State Parks: No Changes to Trail Plan

State Parks has responded to BONC's request to amend a trail plan and the answer is no.

As you may know, State Parks plans to implement changes to trails at Empire Mine. After attending public meetings and studying the plan, BONC found many of the proposed changes to be worthy of our support, but other parts of the plan to be worrisome, as certain trails were to be decommissioned. BONCers and others sent in many comments to address these concerns.

The initial response to our letters was disappointing in that State Parks offered to make no changes whatsoever to the plan. We followed and expressed our disappointment in a formal letter from BONC.

State Parks has finally responded and the news is not good. Again, they make no offers to amend any section of the plan. View the letter (2.4MB PDF).

South Yuba Ride - May 2nd

Please join us on the monthly BONC ride on Saturday, May 2th @ 10AM on the South Yuba Trail!

This is a special ride, as the Redding Mountain Bike Club will join us. We'll offer various ride options from *advanced to beginner*. The beginner group will be a No-Rider-Left-Behind ride. When we finish, we'll gather to enjoy some complimentary food prepared by BONC. My daughter is threatening to bake and sell some of her cookies, so bring some $ and your sweet tooth.

Please bring a bike, helmet, water and mid-ride snacks. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships available. See you there!

Meet near the South Yuba Campground (in the parking lot with the BLM toilets). Getting there:

From Nevada City, follow Highway 49 to North Bloomfield Road. At 7 miles, you'll cross the one lane bridge. At this point, it is approximately 1 1/2 miles on a dirt/gravel road to the campground. Note that cell phones do not work in this area. Map of the area (1MB, PDF):

BONC Now a 501c3

Today, BONC received notification from the IRS that our organization is a legitimate 501c3 non-profit! What does this mean? We can now apply for grants to fund trail projects. Also, donations to our group are tax deductible.

Credit for landing this non-profit status goes to Shannon Wright. The approval process can take up to a year, but Shannon completed an application that was so complete and professional that the federal government approved it almost immediately. Shannon worked very hard on this. Big kudos to her!

I look forward to applying for grants for various projects. If you have grant writing skills you care to donate to our causes, please let us know.

BONC: Party and a Movie

Bicyclists of Nevada County is hosting a fun get together for members, former members, friends, and, well, *all* Nevada County mountain bicycle riders on Saturday, May 9th at 6:30PM. You and your friends are invited!

First, we eat and drink at this potluck and BBQ dinner. BONC will provide a very brief update (less than 20 minutes) on recent activities and new initiatives. Share your ideas with BONC members and directors. When it gets dark enough to watch the movie outside, we will enjoy KLUNKERZ, an independent film that documents the early days of mountain biking in Marin County (buy this DVD). Please bring something to eat and / or drink, but more importantly, bring yourself and a friend. We'll have a grill going for food that needs it (and what food doesn't, really?).

Everyone is welcome. Donations to BONC are optional but gladly accepted. To learn more, join the BONC email list.

Hidden Falls Ride - 4/4

The Nevada County Land Trust is hosting a mountain bike ride on Saturday April 4th, at 9:00 am, at Hidden Falls Regional Park in Auburn, CA. This is a No Rider Left Behind ride, so all level of riders are welcome.

This ride benefits the Land Trust and is part of their "Treks Through Time Series" The ride is being led by BONC and FATRAC. There is a fee of $12.00 for Nevada County Land Trust Members and $17.00 for Non-members.

Where: Hidden Falls Regional Park, Auburn (directions)

Time: Meet 9:00 AM Registration/ Leave 9:30-until completion Estimate 2 + hours.

Bring:

Registration fee $12.00 or $17.00.
Mountain Bike in ridable condition
Helmet: NO HELMET = NO RIDE
Water: Bottle / Camel Back
Snack: Fruit / Sandwich / energy bar / etc

Planning for New and Better Trails

On Saturday, trail enthusiasts convened to begin providing input on the Western Nevada Country Recreation Trails Master Plan. This county initiative seeks to identify existing and potential trail corridors so that the county can require new trails as development occurs and area non-profits can target grant funding for said projects . The plan should win approval this year, perhaps even by June, which is lightening fast by government standards.

It disappointed me to see so few mountain bikers at the crucial meeting, but I am grateful to those who did attend. We have an opportunity to advocate for multi-use trails and it is important we speak out in favor of bicycle access; there are those in Nevada County who would use plans like this to restrict such access. Sunday's participants were polled on such issues and other important questions about what kind of trails we want.

Please consider attending future sessions of this planning process if you care about what trails you can and can't ride in the future. This is important, thanks.

South Yuba Video

Gala Bike Ride - March 7th

It's back! Please join BONC on the monthly BONC ride on Saturday, March 7th @ 10AM from Penn Gate at Empire Mine State Historic Park!

This will be a No-Rider-Left-Behind ride, which means that although faster riders are welcome, we will host the ride from the back of the pack. We'll explore some lesser known trails in the Mine and nearby Osborne Hill. When we finish, we'll gather at Penn Gate to enjoy some complimentary food prepared by BONC five star chefs*.

Please bring a bike, helmet, water and a mid ride snack. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships available. See you there!

*As rated by the BONC Elite Dining Guide

Trails Public Workshop, 2/28

Nevada County has scheduled a public workshop for the Western Nevada County Recreational Trails Master Plan for February 28, 2009 at the Madelyn Helling Library Community Room from 1 to 3 p.m. According to the County:

"The purpose of this workshop is to inform interested individuals about the scope of the recreational trails plan, gain input on the draft plan goals, policies, and programs, and provide information regarding the mapping effort and how to get involved in establishing regional trail alignments in your neighborhood. The goal is to receive feedback from participants using automated survey software; participants will be able to see the results of survey questions during the workshop."

Trail users will find this a great opportunity to shape the future of local trails. Read more.

Good Times at February BONC Gala Ride

BONC kicked off the BONC Gala ride series with 14 riders and 2 volunteers at Empire Mine yesterday. The event featured great singletrack, beautiful weather and high quality food.

We broke into two groups: a casual paced intermediate set and a slower bunch. We explored lesser known trails in and near the park. We laughed a lot, but my favorite moment was when Galen questioned Chris' choice of gears as he did a track stand. My other personal favorite was watching 16 year old Christine Weir ride down a descent that her dad walked (sorry Bob, couldn't resist).

It was great to see riders join us from as far away as Elk Grove. One beginner rider claimed that this was his best ride yet. Special thanks to Fred Bergman and Shannon Wright who prepared up some delicious hot corn chowder, fruit and cookies. Pictures of the event.

I hope you can join us next month for this fun event. Meet at Penn Gate at 10AM on Saturday, March 7th. Rumor is that this get together will feature jambalaya :-)

Improve Bicycle Access to National Parks

Loma Rica Trail Bridge

Over the weekend, Zachi worked hard on the footings of the new bridge near the intersection of Brunswick and Idaho-Maryland on the Loma Rica Trail. I stopped by yesterday to snag a few pictures on my iPhone.

Zachi does some incredible bridge construction work. His work locally and in Forest City are works of art. We are lucky to have him working on our local trails.

If you have not yet ridden this trail, check it out. It is high quality. You can catch it off Loma Rica Drive near the ditch and descend all the way to the Nevada County Horseman's area. Thank you to Zachi, Mike, Jon, Bill and all the other volunteers who have made this Nevada County Land Trust project happen.

MORE LOCAL TRAILS!

BONC Monthly Ride - 2/7, 10AM - Empire Mine

You are welcome to join the inaugural monthly BONC ride on Saturday, February 7th @ 10AM from Penn Gate at Empire Mine State Historic Park!

This will be a No-Rider-Left-Behind ride, which means that although faster riders are welcome, I will host the ride from the back of the pack. We'll explore some lesser known trails in the Mine and nearby Osborne Hill. When we finish, we'll gather at Penn Gate to enjoy some complementary food prepared by BONC chefs Fred Bergman and Shannon Wright.

Please bring a bike, helmet, water and a mid ride snack. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships cards available. See you there!

UHS Mountain Bike Mayhem

Yesterday's Ned Overendapalooza at Union Hill School was just sah-weet. We had who-knows-how-many kids queued up to ride skinnies, teeter totters and obstacles for hours, a BONC bike booth with mechanics at the ready, free cookies and multiple rides with the legend Ned.

To finish things off, Ned gave an inspiring speech about racing, training and trail advocacy which was followed by a showing of the Collective film "Seasons". I am guessing there were some 100 people there through the event, which raised money for the kids' teams.

Thank you to all the volunteers and organizations that made this day happen, including the Bicycle Recycling project, BONC, Tour of Nevada City, Specialized, the school teams and others. Ned noted several times that we have an incredible community of riders up here, in addition to amazing trails. He is dead-on right and it is wonderful to see events like this that further strengthen what we have.

Pictures of the event. And BTW, Ned signed up as a member of BONC yesterday :-)

Ned Overend This Weekend

BONC hopes you can join us at Union Hill School this weekend as we hang out with Ned Overend (our close personal friend) and junior mountain bikers. We'll be providing riding and bike maintenance tips to students, eating too many BONC baked snacks and having a good time. All in perfect sunny weather in January.

BONC will also debut the internationally acclaimed new BONC membership card and banner at our booth at 3PM. You can renew your membership then or pick up your card if you've already renewed. So join us!

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Union Hill School MTB Day with Ned Overend
Saturday, January 17, 2009.

Learn new riding skills and review the basics with Mountain Bike Legend Ned Overend.

12:30 p.m. – BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE
WHO: Open to all middle school youth
Ride the trails of Empire Mine park in Grass Valley, CA, discussing bike-handling skills during the ride. Meet at Union Hill Middle
School main parking lot, 11638 Colfax Hwy, Grass Valley, CA .

2 p.m. – LUNCH AND SOCIAL TIME
WHO: Open to all middle school youth.
Bring your lunch or purchase a lunch for $5 at Union Hill School.

3 p.m. – BIKE MAINTENANCE CLINIC & SKILLS CHALLENGE
WHO: Open to all middle school youth.
Skills will be taught by MTB legend Ned Overend, former
Specialized Pro Racer, and Chuck Ross, current California Expert MTB Champion with help from the USCF Cat 1 (expert) riders from the Sierra Express/Sho-Air Racing Team.

5 p.m. – NED OVEREND SPEECH & MOVIE
WHO: Open to the general public.
Ned Overend will speak about training and racing, followed by the MTB movie "Seasons," an extreme mountain bike film by The Collective. Both will take place in the Union Hill School Gym as a fundraiser for the Union Hill Mountain Bike Club.

COST: The ride and clinics are free. $5 gets you in the door to hear Ned speak and see the film. All proceeds go to the Union Hill Mountain Bike Club.

Feedback to BONC

Bullard's Bar Clear

Joe Chavez of the USFS passes this along:

"Thanks to motorcyclist volunteers Dave Wood and Kevin Liles, working under Forest Service authorization, the entire Bullards Bar trail system was logged out on Monday (1/12). They cut out about 25-30 trees. No reports of new landslides."

Wooohooo! A very selfless act by Dave and Kevin. Thanks indeed. Sounds like you guys did a lot of work.

Perfect weather and no downed trees at Bullards in January? Am I dreaming?

New Monthly BONC Rides - First Saturday of Each Month

BONC is instituting a new Monthly Ride Gala, which will occur on the first Saturday of every month. This will be a No-One-Left-Behind social ride, however, we will split into experience levels at at the start, so all are welcome! Our initial schedule is as follows:

February 7th - Empire Mine, Penn Gate (ride host: John Gardiner)
March 7th - Empire Mine, Penn Gate (ride host: Dave Hughes)
April 4th - Hidden Falls Regional Park, Auburn

We should have some snacks and surprises for participants at the end of each ride. Stay tuned to this email list or bonc.org for additional details.

Snow and Manzanita

In the past few days, I've spent hours clearing manzanita that hung across local trails. As is often the case after a big winter storm in Nevada County, heavy snow pushed these brushes down so they block the singletrack. As of now, there is a LOT of these downed brushes in our area.

I worked using large Fiskar loppers, but you can use this smaller 15" model which fit in your Camelbak and weigh next to nothing.

Land Trust Trails

The Nevada County Land Trust has created an interactive map that describes trails and trail projects they are working on. Great stuff. In my experience, it always pays to make maps of these projects public, as it gets the community excited about such efforts.

Personally, I am still awaiting a map of the Tribute Trail (a.k.a. Deer Creek Trail). Anyone know of one?