More Christmas Light tour ride information.

Greetings fellow Mountain Bikers,

I wanted to send you a quick update with some info regarding the “Even Tackier Fat Tire Light Tour.”

I just got home from a pre-trip around the grand tour’s route. There are still a few patches of ice here and there and a few sheets of ice on some of the neighborhood streets but for the most part the route is 98% clear. So we are definitely still game on for the ride.

Here are a few last minute details and some reminders for the forgetful types such as myself.

The ride will leave the parking lot in front of 3-Sports/7-11/Pleasants Hardware at 6:30pm. This will be the start & finish of the ride. The address is:
3 Sports
445 North Ridge Road
Richmond, VA 23229

You will need a quality headlight/helmet light (no Walmart or Dicks AA battery powered gimmicks please) and an illuminated or blinking rear red tail light. This is required by state law for cycling on the road at night. If you don’t have these items I suggest you stop at your favorite local bike shop on the way to the meet up location. I would also suggest that if you own reflective clothing wear it. Richmond drivers are terrible drivers to begin with, toss is those last minute holiday shoppers, the folks that can’t drive in snow and a few other factors and you could have a problem. We will do our best to keep you safe out there tonight but we ask that you do your part with common sense.

The temps are still looking to be in the 33F to 29F degree range so dress appropriately. Don’t forget the roads will feel a bit colder than the trails at those temps due to wind.

We (RaMORE) won’t be providing any food or drink on the ride so be sure to bring something to drink and a power bar or something of the like if you want food on the ride. We expect the duration of the ride to be between 90 minutes upwards of 2 hours. There will be at least one mid point bail out if you need it.

Please be sure that your bike is in working order and there is at least a little bit of air in the tires BEFORE you line up to start the ride.

I’m sure I’ve forgot something but that should get you there and spinning the pedals.

See you guys and girls tonight.

Richmond MORE’s soon to be annual “The other Christmas light ride.”

Richmond MORE’s soon to be annual “The other Christmas light ride.”
Tuesday Dec.22nd 2009 6:30pm

Maybe you’ve herd about the Christmas light ride aka the Tacky Light Tour via bike that our friends at RABA do?

Well this year we’ve decided to have a fat tire version. The ride will start at 6:30 pm on 12/22/09 (weather pending) from 3-Sports (on Ridge road) and snake around the West End to check out some beautiful & festive lighting arrangements for a bit then return to 3-Sports to play a quick game of rock, paper, scissors to decide which “social establishment” might best re-fuel us from our ride.

This isn’t going to be a fast paced ride. What it will be is a nice fun social paced ride making stops for pictures and electric bill guesstimates along the way. We do require that you have your bike equipped with a helmet or handlebar light capable of lighting the path in front of you with enough light to ride comfortably. You don’t need 1,000 lumens of power for this but at least 100 should get you by. We also ask that for your safety (and to be compliant with state laws) you have a red rear light.

So please come out and join us for a great time.

More info will soon follow.

December 16th our Last RaMORE meeting of 2009

Greetings Fellow Mountain Bikers and Trail Enthusiasts,

Our next club meeting is this Wednesday December 16th at 6:00pm at Capitol Ale House Downtown. They are located at:

623 East Main Street (6th and Main St.)
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone 804-780-ALES

The Downtown location offers free parking after 4:00 pm weekdays and anytime on weekends in the Lanier Parking Systems Deck located on 6th & Cary Street.

Greg Rollins will discuss recent developments in the Forest Hill project and the plans for moving the project forward. We have a firm date from the Sweco operator, project funding has been secured and committed, and work will start soon on clearing the trail corridor. Other details will be discussed at the meeting.

Steve Hodson will discuss the Westview project and his work out there last weekend.

Bill Wright, as always, will discuss the club finances.

New club officers and board members will be announced.

And, Santa will have plenty of free swag to give away!

This is the last club meeting of the year. We'll try to keep the focus less on business and MORE on fun. Please come join us for some holiday cheer this Wednesday at Capitol Ale House!

Dreaming of dry days

It’s no surprise that the biblical amounts of rain that we’ve had lately on top of the colder weather setting in has made trail building very difficult and trying to sneak a ride when it’s not raining, frigid, dark or muddy is becoming quite the chore. It’s a good thing that we’ve got all the family and friends around us this time of year to remind us of life off the bike and keep us from going mental from not getting to ride.

Here’s a quick tip for the holidays. Since the weather outside is frightful and you aren’t getting out to ride very much, not to mention that the fire inside is so delightful (and so is the eggnog) why not seize the opportunity to take your steed over to your favorite local bike shop for a little bit of T.L.C. While the salesmen and women may be busy this time of the year the “service side” (Mechanics) of most local bike stores is usually pretty slow so it makes for a great time to treat yourself and your bike to a tune up so that when the weather turns nice your bike will be in top shape. Don’t forget to let them know that you are a Richmond MORE member so that you will receive your discount.

Now we would like to share some pictures with you that were submitted by David Kern. David has done a wonderful job capturing the beauty our beloved James River Trails.





Thank you for sharing these photos with us David. If any other readers have photos that you would like to share please email those to ramorerides (at) gmail (dot) com. We would really like to start a “Photo Wednesday” post. It would serve as a great midweek reminder of how fortunate we are to have multiple trail networks right in our backyards. So again if you have some photos that you would like to share please send us an email and tell us where the photo was taken and who all is in the photo. It doesn’t have to be a photo of the JRPS trails it could be from any trail in the state. And who knows your photo may inspire someone to go out and ride a new trail that they’ve never been on.

Happy Holidays from all of the Richmond MORE crew its extended families.

2010 N.A.H.B.S. in the 804

I don’t know if you are privy to this good news yet but just in case you didn’t know Richmond will be hosting the 2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show on Feb. 26th-28th.

This is a huge thing for us and a good way to further establish Richmond on the cycling scene’s map. There will be some amazing bikes on display from incredible frame builders as well as plenty of cool accessories and other things. We shouldn’t have to tell you that this is a “can’t miss it” event, but we just did.

So plan to be there or you may be square.

Race Across The Sky

So if you saw it, how was it? Leave us a comment.

If you were like some of us and didn’t buy tickets in advance you came to realize pretty quickly that the movie was sold out. We’ve heard a few good stories from our friends who went but fear not fellow cyclists there will be an encore presentation on Thursday November 12th.

Tickets will be on sale soon. I suggest that we don’t skimp on pre-purchasing tickets this go around.

See you there.

Trail Building 101

The setup: …. Trail Building IQ!

Are you familiar with any of these terms: in slope, back slope, grade reversal? Do you know what an in sloped turn is? What about a climbing turn? How about a rolling crown switchback? Would you know what a Grip Hoist is if you saw it? Can you give one example of a trail section in our local parks where the trail builders blew it? Can you outline the challenges facing urban trail builders?

If your answer to any of the above questions is no, or your concept of building sweet single track is dragging a garden rake through the woods, or you think that building a technical trail feature is tossing twigs at a log, then you need the trail building class being offered this weekend by the James River Park System and RA-MORE.

The knock down: While I was too busy learning several things about trail building that I didn’t already know to get a proper head count, I can gladly say that several folks turned out for last weekend’s Trail Building 101 class put on by the James River Park System & Richmond M.O.R.E. The weather was kind enough to cooperate with us and allow the in class instruction to be utilized out in the field.

(class is in session)

The classroom portion of the program was held in the Old Stone House in Forrest Hill Park and provided a comfortable relaxed environment for Nathan Burrell and Mike Burton to bestow a wealth of trail building knowledge upon the class participants.

(James River Park’s very own Nathan Burrell and Mike Burton of Long Cane Trails explaining proper trail markings and signage to the class.)


(If only high school had been this much fun)


(Nathan answering a participants question.)

After the morning classroom session and a superb lunch provided by the good folks at Crossroads Coffee & Ice cream the class participants headed out into the field to put some of their new skills to use.


(The class is learning how to properly block off a now closed section of trail through the use of natural elements like rocks.)


(Mike Burton & Clark Jones instructing volunteers on properly “setting” large rocks into place to keep them from moving and how to utilize them as an effective traffic control barrier.)


(Filling in an old section of washed out trail that will soon be reclaimed by nature.)


(Cutting in some new trail and working on a grade reversal.)

By the end of the field portion of the class we were able to successfully cut in a short re-route around a problematic section of existing non sustainable trail, build a grade reversal and prepare the trail surface for traffic as well as clearing out ample sight lines to accommodate the newly re-routed section and get the old un-sustainable section of trail properly closed off and prepped for mother nature to reclaim her soil.

It was a great learning experience and very productive day for all of the class participants. Richmond M.O.R.E. would like to thank the James River Park System, Long Cane Trails, Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream and all of you who came out to learn and contribute to your local trails.

Trail building season is upon us. Please do your part to help out and remember that even 30 minutes of your time really helps out. Keep an eye here or over on the official Richmond M.O.R.E. website for updates regarding trail work.

Happy Trails,
Ra-MORE

Powhite in the spotlight

Thanks to a local rider and friend of Richmond MORE Phil Hunicutt, we are able to show you a taste of some of the trail work that several hard working volunteers helped see through.

Thanks Phil.

Please Enjoy.



PS. There will be a RaMORE general meeting tonight following the trail ride at the Scout Camp. I suspect that Greg and Clark will be in attendance.

Keep the rubber side down and stay out of the poison ivy!
Richmond MORE

1/31/09 Powhite Trail work photos

Thanks to Joel we have a few photos from the Powhite trail work last weekend.

Enjoy.

Powhite Trail Work Saturday, 2/07/09 Part 2

First, a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who showed up last Saturday for our first effort in Powhite Park. We accomplished quite a bit more than we thought possible for one day, with a good deal of new trail being cut and old trail reclaimed. Our goals for this weekend will be to buff out the new section that was built last weekend, while installing a berm or 2, and also to cut new trail to continue the new line near the back fence. Additionally, we will be working on adding more technical(rocky) lines to the new trail. The weather should be beautiful both Saturday and Sunday, with highs for trail work on Saturday around 60. Hope to see everyone out on the trail.

Where
Although we will be working near the "back gate" of the park, Nathan has asked that we park in the parking lot just off Jahnke Rd across the street from the hospital and walk or ride our bikes in to the work site. The reason for this is that the dead end near the back gate will have equipment and a City vehicle or 2 parked there, and we would like to be considerate of the residents and not block the street any more than necessary. For those who have never been to Powhite Park, just follow the trail coming from the parking lot down the hill, cross the creek on the 60' decked bridge and bear left. Continue on this trail which borders the swamp(keeping the swamp on your LEFT) until you come to another, smaller bridge. Cross this bridge and you should see the work site up on the hill in front of you. If you have any questions, feel free to call Nathan Burrell at 357-8897.

What to bring:
Wear sturdy shoes or work boots and bring work gloves. Dress in layers because you'll probably warm up rather quickly once you start working. It is also recommended to bring some water and some kind of snack. It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Cancellations:
In case of inclement weather, any cancellations of Trail Care will be made by 7:00am Saturday morning. Notification will be made on the Cycling Central VA forums (www.cyclingcentralva.org/forums), the Richmond-MORE website, or via email. Currently the weather forecast for Saturday is supposed to be partly cloudy with a high of 41, and rain is not expected. but it's still a wee

Hard work pays off

The good folks over at YeRen Outdoors have been busy making a new video collage that pays tribute to the new section on Buttermilk that we’ve been hard at work on. Check it out.


Also if you haven’t already seen some of their other videos take a peek.

(This one is one of my favorites.)


(Buttermilk trail)


(Buttermilk seat/fork camera)

Thanks guys for helping spread the word. You guys are a huge asset to Richmond MORE and great people to know on a personal level. Keep up the great work.

Powhite Trail Work 1/31/09 @ 9am

Powhite Trail Work Saturday, January 31st 9:00 A.M.


This coming Saturday we will start work in Powhite to open new trail near the back of the park, while rerouting the current trail off of the private property that borders the park on its upper side. Additionally, we will be wrapping some of the mature trees with chicken wire down near the swamp to prevent further loss of the trees to the beavers, who have built an impressive dam system down there. We will be working from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.

Where
Although we will be working near the "back gate" of the park, Nathan has asked that we park in the parking lot just off Jahnke Rd across the street from the hospital and walk or ride our bikes in to the work site. The reason for this is that the dead end near the back gate will have equipment and a City vehicle or 2 parked there, and we would like to be considerate of the residents and not block the street any more than necessary. For those who have never been to Powhite Park, just follow the trail coming from the parking lot down the hill, cross the creek on the 60' decked bridge and bear left. Continue on this trail which borders the swamp(keeping the swamp on your LEFT) until you come to another, smaller bridge. Cross this bridge and you should see the work site up on the hill in front of you. If you have any questions, feel free to call Nathan Burrell at 357-8897.

What to bring:
Wear sturdy shoes or work boots and bring work gloves. Dress in layers because you'll probably warm up rather quickly once you start working. It is also recommended to bring some water and some kind of snack. It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Cancellations:
In case of inclement weather, any cancellations of Trail Care will be made by 7:00am Saturday morning. Notification will be made on the Cycling Central VA forums (www.cyclingcentralva.org/forums), the Richmond-MORE website, or via email. Currently the weather forecast for Saturday is supposed to be partly cloudy with a high of 41, and rain is not expected. but it's still a week off, so that could change.

1/21/09 1st RaMORE Club meeting of 2009 @ Maldini’s

Richmond MORE held its first official club meeting of 2009 on January 21st at Maldini’s restaurant on Forrest Hill Avenue. We had upwards of 30 people in attendance. What a great way to start out the clubs new year of business. Many topics were discussed and a lot of people seemed very excited about the things that we have going on for the year. The next meeting will take place on February 18th again at Maldini’s Restaurant. The social hour starts at 6pm with the club meeting starting at 7pm.

Please come out and join us for great food, drinks and all of the exciting club business that we have going on.

1/22/09 Trail Work on Buttermilk @ the Pedestrian stairs.