Trails are so hot right now.

Remember a few short months ago when we couldn't wait for hot, dry, summer riding?  Remember that?  Well, watch what you wish for!  We've quickly gone from rain & mud with brief periods of trails being open to dust and very brief periods of trails being closed following short, intense summer storms.

These small intense storms can bring a lot of rain in a very short amount of time.  Two things are working in our favor.  First, storms like this tend to dump so much rain so quickly that it tends to run off rather than soak in.  Second, the trails are so dry that they handle the rain really well.  The top surface can soak up some water and, in many ways, it makes for a better riding surface.  Dry, sandy peninsulas at Alum become tacky 'hero-dirt' that your tires cling to at all speeds.  

So we move from a time of year when we're primarily concerned with mud to a time of year when we're primarily concerned with heat.  Not so much the trails, they handle the heat well.  But the riders?  Well, that can be another thing entirely.  Riding in summer heat changes things.

Most people can relate to those 90 to 100 degree rides when you just don't feel like you've got it.  For most of us, it's not a lack of fitness but rather the effects of dehydration causing this feeling.  It's just... blah.  Staying hydrated while riding is an often overlooked aspect of summer riding.  If you want to improve your summer riding, take an extra long look at hydration and on-bike nutrition.  It's absolutely critical to making the most of summer riding.

In addition to changes to your nutrition, you might notice that trail usage changes this time of year.  Just a few months ago, parking lots were full by mid-afternoon.  Now?  Not so much.  Riders are getting out earlier in the morning and putting off mid-day rides until later in the evening when temps are lower.  Some even bust out the lights for night rides after the sun goes down.  Night riding is a great way to beat the summer heat and gives you a whole new experience on the bike!  Think you know every nook & cranny of your local trail?  Ride it at night shooting through the cone of light from either helmet or bar mounted lights and it's like a completely different trail.

However you choose to ride this summer, we're thankful for the opportunity to spend time on the trails doing something we all love.  Just stay on top of your fluid intake.

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A MESSAGE FROM HEIDI

Hello Friends,

I hope you have been able to get out and ride this past month.  You can leave your worries at the trail head, work out any anger or anxiety you may have on the trail and return a happier person.  Our dedicated trail stewards and volunteers have put in a record number of hours making our trails the better than ever.  We have also seen a record number of riders of all ages.  Some folks are rediscovering mountain biking and some are true beginners.  

Do you remember when you caught the mountain biking bug?  What kept bringing you back? My first summer of mountain biking was a wild adventure.  I would go out to Alum Creek (what is now P1) and get lost in the labyrinth of trails.  Some days it took me nearly 2 hours to find my way back to my car. I didn’t have a cell phone or GPS, just a worn paper map.  My bike weighed about 45 lbs and had metal pedals that would leave claw marks whenever I made a quick stop.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I crashed into countless trees, went over almost every bridge and was covered in bruises and scabs.  Sounds great right?  It actually was amazing. That summer I rediscovered who I was and got a glimpse of who I could become.  The stoke remains strong to this day.  

Stay golden my mtb tribe,

Heidi Coulter

COMBO President

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Volunteer Spotlight

Have you met Chadd Hartman? Let me ask that a different way... have you ridden Chestnut Ridge this year?  If you have, then you've met Chadd Hartman.

There's a tricky thing about Chestnut Ridge: most of our volunteers live in either the central part part or the northern part of Columbus. It's a long way to CR. It's a really long way to CR to help out for an hour.  You'd have 3 hours of driving in your 1 hour of trail time. Many of us can be at Alum in ~10 minutes but not CR.  What does that have to do with Chadd?  Everything.

See, this guy, he does the heavy lifting at CR.  A lot of the time by himself.  And it's rarely the fun type of trail building.  Building features... fun. Building jumps... really fun. Trimming overgrown trails... not fun. Mowing... sucks. Doing this stuff in 95 degrees? Ugh. And he does it without being asked.  Thankfully.

Chadd has averaged about 6 hours per week at Chestnut Ridge this year.  Think about that for a second.  AVERAGED six hours per week this year. That's a lot of volunteering.  Some weeks in January & February there wasn't much to do and he probably wasn't there all that much.  Remember when the park re-opened Chestnut Ridge after their quarantine shut-down and everyone was amazed at what great riding was waiting for them?  Yeah, that was pretty much all Chadd.  Some weeks, he spent full time hours out there doing the hard work so the trail would be ready.

We have some amazing volunteers in the mountain biking community.  It's volunteers like Chadd who keep things going year-round.  Next time you see him, give him a big socially-distanced thanks and think of him & the other awesome volunteers next time you're at Chestnut Ridge.

Yep, that's Chadd on the left.  He's also one of our Dirt School Instructors teaching entry level riding skills to Central Ohio Riders.

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.

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