What do Trail Care Crews and sopapillas have in common? For one, you can sweeten them up with honey :). And for another, especially in Santa Fe, they are two little things that have taken mountain biking into a new dimension.
Before the tractor beam pulled us back to our home state of Colorado, we stopped in Santa Fe to sample some fine New Mexican cuisine (red or green?) and help keep the momentum going for a blossoming mountain bike movement.
After a Trail Care Crew in 2010, a group of dedicated fat tire enthusiasts set out to make an already successful trails community even better. It’s no surprise that TCC Lommele ( go Steve and Morgan!) did their little things well and inspired the formation of the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society. Since last July SFFTS has been following their vision and working towards putting Santa Fe on the mountain bike map.
SFFTS is like many of the very successful clubs we have worked with during our two years on the Trail Care Crew. By doing the little things well, they have been able to establish themselves as a valuable part of the community in a relatively short amount of time. It doesn’t happen that way for every club, but the folks here have been able to build upon on a strong foundation that has great support for advocacy and the outdoors.
So, just what exactly are the little things? Besides a basket of sopapillas after a long ride, it boils down to simple actions that have big meaning.
It’s the personal invite to local elected officials, city staff, and business owners. It’s names tags, sponsor banners, and treats during presentations, workshops, and training sessions. It’s a catered lunch and a swag raffle on trail work days to celebrate volunteers. It’s a handshake, a smile, and a heartfelt ‘thank you for being here’.
We’re really excited because it’s all happening in Santa Fe.
BIG Thanks to Bob and his committee for organizing our visit. Thanks to Gerardo for finding us a place to stay and a venue for the weekend’s presentations. Thanks to all of the community organizations that supported the weekend. Thanks for all of the socials and goodies – it was a great opportunity to meet new people and invite new members. Thanks to Don Hayes for designing some sweet singletrack. Thanks to the Santa Fe community for taking the time to discuss quality of life. Finally, thanks to all of the volunteers who came out Saturday and finished a new connector at La Tierra. What’s next?
More photos from the weekend can be found here.