Look at these folks...
They were part of the work crew that cut nearly a mile of sweet singletrack at Iowa's newest state park on Sunday.
Thanks to everyone who came out to build what, in my opinion, is one of the most aggressive trail segments in Iowa.
And those kids? They worked from 9 a.m. to noon. Rock stars.
The guy in the middle (red coat, no hat) is the DNR's Nate Hoogeveen -- a key liason on the Banner project and an outstanding steward of Iowa's natural resources.
We have about seven more trail miles to construct at Banner. With strong turn out for work days, we will have the intermediate trail (and, possibly, the beginner trail) open in the spring.
Then we'd need to have a party with the DNR staff...
At this point, I predict we'll have the advanced trail cut in fall 2007 and have the whole system online and dialed in by spring 2008 (less than 18 months away). Of course, more help means faster work...
The last work days for 2006 are Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Come join us. Make some history.
Here they are in PDF, everyone (thanks to Jason Wulf and the rest of the timing crew!)... by category and overall, plus some splits.
People kept thanking me on Sunday for putting on the race, but I was just one of so many people who made it possible...
First and foremost Dave Mable and Brian Palmer, who had passion for the idea and plenty of experience hosting races; they deserve most of the credit.
Second, the board and membership of CITA and Striders, who showed up on race day and plugged in as needed to accomodate the much-larger-than-I-expected turnout.
Third, Donny Quixote, who was a resource during planning and helped keep things jumping on race day.
Fourth, Richard Brown with the City of Des Moines, who has been supportive of our efforts to create sustainable singletrack in Greenwood and Ashworth Parks.
Fifth, Rasmussen bike shop, Oakley, Baratta's and others who donated prizes.
Sixth, my patient and supportive wife for allowing me to follow my folly.
And, finally, all of the racers and spectators who turned out in droves on a beautiful day...
I'm pleased with what this event has already done and can do for Center Trails and CITA and Striders. And, yes, I'm ready to do it again next year.
In the meantime, let's go build new trails at Banner Lakes this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Meet in the first parking lot dressed to get dirty. Bring water and work gloves.
And one last note: my unedited duathlon photos are here and the benevolent Mr. Sumpter is collecting a pile here, too.
You've been asking for it and here it is. Thanks to Jacob Naumann for the GPS data...
The course is subject to change right up to race day, but, for now, the plan is:
1. Start on bikes near the Greenwood pond, heading north…
2. Funnel toward the Rollercoaster singletrack
3. Exit Rollercoaster onto Bill Riley trail, heading east
4. Enter southeast corner of Hillside singletrack
5. Exit northwest corner of Hillside onto Bill Riley trail
6. Repeat Hillside and Riley
7. Exit Riley, heading west along Walnut Creek singletrack
8. Left on N. Valley Drive and left again onto levee path
9. Transition to run on southeast corner of levee path
10. Run to north entrance of Denman’s Woods singletrack
11. Exit Denman’s to transition to bike
12. Bike back for one more lap of Hillside
13. Exit to Riley and enter south end of Rollercoaster
14. Exit Rollercoaster to finish
Clear as mud? The course will be well marked and we'll have marshalls directing traffic, too...
And, yes, you'll need to carry your running shoes with you on the bike or drop them at the transition before the start... This ain't no civilized event. It's DIRTY!
One week left for online registration at a discount; do it now.
IowaDiscountHomes.com presents...
Des Moines Dirty Duathlon
Sunday, November 5
Center Trails
Hosted by Central Iowa Trail Association and Capital Striders
6 mile mountain bike – 4.5 mile run – 3.5 mile mountain bike
Race starts at noon; registration opens at 11 a.m.
Des Moines' first-ever off-road duathlon is a non-profit venture supporting trail development in central Iowa.
If you’re a runner but not a cyclist (or vice versa), consider entering the relay category with another person who complements your skills. Visit the forum at bikeiowa.com to find a relay partner.
Course:
Starting in Greenwood Park the course navigates through Des Moines' Center Trails; a 10-mile system of narrow, natural trails in the heart of the metro. The rolling terrain and obstacles makes this course perfect for beginners and experts alike. Course map available here soon.
Categories:
Age group (Teen, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50+), Relay (one runner and one cyclist), Team (time will reflect two fastest among team members) or Tandem (two people with one bicycle)
Register online at bikeiowa.com today!
$25 until Oct. 31 at online or $30 at the race
FREE T-shirts to the first 100 entrants
Directions:
Ashworth Park is south of Grand Ave. in Des Moines on 45th Street. Parking is available at the west entrance of the Des Moines Art Center and along 45th to the entrance of the Bill Riley trail.
Watch for more information here in the days ahead.
Contact Ryan Hanser or Brian Palmer – ryanhanser@yahoo.com or bpalmer2006@hotmail.com – with any questions.
This just in... There's a free "class" for women who want an introduction to mountain biking scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 22 at noon at Rasmussen's bike shop. Call Jane -- 745.5507 -- with any questions...
CITA is working on a video, and you join the fun... We'll be on the Center trails Wednesday evening, Sept. 20, shooting riders on the trail.
And there may be some sort of event going on that night, too...
Hope to see you in the woods!
It's been a busy summer for all of us -- too busy to provide updates here, obviously...
Trailwork will begin in September at both Center and Banner (yes, Banner!). Stay tuned for dates...
One date you can put on your calendar now:
Sunday, November 5
Off-road Duathlon
Hosted by CITA and Capital Striders
Details in the works!
Please join Central Iowa Trail Association in learning the best techniques for creating and maintaining sustainable, multi-use dirt trails during the International Mountain Bicycling Association's Trailbuilding School at Whiterock Conservancy on Saturday, May 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You can register here right now.
IMBA's school is hosted by Central Iowa Trail Association in partnership with the Whiterock Conservancy and includes three hours of classroom instruction followed by hands-on time in the field learning trailbuilding techniques.
Morning classroom topics define sustainable construction including designing a contour trail, controlling water flow, building effective trail structures, and routine trail maintenance. Then, Whiterock Conservancy will provide lunch. The class and lunch will be at the River House barn (1313 Fig Ave. southeast of Coon Rapids) from 9 a.m. to about 1 p.m.
The afternoon fieldwork will be hands-on trailbuilding, so come prepared. You'll probably be most comfortable in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water, work gloves, sunscreen and a hat. If you have any trailbuilding tools -- Pulaskis, McLeods, rakes, hoes -- please bring them, too. The 1 to 4 p.m. fieldwork session will be among the first efforts to redevelop the trail system serving visitors to the new Whiterock Conservancy.
The school is limited to 50 participants and is expected to fill quickly. Your $10 fee covers the class, equipment, lunch and snacks. Whiterock is offering free camping on Friday night to registrants, too.
Please register now for this unique learning opportunity at one of Iowa's Great Places.
Call Ryan Hanser (515.229.3737) with any questions.
Thank you in advance for your interest in sustainable dirt trails and the Whiterock Conservancy!
Mark your calendars now... IMBA's Trail Care Crew will bring their expertise to the new Whiterock Conservancy on Saturday, May 20 for a trailbuilding school that you won't want to miss.
The morning is a classroom session on design and construction principles, and the afternoon session puts the knowledge to work in the dirt.
IMBA's school is highly recommended for land managers, trail users and others who care about sustainable natural environments.
There will be free camping on Friday night before the day-long Saturday class, and the trails should be open all weekend, too.
Watch for registration details here very soon!
After many fits and starts, we are now headed straight for the Iowa debut of The Collective and a drawing for a Giant STP 2 (and other goodies). It all goes down on Saturday, August 27 at 1 p.m., so buy your tickets right now!
Mountain Biking Film, Raffle Benefits State Park Trails
Money raised from event benefits trail development at new state park
"The Collective," a 16mm film featuring the world's best mountain bicyclists, makes its Des Moines debut at 1 p.m., Saturday, August 27 at The Vaudeville Mews as part of a fundraising event for the Central Iowa Trail Association (CITA). Tickets are $5 at the door and provide a chance to win a Giant STP 2 mountain bike. Proceeds benefit the construction of mountain bike trails at Banner Lakes at Summerset State Park near Indianola -- Iowa's first state park built in 27 years.
"The filmmakers were willing to let us show this groundbreaking film in Des Moines because they understood what we are trying to do here," said Ryan Hanser, president of the trailbuilding group. "We want to showcase how trails brings people closer to nature, and we want more people to understand that mountain biking is beautiful."
The 35-minute film features a dozen cyclists in Utah, Hawaii, British Columbia and other locations across North America. Filming techniques, including helmet-mounted and cable-led cameras, produce extended sequences from the riders' perspective. And the cyclists in the film provide the narration and commentary.
"Consensus among cyclists is that this is the best mountain biking movie ever made," said Hanser. "And I'd say it's one of the best in the entire sport film genre. Everyone's waiting for a sequel."
Proceeds from event will fund development of an intermediate and advanced-level trails on 80 acres of hilly terrain in the new state park. CITA began trail construction at Banner Lakes last fall, and a beginner-level trail is expected to open this summer.
Call 515.229.3737 for more information on the film, raffle and area trails. Visit bikeiowa.com to purchase tickets.
What's hotter than Iowa in July? The gaze of thousands of eyeballs upon a Juice story about the Center trails...
And while we wait for the July 27 story, here's a bit of helmet camera action, courtesy of Bruce Hinrichs...
Also need to give a quick shout to Brian Pottorff and the rest of the crew that has completed a third round of mowing on these trails for this season (totaling about 80(?) hours) so that we can continue to enjoy fast, itch-free, flowing singletrack. Thank you!
Summer is flying by, and the "Taco Wednesday" rides continue to gather steam. Hope to see you this week -- 6:30 p.m. at the Ashworth Pool parking lot!
The International Mountain Bicycling Association’s Trail Care Crew will visit Des Moines April 21 to 24 to host a slideshow of trails around the world, help assess local trails and trail opportunities, conduct a trail building school and -- ride bicycles! Everyone is invited to attend these free events hosted by the Central Iowa Trail Association.
The visiting Crew includes Nat and Rachael Lopes. For the past five years, Rachael worked as an archaeologist with a breadth of experience that ranges from GIS mapping to soil sampling to burial exhumation. Nat worked as an independent marketing, design and photography consultant; he is also certified as a California Department of Forestry firefighter, a California State Park Docent, and in Wilderness First Aid.
Below is a schedule of events that are open to the public:
April 21 at 7:30 p.m.
”Around the World with IMBA” slideshow
Rasmussen Bike Shop
April 22 at 6:00 p.m.
Mountain bike ride with IMBA
Ashworth Pool parking lot
April 23 at 9:00 a.m.
IMBA Trailbuilding School
West Des Moines Community Center
(Registration required)
April 24 at 11:00 a.m.
Mountain bike ride with IMBA
Seven Oaks Ski Area near Boone
Call Ryan Hanser at 515-229-3737 for more information or to register for the IMBA Trailbuilding School.
Dirt trails will be represented at the first annual Iowa Bicycle Summit this Saturday.
Details are here; hope to see you there.
Darkness, cold, mud... Not the best time of year for traveling dirt trails. It bears mentioning that trails take much longer to dry after rain or snow this time of year.
There will still be plenty of days to enjoy the trails though... And many of us do venture out into the cold to get fresh air, relieve cabin fever and train for next season's events like the Trans Iowa Race or even this season's events like the Sycamore 8.
One last thing: CITA's annual meeting is next Friday evening, Dec. 10 at Rasmussen bike shop. The fun begins at 6 p.m. More details shortly...
Join CITA on the best taken care of single track trails in the City, the "Center Trails" . This 12.5 mile piece of ecstasy is great for all levels of rider skillz. Fast flats,narrow bridges,tight trees,hills,lots of logs with alternate routes,creek crossings, and a couple log skinnies. All in all pure fun before we all go and fill ourselves with trimmings and bird. Every year this ride has grown,last year we had 45 riders show up on a chilly morning, lets break that this year!
Even if you can't ride come out just for the holiday card picture. Thats right this year CITA will be sending out a wonderful group picture in the form of a holiday card to those that are kind enough to let us use and manage these trails. If you ride the Center Trails and are not even a member of CITA, we still want you to come. What better way to say Thank You.
For more information on the Turkey Day Ride, such as when,where and what's going on, check out the calendar link on the right side of this page. Peace