to staff bicycle safety rodeos t 5 local schools, including DiMiguel, Mountain School and Killip Elementary. Our efforts over the past decade have helped train thousands of kids in proper bicycle riding, traffic safety and road rules. We are also helping to fulfill discounted helmet sales order also through the local schools!

Making sure mountain bikers have a voice in local trails planning efforts.

There are several trails planning NEPA projects starting and progressing on the Coconino National Forest. Flagstaff Biking Organization has been, and will continue to be, engaged in these projects to make sure we all have some awesome trails to ride. These projects will encompass a wide range of opportunities, from beginner through freeride/downhill…yup, we’re probably gonna have some legal downhill trails soon! Stay tuned here and to our Facebook page for calls for letter writing! We’ll need your voices to show that these opportunities are important to cyclists!

Bike Parks are on the Horizon.

We are working with both the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County Parks and Recreation towards finding appropriate places for mountain bike skills parks. Some of these processes take a good deal of time to work through, but all signs point towards the need for these facilities in Flagstaff. The Flagstaff City Council should be voting on the new City Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which includes specific language that will help us to pursue building a mountain bike skills park with the City. We are also part of the stakeholders group for the Ft. Tuthill Master Plan revision process, where we are advocating for a mountain bike skills park in addition to other cycling oriented interests. There is a public meeting for input on the Ft. Tuthill Master Plan that we need some folks to attend to show support for bicycling facilities! Please make time on Thursday, May 3rd, 5:30 pm, to attend at the Coconino County Administration Building at 219 E. Cherry Ave. Stay tuned for more info on this throughout the season!

Trail Ambassadors are on Patrol.

Keep a look-out for our new Trail Ambassadors! We have partnered with the Friends of Northern Arizona Forests and the Coconino National Forest to get some folks out on the trail to assist Forest users, report trail conditions and be otherwise helpful. Some of these folks might be doing some light trail maintenance as well!

We will be working on a trail rehabilitation project in the Soldiers Wash Area.

Project will start at 10:00 am and finish by 3:00 pm.

Please RSVP to Angie Abel at aaabel@fs.fed.us or (928) 203-7535.

Be sure to bring water, lunch, hat, sunscreen, work boots, gloves and a hardhat/mountain bike helmet if you have it.
We will have tools on site. Work may include seeding, raking, and vegetation replanting.

Project Directions: Directions to the site are 89A to Soldiers Pass Rd, right on Shadow Rock, proceed to Canyon Shadow drive. Forest Service personnel will be on site to guide you from there.
Earth Day History: Gaylord Nelson, the ambitious junior senator from Wisconsin staged the first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970 (a date chosen to fit best in college schedules between spring break and final exams). This brought together millions of people and gave rise to the modern American environmental movement. Please join the movement this year. Hope to see you there!

Hosted by the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest.

Saturday, March 31 -

•   IMBA Trail Building School. 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon. USFS Red Rock Ranger District Office – 8375 State Route 179, Sedona, AZ (just south of the Village of Oak Creek). The morning session will be held indoors, and will focus on sustainable trail construction techniques. This session is open to all, and lunch will be provided for volunteers. A big thanks to Absolute Bikes for providing lunch!

• IMBA Trail Building School. 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The afternoon session will be held outdoors and will leave from the USFS Red Rock Ranger District Office. This session will focus on sustainable trail construction techniques. Please bring water, snacks, work clothes (including boots, hard hat or bike helmet, long sleeved pants and shirt, gloves, sun-screen, etc.) and be prepared for an afternoon in the Sedona outdoors!

•    Folks will gather on Saturday evening (location to be announced) for socializing and refreshments

Sunday, April 1 -

•    Group ride. Time and location will be announced on Saturday afternoon

Please register here in advance, to assist with planning

Now that it is complete, public input is needed to generate ideas on how to maintain and manage the trail into the future.  The Forest Service intends to use this input in preparing a Comprehensive Management Plan.

As the lead agency for managing the Arizona Trail, the U.S. Forest Service is hosting a series of workshops along the Trail during the week of March 12. The purpose is to explain the planning process, describe the existing condition, and listen to ideas from the public on how to improve the Trail.

Workshop Schedule:

• Monday, March 12, Desert Sky Middle School 9850 E. Rankin Loop, Tucson, 6 – 8:00 pm
• Tuesday, March 13, Superior High School, 100 West Mary Drive, Superior, 6 – 8:00 pm
• Wednesday, March 14, Payson Library, 328 North McLane Road, Payson, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
• Thursday, March 15, Radisson Woodlands Hotel, Flagstaff, 6 – 8:00 pm

Please join us on this important journey!  If you would like additional information contact Laura White, Arizona National Scenic Trail Administrator, US Forest Service, 520/388-8328 or Email Laura White