Behind the Bars - January

January 23, 2020

Behind the Bars - January

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That's it.  Thanks for coming to our TedTalk.

Will it be 45* and raining with tons of mud or will it be 15* and freeze your eyeballs shut?  Seems like it's one or the other but either way, January is a tough month for mountain biking in Central Ohio. Unless you absolute hate yourself and do long sessions on an indoor trainer, you're probably not getting as much ride time as you'd like.

With limited saddle time, it is a good time of year to plan the year ahead.  This is the perfect time to plan any upcoming mountain bike vacations.  Head north to Marquette and Copper Harbor or maybe you'll finally make that trip to northwest Arkansas or a long weekend in Pisgah.  Wherever your plans take you, planning the year ahead can be a great way to bring the winter blahs in Ohio.  Simply imagining a beautiful day on the trails of Brown County can help brighten your day.

Have you ever thought about dropping a race into this years goals?  Racers have the added focus of a date on a calendar to keep them on track with their fitness.  There are so many options for both the novice and expert racers without having to drive very far.  See below for some key dates you might want to put on your calendar and we hope to see you there!

Just like this is a great time of year for you to look ahead to your riding season, it's also the time of year when COMBO looks ahead to 2020.  With a newly elected board and continuing progress on some of our long-term goals, this is going to be an exciting year for mid Ohio Mountain Biking.

"World's Fastest Grandma", Heidi, leading COMBO into 2020

A Message from Heidi

COMBO is working hard to bring you the best trails Central Ohio can offer.  We are mindful of creating places for riders of all abilities and interests. Just starting to get into mountain biking? Great take a Dirt School and head out to Gnomewood Park and trail. Wanna send it!? Awesome, head out to Chestnut Ridge and hit up the Flow Trail and More Cowbell. Want to get miles and miles of challenging cross country trails with rocks, drops and screaming downhills? Head to Great Seal State Park in Chillicothe. Craving old school mountain biking, go straight to good Alum Creek P1 or go to Alum Creek P2 to quench your need for speed.  

Whether you're a shredder, soul rider or speed racer, what I'm about  to tell you should brighten your day and warm your big mtb hearts. The Bailey Trail in Wayne National Forest has 14 of the 80+ miles completed.  It's open to trail running and hiking now and will open to mountain bikes soon!   Locally we just got word that Columbus Metro Parks got approval for the Quarry Mountain Bike Park! This park is slated to open in the fall and will have a few loops of flowy downhill full of fun features for all abilities. The Berliner Mountain Bike Park will break ground this spring and should be ready to ride by late summer.  That will make two mountain bike parks inside 270!  

COMBO is cultivating and growing our local and state wide mountain bike community. We build and maintain your local trails. We are active in state wide mountain bike advocacy and, as a founding member, have a seat on the Ohio Trail Partnership Board and a voice with ODNR for the Ohio Trail Plan.  We offer fun events, group rides, trail days, Dirt Schools, clinics and races. Keep an eye out for the COMBO tent at trail heads this year.  We will have some sweet swag and water to quench your thirst. Stop by and say hi!  

We can't do this work alone. We need you! Please renew, join, donate and volunteer!

Happy Trails,

Heidi Coulter

COMBO President

COMBO 2020 Race Dates

Mark these dates on your calendar and dream of sunny days!  Remember sunshine? Warmth? Just thinking about these races gets the heat turned up!

  • Summer Funduro: June 14th, Great Seal
  • CR Scorcher Weekend: June 27th & 28th, Chestnut Ridge
  • P2 Time Trial: August 15th, Alum Creek P2
  • Fallduro: October 18th, Great Seal


More details are available on the Race tab through the link below:

Click Here for More Info!

Freeze - Thaw Cycles Explained

When is it safe to ride in wet, freezing, thawing conditions?  Well, that's a complicated question with a more complicated answer.  For a deeper dive into the subject, we created a blog post five or so years ago that is our most widely distributed post.  It gets shared by mountain biking advocacy organizations throughout the US and weirdly enough, has gotten a good amount of distribution in Japan. Since the concept hasn't changed much since then, we invite you to jump in the COMBO time machine and click the link below to learn more.

Read the Article

COMBO is a 501c3 non-profit that relies on the generosity of donors like you who support the local mountain biking community.  From Trail Projects to Races to Beginner Education, COMBO is committed to building and enhancing riding opportunities in Central Ohio.

Click Here to Contribute


Behind the Bars - January

Your COMBO Membership Impact

292
Total Members in 2021
18
New Projects Funded
$22,450
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