Photo evidence of the one day I mountain biked in Ohio.
Photo evidence of the one day I mountain biked in Ohio.
How about this weather!? I suppose if you like cold rain, Ohio is heaven. First let me assure you, I want to get out and mountain bike as much and probably more than you do. Mountain biking keeps me well mentally and physically. It forces me in the moment, the mental chatter fades away and I feel at peace. On my best days, I get a connected feeling that is more powerful than any drug. I am connected and a part of everything. I am the trees. I am the air. I am the dirt. No more no less. No doubt, I will chase that dragon the rest of my life.
In the month of April, I mountain biked once in Ohio. Yep that’s one time in a whole month. I couldn’t even enjoy most of the ride because of all my thoughts about how much trail work needed to be done. It seemed to rain every weekend or rain just enough before every weekend that it ruined any chance of rubber hitting the dirt. There has been some of confusion and anger about our trails being closed. We don’t enjoy closing our trails. All of us want to get out and ride.
There are a few things you can do when you’re in doubt of the trail being open. Check Trail Conditions on the COMBO website. We have a volunteer that goes out to Alum Creek everyday to determine it’s condition. This isn’t a perfect solution because anyone can change the conditions on MTB Project. So use some common sense and error on the conservative side when making the decision to ride. Trails usually take more than 1 day to dry out sometimes way more depending on the conditions. The Ranger on duty at Chestnut Ridge makes the decision daily. Call the hotline if you think the trail might be closed. 614-837-8760 Save this number in your phone! You can also check out our Facebook page and message us with any questions you have.
When you ride trails that are closed you are further damaging the trail and sending a clear message to all our trail stewards and volunteers that you just don’t care. That your hour of fun was more important than the hundreds of hours they have spent working on the trail. Did you know we are all volunteers? Did you know some of our volunteers put in enough hours every week that it would count as a full time job? Don’t be a hater; get involved, be part of the solution! Come to a board meeting, help out at a trail day, give us your ideas and together we can make our trails better!
COMBO has been busy with trail work, advocacy and education. We are invested in bringing you quality mountain bike instruction at our clinics. Board Members Chadd Hartman and Scott Shumaker are now BICP Level 1 MTB Instructors and I earned my Level 2 Instructor Certification. This was no easy task! We will have you covered from basic mountain bike skills to intermediate! To find out more about the statewide advocacy work we do and other Ohio MTB updates check out COMBO Vice President Dan Fausey’s Blog for Mountain Bike Trailer Park. We have quite a few clinics , races and trail days coming up. Check out our events and trail updates below and make sure to sign up for a few!
Happy trails,
Heidi Coulter
COMBO President
New bridge at P2
Bike the Breweries. This scenic bike tour is approximately 16 miles and makes stops at ten Columbus breweries for a brief tour and beer samples. We will be there ready to assist in anyway needed!
Dirt School This is a great course for anyone new to mountain biking or anyone that wants to brush up on their skills. Our certified instructors can’t wait to take students to the next level! More skills= more fun!
COMBO Board Meeting. Rusty Bucket in Clintonville at 7pm. Open to the public! Hear what we have planned and get involved!
National Trail Day with REI at Gnomewood and P1. We have special projects at Gnomewood and P1 starting at 9 am. Snacks and lunch will be provided by REI. We will have afternoon group rides for all abilities and a Shred School for intermediate riders.
LGS Womens MTB Clinic Skills clinic just for the ladies!
First FUNduro of the year. Racers will start at high noon and show off their speed and handling skills as they race four different timed downhill segments. Sounds easy right? Not so much, you have to go climb up before you can fly down!
CR Scorcher and Kids Races Free kids races and a 6 hour race. Profits from this event will go to Gators Bike Park and COMBO's general trail fund which helps maintain over 50 miles of singletrack trails in Central Ohio.
A big thanks to the team from IGS. They helped build a new trail extension at P2 and assisted with the EVAC routes.
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