We talk about flow about a third of the way through our Saturday morning session. It’s an abstract idea that we’ve always attached to the physical attributes of a trail. This past weekend our perspective was redefined when a hand shot up during this particular section of the Trailbuilding School. Damon, a local rider, shared “flow relates to something called the scale of challenge. It’s the sweet spot between anxiety and boredom.” If you think about it, the idea of ‘flow’ transcends the trails we ride on; it can also apply to the way we operate in the world of mountain bike advocacy.

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’.

Epic is the best word to describe everything we did on our latest visit to New River Gorge. We worked through torrential rains, rode through the darkness, and discovered some extraordinary terrain for future backcountry routes. Most of all, we helped the National Park Service rally the surrounding community behind a new trail system that everyone will be talking about in the coming years.

The 2010 IMBA World Summit in Augusta, GA was AWESOME! We’re just getting started on the recap so stayed tuned for more details and pictures. In the meantime, enjoy this collection of images from the event.
Big THANKS to everyone that made this event happen!

Week 14 provided some excitement beyond the normal Trail Crew adventures. For starters, Leslie added another year to her age; she keeps telling herself that ‘age is a state of mind’ while her body reminds her that ‘an apple a day doesn’t always keep the doctor away’.

The secret ingredient? F-U-N. Great clubs do this well. Sure, they spend much of time their working with decision makers and building trails, but they also spend some time perfecting their social skills. It’s always good to know what your fellow mountain biker looks like without a helmet and sunglasses or a Pulaski in her hand. This balance of physical, political, and social is what we call the Triangle of Advocacy.