Virginia Mountain Bicycle Council

Virginia Mountain Bike Festival fast approaching - Sign up NOW!!!

2011-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Virginia Mountain Bike Festival 2011
Stokesville Campground, VA

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 - May 27-30th

From Virginia Mountain Bike Festival 2010

Just wanted to send out a quick reminder that the Virginia Mountain Bike Festival is a few weeks out. We have a great bunch of folks already registered, don't wait to join them! The Virginia Mountain Bike Festival is an event celebrating mountain bicycling in Jefferson and George Washington National Forests. Come out and enjoy the atmosphere, the riding, and social gathering that is the Virginia Mountain Bike Festival. Please encourage your riding friends to participate in this volunteer driven festival. Thank you for attending in the past, we hope you can make it again this year.

Register here - Online registration for $80 per adult and $20 per child closes on Wednesday, May 25th at 5PM- on site registration is $100

Your registration covers camping for 3 nights, and 4 days of great backcountry riding. Friday night the kitchen is open in the pavilion for your use (Grill and Burners). Saturday night we provide pasta and sauce. You provide your favorite side or dessert. Sunday night we provide a deluxe full on burrito dinner. Since this is a fundraiser for Virginia Mountain Biking there are no refunds. If you cannot attend, you will able to deduct the whole amount as a donation on your taxes.

The festival will feature rides for all, fun events, and great company on a glorious weekend at a private campground nestled against the George Washington National Forest. This fun-filled event is brought to you by Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC.

Not really into Mountain Biking? GREAT HIKING right from the Campground on the Wild Oak Trail or bring your ROAD BIKE and enjoy the wonderful road riding the Shenandoah Valley has to offer - we will have county road maps for your use. Bring your family for a fun weekend!

Hope to see you there,
Chris, Matt and Tyler

Special thanks to our sponsors for coming out to Stokesville for the weekend! There will be a few 2011 demo bikes from KONA BIKES. Richmond ASR will be in town as well helping run registration so that everyone can get out and RIDE!!
Also, a huge thanks to our local sponsor Shenandoah Bicycle Company and Trek Bikes for provided the weekend's beverages!!

Virginia IMBA Festival - Memorial Day Weekend - May 28-31, 2010

2010-05-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

Virginia IMBA Festival - Memorial Day Weekend, May 28-31 2010

Presented by the Virginia Mountain Bicycle Council, the Brain-Trust trying to connect Virginia's Trail-Riding Community! Stokesville Campground - Stokesville, VA

The Virginia IMBA Festival is a fundraising event celebrating mountain bicycling in the Virginia National Forests. Come out and enjoy the atmosphere, the riding, and social gathering that is the Virginia IMBA Festival. Register HERE on BikeReg.com. A portion of your fee will go back to your Virginia IMBA Club. Since this is a fundraiser for Virginia Mountain Biking there are no refunds. If you cannot attend, you will able to deduct the whole amount as a donation.

The festival will feature fun events, and great company on a glorious weekend at a private campground nestled against the George Washington National Forest. Many groups will be heading out on rides in the
GW during the event, and everyone is invited to head out and enjoy the trails! This fun-filled event is brought to you by IMBA, the Virginia Mountain Bicycling Council and all Virginia mountain bike clubs.

The Details!!

Advance online registration $80 per adult - onsite $100
Sunday-Monday only $50 onsite
Donations accepted for day use only

Friday night group kitchen in back of pavilion is open for anyone after 6pm
- Pot Luck Dinner at 8:00 PM
Saturday night pasta dinner with Potluck appetizer/salads/deserts will be served 6:30 until 8:00.
- grill will be available for you to cook your favorite meats or veggies for the pasta and sauce base that is provided
Sunday night is Burrito Dinner
Breakfast and Coffee is served each day from 7:30-8:30am
Lunch is up to each person

Additional activities for the weekend will posted on whiteboard at pavilion
Campfire starts at 9pm Friday and Saturday and 9:30 on Sunday
Observatory will be open after dark - pending clear sky
Rides below are suggested - Mgt. will help organize and provide route maps - not guided

Friday, May 28

Stokesville Campground Opens at Noon
3:30 p.m. Join the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition’s “Friday Fatty”
6:00 p.m. Warm up ride
8:00 p.m. Pot Luck Dinner - grill and kitchen is open to all.
8:30 p.m. Observatory Opens - with the Valley Star Gazers
9:00 p.m. Mini Bonfire Practice Session

Saturday, May 29

7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Waffle and Scrambled Egg Breakfast
9:00 a.m. WOMENS RIDE – Narrowback
9:15 p.m. KIDS RIDE - Stokesville Treasure Hunt
9:30 a.m. HUGE RIDE- Dowells Draft - Braley Pond
10:00 a.m. Big RIDE - Reddish Knob (drive up the mountain) - Little River Potential Wilderness Area
10:30 a.m. CHILL RIDE - North River Gorge Trail
6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Pasta Dinner - Pot luck appetizers/salads/desserts
8:00 p.m. 2010 Dream GW Trails and Stokesville Douthat Stokesville Slideshow
9:00 p.m. Fireside Chillin’ **Bonfire** We are seeking a beverage sponsor
Sunday, May 30

5:15 a.m. Sunrise Ride on Lookout Mountain
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Waffle and Scrambled Egg Breakfast
9:00 - 4:00 - TRAIL WORK session on Road Hollow 9-12:30 & 12:30-4 bring
your riding clothes and ride from there or ride before and help with local SVBC
project!
9:00 a.m. HUGE RIDE- Southern Traverse (drive to trailhead) - Jerkemtight Potential Wilderness Area
9:30 p.m. KIDS RIDE - Stokesville Points Race
10:00 a.m. Big RIDE - Lynn Trail to Wolf Ridge
10:30 a.m. CHILL RIDE - Narrowback Ridge
3:00 p.m. FAMILY RIDE - Country roads and fire roads
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Burrito Dinner
8:00 p.m. Open slideshow and video sharing under the Pavilion
8:30 p.m. Observatory Opens - Valley Star Gazers
9:30 p.m. Bonfire

Monday, May 31

6:00 a.m. Sunrise Run - approx 6 miles on country roads
8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Pot Luck Left-over Breakfast
10:00 a.m. BIG RIDE - Hearthstone to Wolf onto Narrowback
10:30 a.m. CHILL RIDE - North River Gorge
Stokesville Campground closes at Dark.

Not really into Mountain Biking? GREAT HIKING right from the Campground on the Wild Oak Trail or bring your ROAD BIKE and enjoy the wonderful road riding the Shenandoah Valley has to offer - we will have county road maps for your use. Bring your family for a fun weekend! Hope to see you there,

The Virginia Mountain Bicycle Council!

The VA IMBA Festival is managed by Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC - http://www.mtntouring.com/mountain/htm/home/page_home.htm

George Washington National Forest - Bicyclists Issue Papers for GW Plan Revision

2010-04-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some very informative documents to reference for your attendance at one of the remaining three GW Planning meetings

Please use them as guidance for written comments regarding the plan as well

These files are word documents that can be downloaded for your use

Schedule of April Meetings

Meeting Primer

GWNF Talking Points

GW Plan Extra Info

Please note the 60 day comment period ends on May 7^th, 2010

Here is a link to the Master Planning Page for the GW

Please email your comments following the below directions even if you are able to attend a meeting

Email Comments:

You may email your comments to us at: comments-southern-georgewashington-jefferson@fs.fed.us.
Please write "Comment on George Washington Plan Revision" in the subject line of your post.

Pictured - Jay Dicharry of CAMBC hauling the trail clearing equipment for a volunteer trail clearing operation on Beards Mountain Trail in the Warm Springs Ranger District

(Thanks to Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC for allowing us to host on their server in such short notice)

George Washington National Forest Planning Meetings

2010-04-26T08:01:00.001-07:00

Here is a schedule of GW Plan Revision Meetings for this week

Please attend one if you can to represent your access to over 1,000 miles of bicycle trails

Email va.mtbc@gmail.com so we can send you a list of talking points and background info

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 (7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
Fairfax County Government Center
12000 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 (6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
Woodstock National Guard Armory
541 Hoover Road
Woodstock, VA 22664

Thursday, April 29, 2010 (6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
Augusta County Government Center
19 Government Lane
Verona, VA 24482

The process and terms can be confusing
here is the link to master GW Revision Page
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/forestplan/revision/index.shtml

here is a FAQ that clarifies some important terms;
Roadless areas, potential wilderness areas, recommended wilderness areas and designated Wilderness Areas
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/forestplan/revision/mtg-updates-2008/wilderness-roadless-area-questions.pdf

Katy Martin rolls one of the George Washington National Forest's finest trails, the IMBA Epic "Southern Traverse" on Shenandoah Mountain.

GW National Forest Plan - New Documents Posted

2010-03-28T20:24:00.001-07:00

Please check out this new document released on March 25^th, 2010

There are a lot of links contained within the above document

Here are a few below that are good to take a look at

The GW Planning Team titled this one -
More Emphasis on Remote Recreation and Remote Habitat Alternative
This is the numbering system for the management prescriptions that will be used

This is the master page for the George Washington National Forest Plan Revision
The schedule of public meetings is subject to change – keep your eye on it!

USFS Volunteer Agreements 2010 & Trail Maintenance Handbook

2010-03-25T10:01:00.001-07:00

The USFS has a great FAQ that details the process along with a nice long list of regulations that is required for clubs or individuals who wish to perform maintenance on their favorite trails. It involves an officially signed volunteer agreement. This still doesn’t mean one can just go out and perform work on your local trails. Site specific approval is required from your local ranger district.

Volunteer Agreements – The Forest Service completes a Volunteer Agreement with every volunteer to document the service he or she will perform. There are two types of Volunteer Agreements.

Agreement for Individual Voluntary Services (Form FS-1800-7)
Agreement for Sponsored Voluntary Services (Form FS-1800-8)

The Professional Trail Builders Association (PTBA) has a great resource page HERE for multiple sources of Trail Building books and DVDs

Here is a link to the 2007 USFS Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook

The USFS wants to make sure you use the most current techniques when maintaining and constructing trails. Here is a great factoid from the handbook.

Dips Are In, Bars Are Out

For existing trails with water problems, we encourage the use of rolling grade dips or knicks instead of waterbars. Here’s why. By design, water hits the waterbar and is turned. The water slows down and sediment drops in the drain. Waterbars commonly fail when sediment fills the drain. Water tops the waterbar and continues down the tread. The waterbar becomes useless. You can build a good rolling grade dip quicker than you can install a waterbar, and a rolling grade dip works better.

Represent your favorite trail in the George Washington National Forest

2010-03-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

George Washington National Forest Public Meeting Schedule for Management Plan Revision
Please come out and represent your favorite remote backcountry singletrack trail at these meetings

All Meetings will begin at 6:30 pm and end at 9:00 pm

Monday, April 12, 2010

Valley Elementary School
98 Panther Drive
Hot Springs, VA

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

East Hardy High School
Baker, WV

Monday, April 19, 2010

Rockbridge Co. High School
143 Greenhouse Rd.
Lexington, VA 24450

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Woodstock National Guard Armory
541 Hoover Road
Woodstock, VA 22664

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Augusta County Government Center
18 Government Lane
Verona, VA 24482

Summer jobs building trail on Virginia's National Forests

2010-02-16T03:15:00.000-08:00

Last summer they announced $3.2 Million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) would go towards multiple trail projects in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.

This summer the work will get done. They haven't posted the Feb 8, 2010 press release yet, but it goes something like this -

Title -U.S. Forest Service and SCA to Partner on ARRA Trailwork
Subtitle - National Forest Trails To Benefit from Federal Stimulus Funding

The U.S. Forest Service and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) will partner to improve numerous trails on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, using funding from the ARRA. SCA is currently recruiting to fill nine project leader positions and 37 trail team member positions for seven SCA trail teams. During the summer and fall of 2010, these teams will improve up to 175 miles of national forest trails in Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Highland, Montgomery, Roanoke and Smyth Counties.

This is for the Team Leader Positions:

This is for the Field Staff Positions:

Detailed information and applications are available on the SCA website http://www.thesca.org/

Alert : Virginia State Forests permit required to bicycle on trails as of 1/1/2010

2010-02-04T10:10:00.001-08:00

The Virginia Department of Forestry approved a fee for Mountain Biking on Trails on Department of Forestry managed property. The fee is for Equestrians (horses) and Mountain Bikers but not for Hikers. More information is available HERE on the Virginia Bicycling Federation website - http://www.vabike.org/

George Washington National Forest - Planning Process to Resume March 2010

2010-01-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

Exciting news!

The Headquarters for the George Washington National Forest in Roanoke, VA is working hard so they can resume the collaboration with the public as they design the new GW Forest Management Plan.

They plan to publish a Notice of Intent (NOI) (to use the 82 regs and do an EIS) in the Federal Register in mid-Feb. That opens a 60 public comment period. They intend to publish in the NOI a 'proposed action' showing where they left off, preliminary issues and some alternatives that they will be looking at. Then we'll have some public meetings in mid-March.

Expect to see a lot of information on the GW Planning website in mid-Feb for reference to use in these March 2010 meetings. Please check this GW USFS Planning Link often to stay in touch with the process.

Mountain Bike Representatives have spent 2 years working on this revision previously using 2 different sets of planning regulations that the Bush Administration created. Both sets of Bush planning regulations were eventually stopped by US Courts. We will now be using the 1982 planning regulations.

EIS is an Environmental Impact Statement

Happy Trails

2009-12-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has some time to enjoy a bicycle ride on their favorite trail over the holidays.