Creve Coeur Park Trail Update

Due to a very light turnout for the workday 2 weeks ago we were unable to open as much of the trail as hoped. Brian and Glenn, along with Drew Black, Aaron Coburn, and Eric Walter then went on their own time during the week and grubbed and raked the corridor connecting the 2 largest sections which had been cut. While only a relatively small section of trail is ridable, hopefully it will give you a taste of what's to come at this park. There may be another workday there this Spring, scheduled on short notice, so keep your eyes on the GORC Calendar.

This is going to be a fun place to ride. It's been described elsewhere as being like SIUE with climbing, so if that appeals to you, then please try to make an effort to come out, if not this Spring, then in the Fall.

Creve Coeur County Park Workday- Saturday, April 19th 9 a.m.

The new trail is in blue at the bottom right.

Come and help build the first section of brand new singletrack at Creve Coeur County Park. There is currently 2-3 miles of trail flagged, approved, and ready to build, with more to come. The trail is rollercoaster-like dirt singletrack with a few climbs thrown in for good measure. The first phase consists of a loop connecting to an out-n-back. We'll begin building the out-n-back, and depending on turnout, attack the loop.

Momentum Cycles is supplying coffee and bagels in the
morning, and we'll have schwag from Sunset Cycles and O'Fallon Brewery.

Enter the Park on Streetcar Drive (off Dorsett Rd), follow the road past
the first baseball field and tennis courts, park in the large gravel
parking lot just past the tennis courts on the right. St. Louis County
Parks is providing lunch afterwards - bring gloves, water, work shoes,
and weather permitting, your bike.

GORC Bike Patrol

Over the years GORC has done a number of things to help spread the
word and educate people as to the consequences of their actions on
the trails:

1) Developed a page on the GORC website listing IMBA's Rules of the Trail
which advocates adhering to certain principles while riding.
2) Created Trail Conditions forum on website where users can describe
the current state of each trail.
3) Published blog and newsletter with educational articles intended to
explain how natural phenomena, and riding in certain conditions affect trails.
4) Erected kiosks with signs at SIUE asking that users respect the
rights of others when using the trail.

Taking the next step, we're going to try to reach users more directly, on the trails.
IMBA has created a program modeled after the National Ski Patrol, called the National Mountain Bike Patrol. Although the name sounds a little serious, the intent of the Patrol is summed up by its motto "Assist, Educate, Inform." There is no enforcement component whatsoever to the Patrol. Patrollers will be doing pretty much what most GORC members already do anyway: riding the local trails, offering to help anyone with mechanical or medical problems, and just trying to be goodwill ambassadors for the sport. The difference is that we now have formal approval from the landmanagers to do so officially. To date, we have approval to Patrol SIUE, all St. Charles County Parks, and Lost Valley & the Hamburg Trail.

If you're interested in joining, or have more questions about the NMBP, post your questions on the GORC Forum, or get in touch with Rockboy aka Rob Horn, the program's coordinator.