Richmond M.O.R.E.

Harrisonburg…Now an IMBA Ride Center!

2012-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

You read that right.

Now read on.

Trail Work - February 4, 2012

2012-02-02T05:08:00.000-08:00

Great progress made at Dogwood Dell last week, but there's still a lot to do. We're happy that we had a great turnout last weekend, but we need to keep up the effort for the next couple of weeks. So what needs to be done? Lots of roots and sticks to be removed from the trail bed. Berms and grade reversal need to be fine tuned. The trail corridor needs to be cleaned up and narrowed. And the hiking trail needs to be finished. If you can come out all day, that's awesome. If you can only spare an hour, every little bit helps. We have tasks for people of all abilities from first timers to experienced trail workers. So come on out, lend a hand and help us get the trails closer to opening.

What: Dogwood Dell Trail Work

When: 9am Saturday, February 4, 2012

Where: Pumphouse Drive - across from the entrance to Pumphouse Park

Bring: Water, Snack, Gloves

Super Bowl Sunday Ride

Sunday, February 5th is Super Bowl Sunday and that means it's time for the SVBC Annual Super Bowl Sunday Ride. Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition has been hosting a ride to the top of Flagpole Knob on Superbowl Sunday for as long as anyone can remember. This year's ride will take place on Sunday, February 5th, 2012. Starting at Briery Branch Community Center, the ride climbs paved and gravel roads up to the top of Flagpole Knob. A group photo is taken, then riders are free to choose one of multiple singletrack descents off of the mountain.

For more information, contact Thomas: tj@shenandoahbicycle.com

To hitch a ride with some Richmonders heading up, check out the thread on CCVA: SuperBowl ride, 2012

Good news from New Belgium

2012-01-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

Good news from the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins Colorado!

That’s right any news from New Belgium is usually good news. Our friends in PA at Dirt Rag already have this story covered so take a look.

So what’s so exciting about a Pale Lager in a can? Well friend, cans make a great container to assist in transporting your libations into the woods. Maybe you’d like a beer at the summit of your ride to celebrate having just spent the last two hours climbing in your granny ring up the side of that mountain or maybe you will decide to take your sweetheart on a nice hike that involves a picnic and beer at a romantic scenic view or maybe you just want to chug a 6 or 4 pack before you race your friends down the trail in some kind of drunken dirt crit. The choices are endless.

Speaking of New Belgium, don’t forget that Richmond will host the New Belgium Urban Assault Ride on March 25th 2012 so if you haven’t already be sure to mark your calendars. It’s going to be a blast. If you have some time to spare RaMORE is still looking for a few volunteers to help us with the event. (Please use this link to register to volunteer.

And last but certainly not least now that you are thinking about beer, bikes and the mountains please join us and many of our friends on Super Bowl Sunday for the longest running annual mountain bike ride in the state. The Super Bowl Sunday Ride. Like a fine wine it’s approaching 30 years of age and just keeps on getting better. You can take a peak here to see all of the hard work that the folks of the S.V.B.C. have been doing recently to get the S.B.S. trails in primo condition for this ride. If you make it out to Briery Branch on Super Sunday please be sure to thank those guys and offer up a beer.

Have a great weekend

Trail Work - January 28, 2012

2012-01-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

The Dogwood Dell trails have been cut, now we need to get out there and turn them into some sweet singletrack.

The Sweco came through this week and took care of all of the back breaking bench cutting for us. Now for the fun part...

This week will be at Dogwood Dell fine turning the trails. We'll be cutting back slopes, tweaking the trail bed, closing off old trails, cutting the hiking trail and maybe even building some bridges.

We'd love to have lots of people come out the next several weekends for two big reasons. 1) We want the trails open so we can go ride and hike them and 2) we have a big project in the works on Belle Island, so we need to get Dogwood Dell finished up as soon as we can.

What: Dogwood Dell Trails

When: 9am Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Where: Park along Pumphouse Drive. We'll be meeting across the street from the entrance to Pumphouse Park.

Bring: Gloves, Water, Snack, Sturdy Shoes

Great things happening in 2012 already!

2012-01-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

Andy Thompson of the Richmond Times Dispatch has it covered.

Bicyclists are riding high as area projects gain momentum

We hope that you can make it out for a few hours of Dogwood Dell trail work tomorrow morning.

Going on the books? Keep track?

2012-01-21T20:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our friend and a great bicycle advocate in Harrisonburg Kyle Lawrence for giving us the heads up on these laws. We urge you to give them a look.

Here is a collection of bills in the current Virginia General Assembly that could impact bicycling in the state. You can learn more about each bill and track them!

VA Bicycling Federation’s Portfolio

Help our friends w/EVMA get some new trails

2011-12-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

That's right our Eastern VA MTB friends are looking to expand some trails and everyone loves fresh single track so please scoot over there and lend them a hand in making this a reality.

Would you like more trails in Chesapeake, VA?

The New Riverfront Concept Plan video

2011-12-27T13:10:00.000-08:00

We want to keep you up to date with whats going on...Down By the River..

Another great one

2011-12-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

If you've been living under a rock then the awesome video advocacy powers of one Scott Wootten may not sound familiar but if you haven’t then you probably already expect another great video to be dropping soon. Well the wait is over.

Even if you’ve never heard of Scott Wootten or seen any of his videos please check this out.

DCR RTP SVBC grant announcement video on Narrowback & Wild Oak Trail from Scott Wootten on Vimeo.

Great job Scott. I hope some of the RaMORE members can find time to come out and help with the building and re-routing of this incredible trail.

Saturday 10/22/11 Trail work - Buttermilk

2011-10-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

Good Evening Members,

Trail work season is back in full swing. This Saturday (10/22/11) Nathan and the Boys (and hopefully we will see you!) will be meeting up at the 22nd Street Parking lot (22nd St. & Riverside Dr.) at 9am to begin work on a reroute section by the 22nd St. staircase.

We hope that you enjoyed our October member meeting last night at Legends. Remember a little Saturday morning trail work will burn off those extra carbs/calories that you “may” have consumed.

We suggest stopping by Crossroads Coffee & Ice cream on your way to trail work to pick up a nice hot cup of Saturday morning motivation.

See you guys & girls there.

The RaMORE Board

Join RaMORE, REI & The JRPS crew for National Public Lands Day

2011-09-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a second to pass along some info about our partnership with REI & the James River Park System for National Public Lands Day this Saturday.

Please join Richmond-MORE and REI on Saturday September 24th at 9am in the Reedy Creek parking lot. Last year we rerouted a section of the Buttermilk trail. This involved cutting in about 300 feet of new trail and reclaiming about 250 feet of trail. This year we'll be doing some lighter duty work that includes the staining and painting of some bridges along the Buttermilk Trail as well as a small repair along a set of stone steps on Buttermilk as well.

VORS series racers don't forget that you can earn series points for trail work!

REI asks that you please register for this event via their website located here. It only takes a second to sign up.

We hope to see you there in support of National Public Lands Day.

Thank You,
Richmond MORE

PS. In case of rain or unforeseen events, please check for cancellations on our website. Any cancellation notice will be posted by 8:00am on Saturday in our News section. Our website is at:www.richmond-more.org.

Here are the quick and dirty details:

Where: Meet in the Reedy Creek parking lot just off Riverside Drive near 42nd street.

When: Saturday, September 24th 2011 – From 9:00am to 1:00pm

Bring: Water, work gloves, and sturdy shoes, and a small snack. Lunch will be provided for you.

News to peruse

2011-08-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Richmond MORE members here are some things that may interest you.

The Bike Code via Blue Ridge Outdoors

Dry Trails <-> Wet Trails = What you need to know

Richmond’s New Bike, Pedestrian and Trails Coordinator

Don’t forget the Anthem Moonlight ride this Saturday. We still need 5 more volunteers to help pour some tasty beer. If you can help out please email Greg “greg@proforma-gis.com” and let him know so that he can get a head count.

Also please join Cycles Ed this weekend for some Scout Camp Trail work if you can lend a hand. Sat. Aug 13th 10am. Email Cycles Ed for more info.

Have a great weekend of riding.

Mid Atlantic Regional IMBA Summit – That’s a Wrap

2011-08-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

Several RaMORE club members and board members joined Nathan Burrell and the James River Park crew in Harrisonburg, Virginia recently to attend the IMBA Mid-Atlantic Regional Summit. Mountain bike clubs from all over the Mid-Atlantic showed up to represent their local communities of riders, trail builders and trail users.

Friday night we met up at the Court House Square and were treated to a viewing of Pedal Driven after some obligatory welcome and weekend introduction speeches. If you haven’t already seen Pedal Driven I highly recommend checking it out. It provides a very well written and entertaining insight into some of the serious problems regarding land access and relationships that we as mountain bikers are facing all over the country. Unfortunately, most riders are unaware that these problems even exist. The video does a great job of mixing trail advocacy in with some killer mountain biking footage. Think; an informative version of a New World Disorder flick and viola you have Pedal Driven.

Saturday morning Harrisonburg’s own city trails called the Hillendale Park Trails provided us a nice morning spin with adequate amounts of rocks and tight turns to wake up the senses before meeting at the Conference Center for breakfast and a day full of classroom meetings. The meetings and educational seminars covered several insightful topics that included: TCC Advocate training, Youth in Mountain Biking, a Land Manager Round Table that featured our very own Nathan Burrell

speaking as a land manager on behalf of the success of the JRPS inner city trails, Diversity Builds Strength: Women and Mountain Biking, Trail Successes and Challenges Around the Mid Atlantic, TCC Club Care, Capacity Building 101, and finally a VA State Breakout Session. All of the sessions were full of great information that we hope will help us build you a bigger better mountain bike club.

Now we all know that all work and no play just isn’t the mountain biker way. After the classroom sessions finished up we all made a beeline for the wonderful Massanutten Western Slope. The plan was a Super D race down the rocky and fast Massanutten Trails. The local mountain bike club (Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition) has put in countless hours of trail work over the past few years to make the Western Slope trails some of the sweetest trails in the area. At the base of the mountain we all chamoised up, helped ourselves to a few of the tasty drinks provided by Troges then begin the climb up the side of the mountain headed to the top. The Super D would start from the mountain top but there was some awesome single track to check out on the way up. SVBC member and SBC owner Thomas Jenkins was kind enough to lead a casual paced ride up the mountain and offer insight to the trail and its construction along the way. Having Rich Edwards of IMBA Trail Solutions (who has also contributed many hours to the design and construction of the Massanutten trails) along for the ride was icing on the cake.

Atop Massanutten mountain riders nervously lined up for the start of the Super D.

Some were on hardtails while most were on full suspension bikes.

Some were wrapped in body armor while others chose lycra.

Regardless of our bike or clothing choices when the race director called you up to the line and said “GO!” the common theme heard all way down the mountain was “Man this trail is sick!”

At the finish line Troges and Qudoba awaited hungry racers.

The “social” kept on rolling well into darkness with good times and stories being shared by all.

Sunday morning hosted several organized group rides for all levels of riders. Not everyone survived the entire weekend and make it to the Sunday rides but those who did were treated to some of the George Washington National Forrest’s finest singletrack.

We at Richmond MORE would like to thank all of our members and friends who made the trip over to Harrisonburg. We would also like to thank everyone involved in making this weekend happen. Yeah Frank Maguire that’s you! Also IMBA, The IMBA Trail Care Crew, SBC, SVBC the town of Harrisonburg and everyone else involved.

2011 Anthem Moonlight Ride

2011-07-06T20:17:00.001-07:00

Good Afternoon Richmond MORE Members,

The smoke of the fireworks has settled and most of us have returned to work from what was hopefully a nice extended weekend that included a bit of riding. Before you get too wrapped up in who wrecked who in Le Tour we wanted to take a moment to let you know that the 2011 Anthem Moonlight Ride is quickly approaching and once again this year we will have the opportunity to act as some of the most important people at the event. The folks who bring you beer!

That’s right folks it turns out that cyclists and trail runners are pretty good at pouring, serving and consuming those liquid carbs and the good folks at Sports Backers have asked us to work our magic again this year. We are looking for at least 15 people to help out as beer pourers and course marshals on Saturday August 13th from about 7pm till 11:30pm.

This is some of the most fun and easiest volunteer work that you can participate in all year that doesn’t include swinging a shovel. If you can lend a hand please send an email to Greg at greg@proforma-gis.com be sure to include your name and contact information in the email and please title the subject line "Moonlight Ride Volunteer."

Also don’t forget to tell your friends and family about the Moonlight Ride. It’s a great event that we hope you and all of your friends can be a part of. For more details on the 2011 Anthem Moonlight Ride please click here.

We hope to see you there on two wheels.

Thank You,
The Richmond MORE Board

Join Richmond-MORE and REI on National Trails Day (Saturday, June 4th) for a Trail Work Event.

2011-06-01T03:03:00.000-07:00

Good morning RaMORE Members,

I wanted to take a second to pass along some info about our partnership with REI & the James River Park System for National Trails Day on June 4th.

Please join Richmond-MORE and REI on Saturday June 4th at 9am in the Reedy Creek parking lot. Last year we rerouted a section of the Buttermilk trail. This involved cutting in about 300 feet of new trail and reclaiming about 250 feet of trail. This year we'll be doing some work in Forest Hill Park. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers as well as a REI OXT t-shirt.***

VORS series racers don't forget that you can earn series points for trail work!

***In order to get the REI OXT shirt you will need to register to volunteer with REI at www.rei.com/stores/127 or call their customer service number 804-360-1381. You don't need to register just to come out and help out but you must register if you want a free shirt.

We hope to see you there in support of National Trails Day.

Thank You,

Richmond MORE

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In case of rain or unforeseen events, please check for cancellations on our website. Any cancellation notice will be posted by 8:00am on Saturday in our News section. Our website is at:www.richmond-more.org.

Here are the details:

Where: Meet in the Reedy Creek parking lot just off Riverside Drive near 42nd street.

When: Saturday, June 4th - 9:00am to 1:00pm

Bring: Water, work gloves, and sturdy shoes, and a small snack. Lunch will be provided for you.

Buttermilk East Trail Work 3-12-11

2011-03-12T04:29:00.001-08:00

My apologizes for the last minute notice regarding trail work but we think you will like what Nathan has in store for us. This Saturday 3-12-11 we will be meeting at Reedy Creek at 9am again and will have one small crew head over to the board walk section of Buttermilk to finish up some small work while a much larger crew heads along Buttermilk East (that’s leaving Reedy Creek and heading down the “other” Buttermilk trail towards the Nickel Bridge/Dog park) over towards the “Red Clay Hill.” For those of you not familiar with the “Red Clay Hill” section this is the section of trail that also has the small pedestrian staircase and wooden ramp with the bricks in the center. The guys will be working on a short re-route in that are to help reduce some erosion problems. Nathan expects that the re-route will take upwards of 3-4 Saturdays’ worth of trail work. We can shorten that time frame with more volunteers and hands in the mix.

The weather is supposed to be nice and sunny so we suggest bringing your bike along for a nice loop of the park’s trails after a trail work session.

We hope to see you there tomorrow morning,
The RaMORE Board

What: Buttermilk East Re-Route work part 1.

When: Saturday 3-12-11 starting at 9am ending..? Come out for as long as you like.

Where: Park in the Reedy Creek parking lot just off of Riverside Drive and Nathan will divide up the groups in the morning. If you like to sleep in a bit then go ahead and park at Reedy and walk West along Buttermilk East (Towards the Nickel Bridge/Dog Park) and come on over to "Red Clay Hill" to catch up with the crew.

Bring: Gloves, work boots or shoes, water or coffee (if that’s your thing), a small snack to keep the blood sugar in check and an open mind.

How do you volunteer?

2011-03-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret that you can do many things to help out your local park, trails or advocacy club. Donating time, labor or money seem to be the most popular ways but you can be creative. How about a trash pickup? How about taking some non cyclist or runner friends or children out for their first ride or run? Introducing anyone to a healthier lifestyle without being pushy isn’t a bad thing. Introducing people to the outdoors is a really good thing. Since we are mostly bikers and trail runners that form Richmond MORE I’d like to pass along this article about two other like minded individuals that do a lot for our trails especially if you enjoy the trails around Massanutten Mountain or in the George Washington National Forest.

DCR Virginia State Parks eNews – “Check out the Park Volunteer Highlights”

Also did you know that this week is the National Bike Summit up in DC? I hope that you are following some of the news that is coming out of the summit and hope that you are as excited as we are about bicycle advocacy in Central Virginia and in the whole state as well.

Saturday 3-5-11 Buttermilk Skinny Trail work

2011-03-03T02:51:00.000-08:00

Good morning trail enthusiasts,

Queen knows that fat bottomed girls make the rockin’ world go round but what Freddie Mercury would have known if he rode a mountain bike is that some times fat tired fiends like a well placed skinny here and there. To that end Nathan, Mike, Will & Andrew along with the gracious help of you incredible volunteers will be installing a little TTF as an optional line on the newly reworked boardwalk this Saturday as well as doing a short re-route just past the boardwalk. If you’ve ever sat around and discussed how much cooler JRPS would be with a few more TTFs over beers with your friends this Saturday is your day to come out and help make those wishes come true. The meet up location will be at Reedy Creek again and just like last weekend the guys ask that you park at Reedy and walk or ride on the trail back towards the boardwalk to get to the work site. In case you’ve forgotten how to do that take a quick look at that info from last weeks email right here.

“If you can lend a hand to help us out please park in the Reedy Creek parking lot just off Riverside Drive and make your way East along the trail to the boardwalk. For those of us who are directionally challenged allow me to simplify; Park at Reedy Creek and walk along Buttermilk proper towards Belle Isle. That means cross Reedy Creek (up the little rock face) and head towards that climb that you still can’t make yet because it’s only February. Fear not though as you still have some training time before Xterra rolls into town.”

See you there,
The RaMORE Board

What: Buttermilk Proper boardwalk trail work part 2.

When: Saturday 3-5-11 starting at 9am ending..? Come out for as long as you like.

Where: Park in the Reedy Creek parking lot just off of Riverside Drive and head East (towards Belle Isle/22nd Street) on Buttermilk to the boardwalk.

Bring: Gloves, work boots or shoes, water or coffee (if that’s your thing), a small snack to keep the blood sugar in check and an open mind

The many faces of the James.

2011-02-24T15:43:00.001-08:00

Recently many old photos of the Belle Isle area have surfaced and created some interest on this rainy day. While it’s no secret that Richmond is deeply rooted in history that history may be a secret to you if you’ve never stopped for a minute to take a look around on your latest run or ride.

Ever wonder what the area looked like in 1908? A lot like this!

My how things have changed huh? Yet there are still so many tell tale signs all around the James River Park and it’s trail systems.

How about another shot from the later part of the 50’s when Interstate 95 came to town?

It’s great that the James River Park System allows the area to remain as natural as possible and gives us the opportunity to get out and experience it while out for a nice trail run, dog walk, bike ride or just a walk in the park. I don’t know about all of you but I know that I sometimes take for granted all of the incredible things that we have downtown. So when the weather warms up I urge you all to get out and visit one of the many trail systems of the James River Park and keep your eyes open for some of historical artifacts.

Cycling Events Around Town

2011-02-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

Hey guys and girls there are a few events going on in town that we think you will enjoy.

First up is the Blanchard’s Coffee Community Night on Friday March 4th from 6-9pm. The River City Cycling Collective and Tom Thorogood are teaming up with friends, family and local artists to support Richmond Area MORE and help fund their 2011 racing seasons. Come for the coffee, jam to the music, stay to win big and take something home. For more info check out the Community page at Blanchard’s Coffee. Keep up with The RtripleC here.

Sunday March 6th the trails of Camp Hilbert will come alive with the sound of knobby tires humming through the woods as Run Ride Race hosts the 1st Camp Hilbert mountain bike race of the season. This race is usually full of folks out looking to test their winter base miles but fear not as it’s also a great race to do as a beginner mountain biker. Visit the Run Ride Race website for details.

Then on Wednesday March 9th at 7pm our friends at the Richmond Cycling Corps are presenting a screening of the great film “2010 Race Across The Sky.” We hope that you had a chance to catch the original “(2009) Race Across The Sky” video and hear the racer’s stories. Now you have a chance to catch the sequel. Click on over here to get the details.

And finally on March 11th & 12th the Banff Mountain Film Festival will be rolling into town at the James River High School. This is an event not to be missed by any outdoor enthusiast. Take a look at the Banff Mountain Film Festival website or check out some info with our friends at RABA.

There you have it folks. While planning your social calendar don’t forget that a Saturday morning trail building session is a great way to prepare for a Sunday bike race.

See you around town,
The Richmond MORE Board

Super Bowl Ride quickie and Saturday Morning Trail work

2011-02-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

Greeting Fellow Trail Enthusiasts,

We saw a lot of familiar faces at the top of Flagpole Knob on Super Bowl Sunday and it was great to see all of you guys and girls as well as other friends from several other bike & trail advocacy groups from all over the state. CAMBC and SVBC were both well represented. Speaking of the SVBC one of the crew (Kyle maybe) was able to snap this great photo of the group rolling through one of the many beautiful low traffic roads just south of Harrisonburg.

A fellow RaMORE member snapped this photo of a part of the group up at the top of Flagpole Knob.

An adventurous group of local riders decided to lengthen the traditional ride route by a few miles and rode up to Reddish Knob managing to snap a nice little memento before a fun descent down Timber Ridge & Wolf Ridge.

Ok, enough bragging about a great ride. We wanted to let you know about the trail work that is happening this Saturday.

Saturday 2-12-11 we will continue trail work on Belle Isle but this weekend we will be working on the top of the island not on the new connector trail. Nathan plans to have a city vehicle parked just past the access bridge that I’m sure you are all familiar with by now. The plan is to meet up by the vehicle at 9am then head up to the top of the island to the work site with tools in hand to start work. The weather is supposed to be another nice weekend again and we sure hope to see your smiling faces there. If you want to show up fashionably late just head up to the top of the island and listen for the crew.

Thanks for your time,
The RaMORE board

When: 2-12-11 Saturday @ 9am

Where: The easiest thing to do is park in the Tredegar street parking lot (the lot commonly used for Belle Isle/Browns Island events. Underneath the train tracks near Tredegar Iron Works) and cross the concrete footbridge to gain access to Belle Isle. Once on Belle Isle follow the paved pathway towards the back of the island to the wooden access bridge. You can also park on 21st St. and ride your bike over to come in the back side.

Bring: Same as always; gloves, comfortable shoes or work boots, water, a snack and a smile.

2015 World Championships Town Hall Meeting @ Cap Ale Downtown

2011-01-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Fellow Cyclists,

Just in case you haven’t already heard the news the World Championships Town Hall meeting will be held next Wednesday, February 2 at the downtown location of Capital Alehouse in Richmond. Here is the original email that was sent out via various mailing lists.

“The time and location for the World Championships Town Hall is now confirmed. We will be holding the event at Capital Alehouse downtown on Wednesday, February 2. Doors will open at 6:00pm and the program will begin at 6:30pm. We anticipate a 90 minute program, but that will be largely dependent on the amount of interaction from the audience.

We hope that you will all consider joining us. We plan to give you some background on how this bid came about, followed by an open forum where you can provide feedback, offer suggestions, and explore ways to get involved. This is your chance to have your voices heard and to get involved in the process. Your support, and the support of the larger community, is critical to our success.

Capital Alehouse is graciously donating the Music Hall for this event. Like a growing list of business and community leaders, they believe that the opportunity to host a World Championships will have a significant impact on the region, and they want to do their part to help. In return for their support and generosity, we hope that many of you will consider eating dinner and/or drinking a beverage or two during this event.

If you plan to attend please send me an email at tim@shadetreesports.com. Capital Alehouse has asked that we try to estimate the number of attendees so that they can plan for the appropriate number of wait staff. I will send out an RSVP reminder next week.”

Please continue to spread the word and encourage your fellow cyclists to attend. I am also requesting that you RSVP to me (tim@shadetreesports.com) so that we can gauge the numbers for Capital Alehouse. If you have already done so, thanks, no need to RSVP again! If you haven’t and you plan to attend, please send me a quick email. We would like to see a packed house and demonstrate the cycling community’s support for the bid. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at tim@shadetreesports.com or (804) 385-3051.

Details are as follows:

What: World Championships Town Hall

When: Wednesday, February 2
Doors Open: 6:00pm
Program Begins: 6:30pm

Where: Capital Alehouse (downtown)
Music Hall
623 E Main St
Richmond, VA 23219

Come out and support cycling & voice your opinion.

Richmond 2015

(Ra) More Lost Garden Fun

2010-12-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some videos from last Saturday’s “Lost Garden” trail work courtesy of camera man Bill Swan of Richmond ASR.

First up is a “walking in” approach of the entrance to the new Lost Garden. Note: Trail work was still in progress.

Next is a quick clip of JRPS Trails Manager Nathan Burrell operating the Ditch Witch to help place a large rock at what will be the exit of the trail feature. Having mechanized equipment and skilled operators is a huge asset to building sustainable trails in the city but it still doesn’t eliminate all of the manual labor. It still takes a sharp eye, experienced hands and a strong back to complete the sweet single track that we all love.

And finally we have a short clip of two local racers from the Luna Chix team trying their skills on the new feature. Way to go ladies!

A big thanks goes out again to all of you who came out and lent a hand to get this feature put in place and to Bill Swan for the video and finally to the city of Richmond for allowing us to play & build in it’s wonderful park.

Don’t forget the end of the year social and December club meeting will be held at Legends this Wednesday starting at 6pm. We hope to see you down there.

Until then please enjoy this light dusting of snow.

"Lost Garden" trail work update in pictures

2010-12-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

Take a look at what’s brewing under the bridge downtown.

It’s a new TTF dubbed the “Lost Garden.” It’s an idea that was proposed by some local mountain bikers and then put into the dirt by those same bikers.

It's a perfect example of what can happen when you get involved.

It's also looking good boys.

We appreciate all of your hard work.

The project is almost finished but work will resume on this section again at 9am Saturday morning.

Please come on out and lend a hand for a few hours if you can.

With a little bit of luck we should be able to finish up the garden this Saturday and who knows maybe even get a video of Marty riding this creation. Here’s the skinny if you can help out for a while Saturday morning.

Trail work starts at 9am and usually lasts till at least 2-3pm. Feel free to come out at any time to lend a hand. The Lost Garden is located on the back side of Belle Isle near the wooden access bridge that leads off the island. Park at the Tredegar St. parking lot underneath the train tracks then walk across the suspension bridge to access Belle Isle. Once on Belle Isle follow the paved path towards the back of the island and you will see the wooden bridge and the crew working.

We will try to have some updated pics of the completed rock garden TTF when it gets finished.

12/4/10 Trail Work and info update

2010-12-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

Greetings Fellow Trail Enthusiasts,

This Saturday 12-4-10 Nathan & the gang will be heading over to Belle Isle to help some fellow mountain bikers finish up a new TTF near the wooden access bridge on the backside of the island. A small group of dedicated mountain bikers have already spent the last several weekends dong the lions share of the work under the guidance of Nathan. Now we just need to come in and take care of moving some of the larger rocks into place and do some finishing work. The idea is to work from around 9am till about 1:30ish then pack up the tools and head over to Forest Hill Park to join in on the benefit for Wayne Goodman. In case you missed the info that we sent out about “A Day In The Park For Wayne” we will follow this email up with a quick reminder. Wayne has dedicated countless personal time and funding not to mention an un-measurable amount of time swinging an axe, tamping the trail tread and working a shovel to help us make the trails what they are today. Please drop by Shelter #2 in Forest Hill Park to show your support and help us give something back to a man who’s given us so much.

The meeting location will be at the “Lost Trail” trail head near the wooden access bridge at the back of Belle Isle at 9am. If you enter Belle Isle via the footbridge (that comes over from the Tredegar St. parking lot) just follow the paved pathway to the back side of the island and you will see the wooden access bridge. The entrance to the “Lost Trail” and the path to the new rock garden will be on your left as you approach the wooden bridge.

PS. While we have your attention we wanted to remind you that our friends over in Harrisonburg are still fighting hard to keep mountain bike access open to several incredible trails like the North Fork trail just across the West Virginia state line. Please take 2 minutes to visit this site and sign the petition then email our congressman and let him know that we ride trails and that we demand fair access.

Thanks,

The RaMORE board

When: Saturday 12-4-10 9am

Where: The easiest thing to do is park in the Tredegar street parking lot (the lot commonly used for Belle Isle/Browns Island events. Underneath the train tracks near Tredegar Iron Works) and cross the concrete footbridge to gain access to Belle Isle. Once on Belle Isle follow the paved pathway towards the back of the island to the wooden access bridge.

Bring: Same as always; gloves, comfortable shoes or work boots, water, a snack and a smile.

A Day In The Park For Wayne

2010-12-03T09:03:00.001-08:00

Wayne Goodman, local trail builder and friend to the James River Park, was recently injured riding his mountain bike on his beloved JRP trails. He is recovering at the VCU Medical Center’s spinal cord rehabilitation unit. Wayne, who has donated literally thousands of hours of his time as well as money, blood, sweat and tears, is now in need of our help.

A small committee of his friends has formed to plan events and other means to help Wayne in his time of need. We are announcing the first event which will occur on Saturday, December 4 at 2:00 p.m.at the main shelter (shelter #2) in ForestHillPark(note: this is the shelter area where Wayne’s fateful accident occurred). To get there, you should enter the park by heading north on 42nd Street, then turn right into the park at New Kent Avenue.

The plan is to spend “A Day in the Park for Wayne.” We will be taking donations and selling “G-Man” t-shirts where all proceeds will go towards helping Wayne with his finances. The location will be the main shelter at the back of the park. We will have coffee, hot cider, brownies, cookies and anything anyone else would like to donate.

We are also planning to post a donation link on Wayne’s website at http://cantholdagoodmandown.com/ in order that donations can be accepted from individuals or groups wishing to help out but don’t have the availability to attend fund raising activities.

Additional events are now being discussed and further information will be provided as the details are confirmed.

Wayne remains very positive in his recovery and his rehab team reports very encouraging progress. The road is going be long and Wayne knows this will be the toughest race of his life.

As a team, all of us can pull together to help someone who has enabled us to enjoy a park that is unique not only in Virginia but on a national level.

Thank you

North Fork Mountain Ride video

2010-10-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

North Fork Mountain Ride - Oct 2010 from Outdoornut Duane on Vimeo.

Some folks did a great job putting together a sweet video of the North Fork ride. Check it out, ride the trail and remember this bill is still in Congress. Lets keep the trail open!

Ride Recap- North Fork Mountain Awareness Ride

2010-10-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

A 5am meet up for a ride share is not a common occurrence for most mountain bikers. We consider that more of a Triathlete thing. Heck most Triathletes are already done with their swim workout by 5am and are possibly already out on their bikes for a time trial ride around the neighborhood before the traffic hits. Still when a trail ride has as much promise as the IMBA Epic North Fork Mountain trail a 3am wake up call to make it to a 5am ride share is a small price to pay for the fun that awaited.

With a water bottle full of iced coffee and eyes half open Richmond MORE member David R. & I made our way over to Harrisonburg to meet the second ride share of the day for our trip into West Virginia. In the Food Lion parking lot we met up with another Richmonder and Richmond MORE member Aaron B. who was also looking for a fun ride on a new trail. Aaron was looking to extend the pre planned route out a bit further but David & I were quietly hoping to score a shuttle opportunity so that we could ride the entire ridge from tip to tale (South to North.) In typical mountain bike brethren fashion a member of the SVBC was cruising the parking lot trying to corral all the hardcore riders who were looking to ride the full ridge. Jackpot!

*Photo courtesy of Shenandoah Mountain Touring.*

After a short drive into West Virginia via route 33 David & I were parked on the roadside getting chamoised up and debating if arm & knee warmers would be necessary. We had a nice group of 15-20 start at the route 33 trail head and take on the full monty. The beginning of the trail was fast and rolling and while mostly non technical

*Photo courtesy of Metro.*

it didn’t take long for the classic WV rocks to appear from beneath the beautiful Fall leaf cover. Now the line choices start becoming key to staying on the bike. After a fast wide open descent the trail turned upward and the real climbing started. Uphill rock gardens that could be ridden by skilled riders soon gave way to a few hike a bike sections that were ridiculously steep and covered with leaves. The pay off for the short hike a bike was consistent incredible views from almost every rock outcropping in sight. The incredible view phenomenon would continue throughout the rest of the trail.

*Photo courtesy of Metro.*

*Photo courtesy of Shenandoah Mountain Touring.*

*Photo courtesy of Metro.*

The single track would change from a bright red carpet of fallen leaves and hidden embedded rocks to a pine needle covered trail with big nasty rock gardens that required full attention and subtle body English to clean your lines.

*Photo courtesy of Shenandoah Mountain Touring.*

*Photo courtesy of a fellow rider.*

The trail would then change again into a dark brown WV dirt with a beautiful firey orange and yellow tree canopy. Occasionally you would pop out onto a fire road/access road for a minute or two to connect the trail segments and allow vehicle access up and over the mountain.

*Photo courtesy of Shenandoah Mountain Touring.*

While riding the trail we encountered a multitude of trail users ranging from other fellow cyclists to a group of Scouts hiking along the ridge then a group of 8-10 equestrians who were out for a nice Sunday horse ride in the woods.

*Photo courtesy of Metro.*

Eventually we ran into the main group of riders who were along for the shorter organized ride. Everyone that we encountered throughout the day was highly impressed with the quality of the trail and the beautiful overlooks.

*Photo courtesy of Metro.*

*Photo courtesy of a fellow rider.*

After some rolling rocky ridge riding the trail pointed up once more before leveling off into a good sized technical section then it begin to flow downhill like a ribbon. Screaming down the descent was very similar to carving sweet turns in the snow or waves in the water.

*Photo courtesy of Shenandoah Mountain Touring.*

It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe to someone but easy to enjoy when you find yourself knee deep in the flow.

*Photo courtesy of Metro.*

*Photo courtesy of Shenandoah Mountain Touring.*

We hit the small parking lot at the end of the trail and took a quick spin on the pavement back up to Redman Run to meet the shuttle. In the end this was one of those rides where everything just fell into place. The weather could not have been better, the trail was definitely worthy to be deemed an Epic, the views were incredible and the company was the best. If you’ve never had the chance to ride the North Fork trail I strongly recommend that you make time to make a trip over and check it out. In the meantime please join us in helping keep the trail open for bikers to enjoy. Keep an eye on the “Save the North Fork Mountain Trail” website for updated specific information. Information about the current Wilderness Proposal Bill can be found here.

*Photo courtesy of Metro.*

Sustainable Trail Building 101 Class this Saturday

2010-10-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

The header says it all but this link will give you the full details. We hope to see you in class on Saturday.

2010 IMBA Take a Kid MTBing Day

2010-09-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, IMBA will celebrate its sixth annual International
Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. This is a great opportunity for you to pass your
passion for pedaling on to kids!

Location
Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield, VA, 23832
37° 23' 51.6084" N, 77° 35' 46.7772" W

Time:
10 am – 2pm

Details:
Parent and child riders only (children must be accompanied by a legal guardian)
Helmets required! NO TRAINING WHEELS!
Food and snacks provided.
Special giveaways/prizes to participants!

A big thanks to our supporters who include: REI, Friends of Pocahontas State Park, Richmond MORE and DCR.

Flyer

Make sure your voice is heard.

2010-09-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

We wanted to fire off a quick reminder email about tonight’s public forum meeting.

We at Richmond MORE strive to be good stewards and advocates of the cycling community. In doing such we would like to pass along some info that we feel is very important for you as a cyclist to know about.

The Mayor's Bike, Pedestrian and Trails Commission will hold a public forum on Monday, September 20 (That’s Tonight) at The Carillon at Byrd Park, 600 S Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23219 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The presentations will start at 6:30 pm.

The purpose of the meeting is to present the Commission's preliminary findings and recommendations on how to make Richmond a bike, pedestrian and trail friendly town. The Commission hopes to gain input and feedback from citizens.

We ask that you come out and have your voice heard.

Thank You,
The Richmond MORE Board.

RaMORE Monthly Meeting June 2010

2010-06-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

We will be holding our monthly meeting at Legends on the patio this month. After the meeting’s business is tended to we will have a social to celebrate the end of the 09/10 Fall into Winter Trail work being completed and to get our 2010 Summer kicked off.

Here’s the info:

Where: Legends Brewery out on the patio (inside if the weather is bad)

When: Wednesday June 16th 2010 at 6:00pm

We hope to see you there.

National Trails Day a partnership of RaMORE & REI.

2010-06-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a second to pass along some info about our partnership with REI & the James River Park System for National Trails Day on June 5th.

Please join us on Saturday June 5th at 9am in the Reedy Creek parking lot. We will be working on rerouting a section of the Buttermilk trail. This will involve cutting in about 300 feet of new trail and reclaiming about 250 feet of trail. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers as well as a REI OXT t-shirt.***

VORS series racers don't forget that you can earn series points for trail work!

***In order to get the REI OXT shirt you will need to register to volunteer with REI at www.rei.com/stores/127 or call their customer service number 804-360-1381. You don't need to register just to come out and help out but you must register if you want a free shirt.

We hope to see you there in support of National Trails Day.

Thank You,

Richmond MORE

Dominion Riverrock weekend

2010-05-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

Good morning RaMORE members,

We have another call to action volunteer request for you. RaMORE will have a club tent (or booth if you will) over on Browns Island during this weekend’s Dominion River Rock festivities. We need to find a handful of RaMORE members to help us man the booth on Friday and Saturday. This opportunity for us presented itself in a last minute fashion and we must apologize for the scramble for volunteers but we feel that it’s important for us to represent the club at an event that utilizes and celebrates the trails that we all work so hard to maintain and preserve.

If you, a friend or a family member or can lend a hand on Friday or Saturday please send us an email to: Ramorerides@gmail.com and we will get with you regarding further details

Here are the times that we need volunteers:
5/14/10
Friday morning: 10:15am-11:30am (for setup)
Friday afternoon: 4pm-9pm (for the Expo)

5/15/10
Saturday afternoon: 3pm-9pm (for the Expo)

5/16/10 *we may need a hand tearing down the setup*
Sunday morning tear down 9am-noon.

Even if you are unable to help out, please stop by the booth and say “Hi” or hang out. If you haven’t already signed up for some of the many great events that will be happening this weekend point your browser over to the Riverrock home page (http://www.dominionriverrock.com/) and take a look at the multitude of good times there are to be had then ask yourself, “why not?”

We hope to see you there.

Thanks,
The RaMORE Board

Permit Needed to Ride on State Forest Trails

2010-04-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

Cyclists Face Possible Misdemeanor Charges

Beginning January 1, 2010, a permit is required for cyclists to ride on VA State Forest trails. If a rider does not have the $16 permit, they face potential conviction of a Class IV misdemeanor. The permit may be purchased for online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/licenses/ of wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold.

Please let your members know about this as soon as possible.

The permit is required for State Forests, NOT Va State Parks.

For a map of Virginia State Forests, see: http://www.dof.virginia.gov/stforest/state-forest-map.htm

The program was put in place to raise revenue for the Division of Forestry. The VBF does not support this policy change and is working with the Forestry to monitor the program. The VA Bicycling Federation feels that criminal penalties are uncalled for and overly harsh and and we will work to have the criminal penalties removed by the General Assembly.

Please let your members know so they can avoid spending a day in court!

Check out our new facebook page: http://bit.ly/VBFFB

If your organization isn't already a member of the VBF, please consider joining today: http://www.vabike.org/join-vbf/

Safe cycling,
Virginia Bicycling Federation
www.vabike.org

FHP is re-opened thanks to you!

2010-04-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hard work pays off.

Read about it.

And get out and enjoy it.

No trail work this weekend due to the National Duathlon in town. Please keep an eye out for the racers on the trails Saturday.

Thank you for all of your sweat equity and contributions.

Massanutten New Trail & S.V.B.C. trail

2010-04-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

With the snow finally melted and the locals in full on fat tire mode it’s time to really start thinking about some day trips to the mountains. While the George Washington National Forest and the Jefferson National Forest both offer hundreds of miles of incredible riding if you really want some burly technical riding there is no better area than Massanutten Mountain.

If you are unfamiliar with Massanutten take a quick peek at this great video that was produced by efforts from Shenandoah Mountain Touring, The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition and The Shendoah Bicycle Company. This trail is one of the many great trails on private Massanutten Resort Property and you must obtain an annual pass to ride it but fear not the pass is easy to obtain and the trails are more than worth it. Check out the video then I will offer some more info.

There are two ways to obtain an annual pass so that you can ride on this trail and many other great Massanutten trails.

#1 Become a member of the S.V.B.C.(if you are not already) and make a $50 donation towards the trail. The money will be used in maintaining the Massanutten trails and building more incredible trails like this one. And fear not, your S.V.B.C. money will be used wisely. These guys and gals have been doing incredible things for bicycle advocacy for far longer than I’ve been riding a bike.

#2 If you are a more hands on kind of person keep an eye on the S.V.B.C. website for Massanutten trail work days. Show up and work not stand around chatting, sorry fellas the sewing circle at the union didn’t build a trail this sweet, it takes some sweat equity. Just 3 days of trail work (roughly 8-10 hours) and a membership to the S.V.B.C. will net you an annual pass and some incredible trail building knowledge as well as potentially some new friends. (Quick note: Most trail work takes place on Thursday’s throughout the months of March-June starting at 5pm with various meeting locations depending on where the work site is to be.)

More info about Massanutten trail work can be found here. Also, you can get the scoop by calling the Shenandoah Bicycle Company at 540-437-9000.

Get involved and get riding. You will be glad that you did.

Editor’s Note: I personally plan on making a few Thursday day trips out to Massanutten to do some rides on the northern end of the mountain range in the morning then meet up with the trail work crew for some evening trail work. For fellow Richmonders this would be a great way to car pool out, take a mental health day from work to get in some great riding and some great trail work. I will try to post the trip dates as I can make the plans but if you would like more info please email me via the “about me” section of the blog. Also don’t forget the amazing and challenging Massanutten Hoo Hah race will be here before you know it.

Management plan solicits public opinion

2010-04-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

*Picture courtesy of author Andy Thompson*

Management plan solicits public opinion

At 1.1 million acres in Virginia and West Virginia, the George Washington National Forest is big enough to accommodate a multitude of interests and users. In numerous trips west the past couple of years, I've biked, hiked and fished on it. Others hunt, watch birds, ride horses, camp and pilot their all-terrain vehicles. Then there are the commercial interests - most notably logging - that have a claim on the land.

But even a million-plus acres isn't enough to prevent user conflicts from erupting, especially when you consider that more than 5 million people live within a two-hour drive of some part of the forest. That's why the Forest Service, which administers, manages and polices all national forests, undertakes periodic revisions of its management plan for each forest unit.

That process is just beginning for the George Washington. It starts with five public meetings in April. In Lexington, Verona, Woodstock, Hot Springs and Baker, W.Va., the public will have an opportunity to have its voice heard and help shape a draft forest plan. People also can submit written comments during a 60-day public-comment period. The new plan likely will be in place by the end of 2011.

*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (Bald Ridge Trail near Braley Pond George Washington National Forest.)

As The Associated Press reported, "[the plan] will address logging and other commercial uses, recreation, road and trail building, drinking-water protection and preservation of the forest's more pristine areas. . . . Among the items under consideration are expanding roadless areas, increasing timber harvesting, creating more special areas to protect ecologically sensitive species, increasing controlled burns and dropping a plan for a new all-terrain vehicle trail near Archer Run."

The significance of this management plan revision - a process that occurs every 15 years - may not seem immediate to Central Virginia lowlanders, but it certainly is to those who live, work and play on and near the GW.

*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (Looking into West Virginia while climbing up to Little Bald Knob. George Washington National Forest.)

Chris Scott, a former professional mountain biker, owns and operates Shenandoah Mountain Touring out of Harrisonburg. He takes customers on bike tours of the western part of the state, crisscrossing the national forest on its endless single-track trails and fire roads.

"The public can influence the plan," he said. "Whether it's requesting better habitat management for grouse hunting or mentioning an [area] that might get logged that you don't want them to log in."

He and other mountain bikers are trying to convince the Forest Service to officially recognize trails as resources.

*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (Bald Ridge Trail near Braley Pond George Washington National Forest.)

"Trails themselves have an economic value," he argued. "They get people out in the woods; people spend money in their local communities."

He said that many times he has come upon favorite trails that have been turned into "firelines" by loggers running "an 8-foot-wide bulldozer down a chunk of it and totally destroying it. It's a trail. They shouldn't just drive the machines down the trail because it looks like the easiest way to get into that area."

Tammy Bellinsky, a board member at Virginia Forest Watch, said her group exists to watchdog the Forest Service "to make sure that they are managing the forest within the bounds of the law and the within the bounds of the management plan."

One of the group's goals, she said, is to get the Forest Service to achieve a better balance among logging, recreational and environmental interests.

*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (Looking south at Douthat State Park’s Brushy Mountain, Middle Mtn & Beards Mtn. from a scenic stop along the IMBA epic “Southern Traverse” ride. George Washington National Forest.)

"What's really lacking in how the Forest Service manages the forest is real monitoring data that shows that what they set out to do when they log is what they achieved."

Ken Landgraf, a Forest Service planner, said logging is undertaken primarily to develop the early successional habitat that grows up in areas that have been logged. The goal is to aid species such as grouse, quail, yellow chat, and golden-winged warblers.

"There are some people who think that's very important for wildlife diversity," he said. "There are other people who would prefer for more natural processes to occur and that we don't do as much active management."

Hunters who've watched game such as grouse and whitetail drop significantly on the national forest want to see more habitat work, whether it comes after logging or prescribed burns. Hikers and horseback riders, on the other hand, probably don't enjoy walking through clear cuts. Bikers want more trails and existing ones respected.

That's the tug of war constantly taking place over the forest.

"We have an awful lot of users and uses but we also have 1.1 million acres of land, so we can address a lot of the uses," he said. "Many of those uses aren't compatible on the same acre of land, but we do have enough acres that we can have wilderness and do timber harvest, for instance. But it is a matter of 'How much of each?'"

*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (One of the views from atop Elliott’s Knob on the Great North Mountain looking west toward the Shenandoah Mountain range. George Washington National Forest.)

Contact Andy Thompson at

(804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com.

When the knobbies meet the trail

2010-04-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

In case you haven’t noticed, the weather has been beautiful lately and Richmond MORE hopes that you have been able to get out and enjoy it. RaMORE members David and Ryan have definitely been out and about and David was kind enough to share some great photos from a recent ride. Thanks for sharing David and on a side note those are some great shots.

Ryan Thompson droppin’ in on the Northbank with the big city looming in the background.

Ryan crossing the beautiful bridgework below Hollywood Cemetery.

Ryan carving some s-turns on the Northbank.

Dave Kern rippin’ some dusty s-turns on the Northbank.

Ryan Thompson crossing one of the older bridges on the Buttermilk.

Ryan Thompson conquering some old demons on a steep section.

The reward after the climb!

Catching up with Officer Rogers post ride.

Just in case you didn’t know Mr. Rodgers always keeps the neighborhood in check. Plus how great is it that he gets paid to ride his bike? That’s as close to pro as most of use could ever dream of being. Thanks, for all your work out there Stacy.

Beer & Klunkerz does it get any better?

2010-03-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Please join us at the Downtown Capital Ale House Wednesday April 21st at 6pm for some good food, great beer and a superb little flick about the history of mountain biking called Klunkerz. The movie should start around 7pm but we advise you to grab a good spot at a table and get some food before the show starts. Don’t be that guy eating chips with your mouth open during the movie!

Maybe you’ve already saw the movie, maybe you even caught bits and pieces of the visual side of it during Trailicious, but lets be honest folks a documentary about mountain biking history with no audio is a bit like Lance Armstrong on a mountain bike. You may see it but it’s hard to understand it all without the rest of the story.

To top off an evening full of good friends old and new, beer, food and a bike flick Richmond MORE will be raffling off some pretty cool prizes that you don’t want to miss out on.

The Richmond Chapter of Luna Chix will reportedly be bringing along some Luna Bar goodness for the sampling.

So call your buddies, have your wife text her friends and plan on being there. Come find out that the RaMORE crew likes to play just as much (or more) as we like to work.

See you there.

Forest Hill Trail Care - Saturday - Jan 30th - More good news!

2010-01-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

Greetings Fellow Trail Enthusiants,

Nathan has decided to stage the reopening of the trails in Forest Hill Park. Gone is the plan to close the entire park until everything is finished. In place now is a plan to reopen each section as it is completed.

The first stage to be completed will run from the Reedy Creek bridge, along the ridge below the school, across the cobblestone walkway, and to the switchbacks above the creek. Before this section can be reopened there are a couple of things that need to happen. First, a small crib wall needs to be built behind the school. Next, a 16 foot bridge needs to be constructed across the small creek at the bottom of the switchbacks. In addition, some rock work needs to be done on the switchback turns. The rock work on the switchback turns does not have to be completed before the section is opened.

Nathan and his crew are working almost full time during the week to get this project finished. If you can't come out on the weekend, please consider helping Nathan during the week if you have the time. Because Nathan's schedule can change during the week, it is best to either email or call him before coming out. Nathan's email is nathan.burrell@richmondgov.com. His phone is (804) 357-8897.

On another note, if you have any concerns or questions about the work being done in Forest Hill Park or in the James River Park System, Nathan urges you to contact him to discuss the issue or question. It doesn't matter if you're a mountain biker, hiker, runner, etc., Nathan wants to hear what you have to say.

This Saturday we will be working on the first stage. Nathan will have a small but very experienced crew building the crib wall behind the school. The rest of us will be adjusting and refinding the trail until we get to the switchbacks. This will include fine tuning the backslope and pulling leaves back down onto the lower part of the trail edge.

Again, please respect Nathan's wish for the trails to be closed. The trails are in no condition to be used and if ridden will just make it harder for us to finish the work. As each section is completed, we will announce its opening here and on our website. Please be patient, we are trying our hardest to get these trails open.
If we get snowed out, I'll send this out again next week.

That's it for now, we look forward to seeing you this Saturday.

The Sweco is here.

2010-01-20T20:29:00.001-08:00

Well friends the dice tumbled and we hit a win. The Sweco arrived Monday and the boys got right to work Tuesday. As of Wednesday evening Nathan, “BigWorm” & Mike were basically a day up on the project. The workload was looking like (4) 10-hour days but the boys think they will have it finished in 3 days thanks in large part to the talent behind the blade who goes by the name “Big Worm” and the gratuitous efforts of all of you wonderful volunteers who came out in to help out in a big way. If not for your efforts the trail corridor would not have been ready and things would not be what they are.

Thank You all of you.

You can check out a few more pictures of the Sweco work in progress thanks to Greg Rollins behind the camera lens. Take a look here.

To quote Nathan from our monthly RaMORE meeting tonight “As soon as the Sweco work is done we can start the “FUN” part.” I will get into a bit of that in our next post. Nathan, {& Mike & Big Worm} who by the way pulled a 10 hour day of trail work then braved West End rush hour traffic to give his insight during the meeting tonight and provide us with an update on the Sweco work will be hard at it again for another 10 hour day tomorrow. Talk about dedication! There is a good reason that I envy the passion that these guys bring to the table. Thanks guys.

Forest Hill Park Fundraiser Event............its TRAILICIOUS

2010-01-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

Help us raise funds for the Forest Hill park trail reroute. Stop by for a fun evening.

TRAILICIOUS is a benefit hosted by Richmond MORE to raise funds for the Forest Hill Park trail reroute project. The event will take place Saturday February 27 from 7-11pm at the Capital Ale House downtown Richmond. Free parking is available at 6th and Carey Street deck. Join us... for a fun evening of music, socializing and amazing raffle prizes. There will be a local Blue Grass/Americana band (fronted by fellow off road fixed gear aficionado Glenn A.) called Broke Bike Mountain, big screen videos of local riding and trail building and did we say tons of amazing raffle prizes! There may also be a few surprise guest appearances by some local legends as well as plenty of other great things that you will just have to be there to know about and see. So mark your calendars, come thirsty for fine beer and bring a few bucks for some raffle tickets. Admission is $10 at the door............or you can prepay on line. Sign up today; event is limited to 300 people. Click here to get your tickets!

For those of you who didn’t know about the JRPS fundraiser last year at Capital Ale House (long story short) there was a line of people standing outside waiting for the happy people inside to leave so that they could get in. Yup, it was sold out and people were outside trying to get in like it was free beer day or something. So if you know you want to be there you’d best buy some tickets early. It will sell out again this year in a bigger and better way.

So get your tickets now. Don’t be that guy who has to stand there and listen to his buddies talk about all the fun that he missed out on!

See you there.

More Christmas Light tour ride information.

2009-12-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

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.”

2009-12-17T04:02:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-09T06:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-09-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-20T13:25:00.001-07:00

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

2009-02-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-03T22:25:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-28T22:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-01-26T11:02:00.000-08:00