Previously billed as Economic Development, Better Living through Trails is a new twist on an important subject. It speaks to the value of trails and how they can be used to make communities more livable. It’s a little philosophy, a lot of statistics, all in the context of singletrack. Standing in front of a packed house, we spoke to several different community leaders and stakeholders from congressional staffers to city officials. It was the perfect crowd for such a topic.

Ever heard of a BHAG? It’s a vision, a dream, an idea that seems a little bit beyond reality. It’s a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. In the sport of mountain biking and the world of advocacy, it’s the kind of thing that can transform a community.

Working with CORBA (Chippewa Off-Road Bike Association), we spent the weekend building trails at Hickory Ridge, a large plot of public land with exciting potential. Located just a few hours south of Chequamegon, the folks in the Chippewa area aren’t content with putting their bikes on the car and driving north; they’re working hard to have their own notable trail system.

It’s week three in the Upper Midwest and we’ve decided that the trails up here are just as good as anything we’ve ridden throughout the country. Don’t be fooled folks – the mountain biking is well worth the drive.

We can never emphasize the ‘community’ part enough when it comes to trail networks. And we always encourage the clubs we work with to look beyond the usual suspects. There is always a strong core of people in every area to make good trails, but it also takes the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker to make great trails.

New England is awesome! We had a busy week traveling from Massachusetts to Maine. Enjoy the pics and stay tuned for the recap.

On our way to Portland, ME we had the pleasure of stopping in at Pedro’s to express our sincere thanks for supporting IMBA. We got to sit down and chat with Matt, Matt, and Jason about the new and exciting things going on in their world. As longtime mountain bikers, it was an honor for us to hang out with some of the coolest folks in the bicycle biz.

Another great part of the Trail Care Weekend was getting to know all of the cool folks associated with NEMBA. As an organization of 17 chapters and 4,700+ members, it was inspiring to work with a group whose passionate mantra is to ‘Ride the Trails, Save the Trails’. It will be our pleasure to share their stories as we continue our journey around the US.

We made the transition from the Southeast through the Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast. After riding some stellar trails in State College, PA we spent the weekend in Western Massachusetts with NEMBA. Stay tuned for the recap on our adventures in the ‘trail laboratory’.

The Crews had the pleasure of riding with Frank Maguire, IMBA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Director at Rothrock State Forest yesterday afternoon. The ride was awesome with a good helping of rocks and spectacular views.