DMBA Members and Durham Mountain Bikers - May News

They say “Membership has its privileges.” Here are a few special privileges available only to our 2012 Members. If you have renewed for 2012 - thank you for your continued support.  If you haven’t renewed yet - thanks for your support last year and please click here now to renew your support of the advocacy, trail building and special programs we do on your behalf. We need your membership to represent you effectively.

Ride Woodnewton This Week - Thursday & Friday 4-8pm and Saturday 12th noon-6pm.

Woodnewton is a private network of purpose-built mountain bike trails just around the corner from Durham Forest open for riding only a few days a year.  Its a fun, flowy set of trails built by Sean Ruppel and Chico Racing, one of our Corporate Members, specifically for Ontario Cup x-c mtn bike races. The race is this Sunday and the trails are open between now and then for pre-riding. New and renewing 2012 DMBA members, whether racing or not, are welcome to ride Woodnewton this week for FREE! If you haven’t renewed yet this year, you’ll be able to do so at Woodnewton. Come ride the trails and maybe try an O-Cup, if you haven’t yet.

A special DMBA thanks goes out to Erin Bennett, a DMBA supporter and one of the Woodnewton owners, for this generous opportunity.

Location: On Uxbridge 6th Concession, east side about 1 km N of Goodwood Rd (Durham #21) map link

5-Peaks Trail Running Race at Durham Forest this Saturday - Steer clear or join in for free!

Durham Forest single track trails will be full of trail runners this Saturday morning so you’d be advised to ride elsewhere, like EDH Towers or 3 Rocks, if you’re planning a Saturday morning ride this weekend.

In recognition of the trail work that we have done in DF, the 5 Peaks Race organization has donated $200 to the DMBA trail building fund and has offered DMBA members 10 FREE ENTRIES to the sold-out race this weekend. If you would like to claim one of these entries send a note to  mailto:david@5peaks.com with your name and he will arrange for your race day registration. Another membership privilege! Thanks to Dave and the 5 Peaks Team for their generous support of the DMBA.

DMBA Women’s Trek Store Skills Clinic - Monday May 14th, 6:30pm at Durham Forest

Eric Orshel of BikeNXS and Barry Near of the Trek Store are teaming up to bring a cadre of coaches, including some of the Trek Team’s best women riders, to put on a free (there is is again) mountain biking skills clinic exclusively for our women next Monday night. This will be an opportunity for our women riders of all abilities to get some tips from the pros to build their skills and confidence on the trails. There are just a few spots left so contact Kim mailto:kimpagliaro@gmail.com to enroll.

Don’t worry men, there’s one on Wednesday June 6th for you. Mark your calendar now and stay tuned for details.

These free clinics are open only to current 2012 members, so make sure you’ve renewed for 2012. Click here to renew.

Brock Lands and Greenwood CA Master Plan - Public Consultation

The DMBA has had a team, led by Jason Murray, working with the TRCA representing the mountain biking community and our interests to ensure cycling is include in the plan for the new Brock Lands and is returned to a sanctioned use in Greenwood CA. We are excited to announce that we have had good success in this mission and have been asked to develop a single track mtb trail plan for these areas! We have also convinced the TRCA to include a Bike Park in the Brock Lands plan. The TRCA will be holding Open Houses in Pickering May 10th and Ajax May 17th to introduce the lands and the draft Recreational and Trail Plan. This is an opportunity to see what is coming and show your support for cycling in these areas by attending and voicing your support. Details here.

Thanks for your support by being a DMBA member in 2012.

Tom Hawks President, DMBA

You’re invited to: Pancakes & Kids in the Forest!

Come for breakfast and a fun family trail ride.

– Saturday May 5, 10am – 1pm
– at Durham Forest Main Tract: 3789 - Uxbridge 7th Concession, just south of Goodwood Rd.

The Durham Mountain Biking Association will be serving pancakes in the forest and offering guided family trail rides to celebrate mountain biking in the spring.
Pancakes in the Forest - $2: Load up on carbs before or after your ride at the griddle in the forest! We’ll be cooking up delicious hot pancakes and serving them with syrup and juice for just $2 a plate.
Family Trail Rides - Free: This will be a fun day for parents and kids of all ages and riding abilities. We’re taking our kids out of the city and into the forest - off of the side walks and onto a real mountain bike trail! They will experience the thrill of riding along rolling dirt trails in small groups for about an hour. Experienced guides for each group will offer tips and techniques on how to safely handle the new challenges of trail riding. Rides will be leaving about every 15 minutes and groups will be organized according to the kids’ ages and riding abilities so everyone will have an enjoyable trail riding experience.
So parents bring your kids, and kids bring your bikes and helmets, for a fun, spring mountain bike ride in Durham Forest. Learn about the trails, the forest and mountain bike riding. Enjoy the spring weekend in a healthy, active way. Bring your family, friends and relatives for a fun ride in the forest. All are welcome.
Questions? (905) 706-1211 or info@durhammountainbiking.ca

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (land manager for Durham Forest) has granted the DMBA permission to build another km of sweet single track. The new trail will allow users to access the Bowes Trail by another route right from the north end of the parking lot.
Come and put in some sweat equity and earn a feeling of pride every time you ride this new trail.

-all tools will be provided
-wear long pants, long sleeves and work gloves in case of contact with poison ivy
-bring water
-BBQ lunch provided

Date: Saturday April 28
Time: 9:00 – 12:00
Meet at Durham Forest Main Parking Lot

If you are relatively new to trail building we will be offering a pre- build workshop starting at 8:30 sharp.
During this time we will provide instruction on:
-how to bench cut
-proper use of the Pulaski, McLeod and Fire Rake

Important: Please RSVP if participating in the trail build so that we can purchase appropriate amounts of food.

On Saturday March 31, 2012 DMBA organized a group of 18 wonderful volunteers to repair the Glen Major and Walker Woods trails. We met at the 3 Rocks parking lot and broke into 3 groups. One group started north of Chalk Lake Rd and worked south along the Trans Canada Trail, another started at the Gravel Pit parking lot and worked north, while the third group started at the 3 Rocks parking lot and worked its way north. After about 3 hours the job was done. The 3 crews did an amazing job and repaired most of the damaged areas. Adam and David at the TRCA expressed their thanks and gratitude for all of the hard work. They were surprised by how fast we were able to organize and fix the problem on such short notice. The trails were initially damaged by a few equestrians riding the trails before they had dried out and the trails were unable to handle the load of a horse. This resulted in hoof sized potholes 6″ deep in many places, especially up/down hills, and in many places the trails looked like someone took a roto-tiller to them (see attached picture, click to enlarge).

Every spring DMBA lets everyone know when the trails are dry enough to ride so that we are able to keep the trails in great shape. The equestrians do the same, but not all users (bikers included) have the same respect for the trails. This is just a friendly reminder that if you encounter a wet and muddy trail that will be damaged if ridden on, please do the right thing by turning around and choosing an alternate trail. This will ensure that the trails remain in excellent condition. Again, a BIG thank you to all of the great volunteers who came out to repair the trails. Your hard work is greatly appreciated!

The OTC is putting on an education program with trail specific courses aimed at both volunteers and professionals. Everything from design and construction to wilderness survival and nutrition. Hope to see you there!

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/courses

Courses | Ontario Trails Council
Find trails in Ontario for walking, hiking, cycling, skiing, snowmobiling, ATVing or horseback riding. The Ontario Trails Council site is your place to start for trails throughout Ontario.