IMBA Take A Kid Mountain Biking Event

What: Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day Event

When: Saturday, October 3, 2009

Where: Rocky Ridge County Park, 400 Deininger Road, York, PA

Sponsored by: York Area Mountain Bike Association and Adventure Cycling and Fitness, 4370 West Market St, York, PA.

Details: Registration starts at 1:00pm. Rides begin at 1:30pm. The event will conclude at 4pm.

This event is an ideal introduction to mountain biking for beginners or an opportunity for a group intermediate ride for more skilled riders. YAMBA members will be present to lead each group. All rides will also have a "sweeper" to bring up the rear. All children ages 6 through 18 are welcome to attend, those under 12 must have an adult present who will also participate in the ride. All participants should have their own bike and helmet (mandatory). Rides will be grouped according to the ability of the participants and the minimum ride length will be one mile. Very beginner rides will take place on a smooth gravel path. More experienced riders will get the chance to ride on more technical trails which include rocks, logs, and dirt. Snacks, drinks, and small prizes will be provided. A registration area will be set up in the rear gravel parking lot at Rocky Ridge Park. Please arrive a few minutes early for registration.

There is no cost for this event.

Email Dan Walko with any questions! mailto:danwalko%40yahoo.com. Also check http://www.yamba.org/ for the most up to date information.

A backlog of trailwork updates - Part 1

After neglecting updating the blog here is the first of the past projects the YAMBA trial fairies have been working on recently.

On June 16 eleven volunteers joined me at Rocky Ridge for anohter maintencance day. For this particular day we tackled the upper section of trail 6 which has started to focus water down the trail tread, and removing a few fallen trees (one of which became a log ride on trail 5). Thanks to the following: Dan Bowers, Paul Burchfield, Dan Walko, Scott Ramsay, Joel Dore, Alyssa Mease, William Weismantel, Ray Michels, Skip Durgin, Susan Moury and Jeremy Haag.

I don't have any pictures from the trail work day, but I do have some crappy cell phone pics that shows that our work worked.

Looking up the trail from the waterbar. We re-angled the bar, and here you can see water is hitting the backside.


Looking down from the waterbar you can see the wash that has formed on the right from the water hitting the bar and flowing off to the side instead of running down the trail.


Here we rerouted the trail slightly uphill, and put choke stones and debris on the old trail. This serves two purposes in getting water off the main trail tread and slowing that water down as it runs off.


Another slight reroute using limbs and stone to direct water off the trail tread


Here we blocked off a braid that had formed going into the rock ride. This braid allowed water to run down to the bottom of the rock ride creating a mud pit at the bottom. By closing this braid off and cutting nicks into the braid for water to run off, we have been able to keep the bottom of the rock ride dry.

A Little Roadie Diversion

On June 7th I had the pleasure of once again attending what I simply call the Philly Bike Race. Philadelphia has held this annual road race for the last 25 years under various names. It is known as one of the best single day races in the US and draws an A list of road riders every year. The race is best know for it's climb up the Manayunk Wall, a half mile climb at 17 percent max gradient that is traversed 10 times.

In years past I have watched the race from this location, and highly, highly recommend it for first time visitors. To picture the scene all one has to do is watch some of the climbs from major European road races. The crowd is that intense. This year we watched the race from the lower reaches of Ridge Ave at the end of the pelotons decent of the climb. A totally different experience, yet just as good.

How often do you get to watch a former world champ race? Judith Arndt


Or possibly the best female road racer of the time? Ina Tuetenberg Winner of the womens race.


I got to see some of the best mens talent in Andre Greipel (winner of the mens race), Mark Henderson, Bernhard Eisel, and Edvald Boasson Hagen (2009 Giro stage winner) all of Columbia/High Road. Here the mens peleton stretches out.


This is how close you can get to the peleton


Lastly a sample of what that descending peleton feels like (edited for language)

Membership Dues Poll

At the general meeting tonight there was discussion concerning how our membership dues are divided up. Currently 100% of your membership dues go back to the York County Parks to be earmarked for trails. To date YAMBA has donated over $16,000 back to the York County Parks.

As the years have gone by, it has been getting harder and harder for YAMBA to maintain its budget out of the operating fund. Currently this account is funded by the chainsaw cookout and any above and beyond donations given to the club. With costs for insurance, tools, supplies, and postage rising YAMBA is getting pinched tighter every year.

What do you think YAMBA should do to help raise the balance in the operating fund? Vote in the poll on the right, and feel free to leave a comment with this post. If you vote for the option "some other percentage split" please leave a comment on what you would like to see that split be.

Rocky Ridge Trailwork Report

On Saturday May 30th YAMBA had another Trailwork day. This particular day turned into a maintenance day as I surveyed the damage done by the logging and by water on fall-line trails. A crew of 10 showed up, not knowing what they had gotten themselves into. The days work included a chainsaw, bow saw, pick mattocks', and a lot of heavy lifting. We restored the side trails off of Sues Trail (trail 2) that go through the rock slot. Here we cleared the trail and put the logs back in, and blocked of the open areas caused by the logging trucks. Then we headed over to the fall line section of trail 3 where the parks have been trying to close the trail for 23 years. Here some dug tombstone pits. while others cut and carried a lot of wood to accomplish our goals.

Thanks to the following for coming out to help: Dick Mansberger, Rick Resh, Markus Houser, Dan Walko, Barry Shorts, Dan Bowers, John Funkhouser, Skip Durgin, Susan Moury, and Ed Roberts.

Pictures courtesy of Susan