Your Tickets to Win a Lynskey Pro29 VF Frame will be available via $10 Donation and you can also register for the 2nd Annual Ale for the Trail, hosted by Land Rover Nashville, June 15th.

Jackalope Brewing is located at 701 Eighth Ave. S. Nashville, TN and will also be one of our Ale for the Trail Brew Sponsors.

Please share and bring your friends!

Want more healthy family oriented outdoor facilities in the Nashville area?  The Middle TN chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association has developed a strong relationship with Nashville Davidson Country Metro Parks to create mountain bike trails in multiple parks throughout the county, particularly in areas that have no beginner or intermediate level trails.  With Tennessee being one of the 5 worst states in childhood obesity, these new trails can get the active outdoor experience a bit closer to your neighborhood.

Since 2004 SORBA Middle TN has been dedicated to enhancing our sport with better trails and user education.  Now we have land managers and government recognzing mountain bike and multi-use natural surface trails as facilities like ball parks and golf courses.  The advantage of mountain bike trails are the dedicated volunteers and low maintenance of sustainable trail design.  SORBA Mid TN recently hosted a Sustainable Trails Workshop at Bells Bend Outdoor Center to offer a hands on experience for a dozen students.  When volunteers are investing hundreds of hours in hand built sustainable trail, a lifestyle such as mountain biking starts to get noticed even more.

UPDATE: Experienced volunteer trail leaders have begun trail construction at Cane Ridge Park in the southeastern boarder of Davidson County, with the 1.8 mile phase 1 almost completed.  Phase 2 will begin this summer with detailed flagging and layout planned to offer fun flowing rhythm sections of over 4 miles.  Phase 3 will soon follow with hopes of near 9 miles of total trail at Cane Ridge.

“volunteers are investing hundreds of hours of hand built SUSTAINABLE trial…..”

IMBA-SORBA Mid TN’s 2^nd project with Metro Parks at Bell’s Bend will undergo layout and flagging this summer as well to enhance a Gateway trail of about 60% open space and the remainder in wooded gentle slopping terrain.  Bells Bend is located North of the Cumbeland River on Old Hickory Blvd.  With the Bells Bend Outdoor Center staff and programs, this 4.5 mile trail should offer many youth program opportunities liken to Trips for Kids.

The 3^rd but not final Metro Parks project with IMBA-SORBA Mid TN will be the gem of Percy Warner Park on a beautiful section at the northeast corner of the park.  International Mountain Bike Assoc. (IMBA) Trails Solutions, along with IMBA-SORBA Mid TN leadership and Warner Park Staff, has done a preliminary trail assessment of the Warner site in hopes to begin blueprint and layout during the Winter of 2012 to Spring of 2013.  This timeline and plan will rely on progress with the other two projects.  It is important for the success of these projects that all mountain bikers either Join IMBA-SORBA, share this information with other outdoor lovers and volunteer!

FUNDING THE MOVEMENT: As funding assistance for these projects, IMBA-SORBA Mid TN has applied for an RTP grant and will promote the 2^nd Annual Ale for the Trail Craft Brew Tasting, hosted at Land Rover Nashville.

IMBA-SORBA Middle TN is privileged to announce Lynskey Performance Titanium Bicycles has donated a Pro 29 Titanium Frame as a Trail Fundraising offering for only $10 donation per ticket.  Lynskey’s frame donation is a great addition to our 2^nd Annual Ale for the Trail Craft Brew Tasting, June 15^th at 6pm, hosted at Land Rover Nashville.

Ale for the Trail will offer guests flavors from 9 different breweries, a souvenir pint tasting glass, Swiftwick Socks, also sponsored by ProGold, Road ID, with more coming.  Enjoy live music from our mountain biking, country singing/songwriting friend, Keith Anderson (Picking Wild Flowers) that is also a part of this trail building evening.  $35 donation gets you an Ale for the Trail ticket.  All registration, brewery and event information available now at sorbamidtn.org.

Ale for the Trail will help fund new trail projects in the Nashville area.  For more information please contact IMBA-SORBA Middle TN at info@sorbamidtn.org

Land Rover Nashville to host our 2nd Annual Trail Fund Raising, Beer Tasting, Live Music from CMA Nominated Keith Anderson, Hot Munchies and Trail Story Telling evening with our friends….all for only a $35 donation!  We’ve had some SWAG monsters jump in to add to some of the world’s best brew.  EARLY REGISTRATION gets you a pair of the Worlds Best Socks – Swiftwick Rules!!

Wow..THIS JUST IN!  Lynskey Performance Titanium Bicycles has donated a Pro 29 Frame just for you…For only a $10 Donation – Get your TICKET TO WIN!

HELP US BUILD MORE TRAIL!

DONATE & Get your tickets NOW!!

Plus we’ll be pouring from these great breweries….

Hamilton Creek Brewery -
Yazoo Brew -
Blackstone Brewing -
Oskar Blues Brewery -
Crispin Cider -
New Belgium Brewery -

As Promised….It has become a very busy year of TRAIL BUILDING!  We are eager to not only train volunteers to better understand how to build sustainable trails, but to set a great example and pay it forward to our mountain bike community.

If you have this passion as we do….join us for two days at Bell’s Bend Outdoor Center April 14 & 15.

Click here for all the details and to register…NOW!

CLICK HERE!

Special Thanks to all the GREAT VOLUNTEERS bring more trail to Tennessee!

What great day to build a trail. Sunday January 22^nd IMBA-SORBA Middle TN hosted a party of 25 trail volunteers and gave birth to phase 1 of the Cane Ridge Park Mountain Bike Trail. This 2.2 mile section is the beginning leg of a proposed 9 mile trail system in Davidson County’s southeastern border to Rutherford county line, just off Battle Road. Cane Ridge is an established ball park and radio control airplane venue, which is one of the current volunteer projects under construction by IMBA-SORBA Middle Tennessee.

A few facts from the 1^st work day:

-26 Trail Volunteers introduced to this project

-100+ hours of TRAIL LOVE!

-3600 feet of new corridor

-Lots of smiles and energy taking us forward!

Don’t let us loose this incredible momentum and Join us….February 4^th and 18^th Cane Ridge Trail Love Work Days.

Link to more details and REGISTER to show your volunteer spirit and become a TRAIL BUILDER!

Yazoo Brew Tap Room is hosting our Nashville Premier of “Pedal Driven” Bikumentary, at 6:oo pm, Wednesday Nov. 16th.  We are eager to share much about new projects and growth of mountain biking in Middle TN, so join us to get the scoop.  We need your support to complete these new trails.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend. Click here and register to attend.  Limited seats available.

This is a free event.  On sight Donations and IMBA-SORBA membeships are encouraged!

Not a member?  Join us NOW! Choose Middle TN for your affiliate chapter.

Yazoo Brew Tap Room is located at 910 Divsion Street, Nashville, TN 37203 – 615.891.4649

Visit Howell at the Moon Productions to learn more about Pedal Driven and other HATM documentaries.

Upcoming events:  Click here or image above to Subscribe to our Newsletter.

For those of you unable to attend the meeting last night…I’ll try to give a quick recap (as it pertains to mountain biking): Although mountain bike trails were not part of the master plan for the new Burch Reserve property, according to Tim Netsch (Assistant Director Planning & Facilities – Metro Parks) mountain bike trails WILL be added in Percy Warner Park on a tract across the street (I think I’ve captured the approximate area below with the green circle but don’t hold me to the exact location).  I believe its about 120 acres.  Trail cutting will not start immediately (even with the high level of interest).  Metro parks (with assistance from SORBA) is coming up with a county-wide master plan for mountain bike trails (this is very exciting!) that will include PWP.  They will prioritize the projects, and I imagine PWP will be 2^nd or 3^rd on the list behind a couple other existing projects.  When the master plan is complete, I will definitely pass it on!

I know many of you will remain skeptical until the rubber meets the dirt, but this is HUGE win…and the only reason this is happening now is because of your feedback/interest and the relationship SORBA/IMBA has established with metro parks.  If you are a mountain biker and are not yet a member…we need you!! http://sorbamidtn.org/join/

A big thank you to Metro Parks and Friends ofParks for including mountain biking in the plan for PWP, a big thank you to SORBA/IMBA for laying the groundwork for a great partnership, and a big thank you to everyone who provided feedback at the meetings or thru the website.  You have been heard!!!

If anyone is interested in seeing the master plan for the Burch Reserve Property (which includes some pretty cool features like observation towers, canopy walks, walking paths, etc…) the presentation should be available in the near future on the Friends of Warner Parks website (http://www.friendsofwarnerparks.com/).

Keep on ridin’!

Carolyn Heichel
SORBA Mid-TN Membership Chair

March 23rd Tennessean Article, “Runners Bikers want to use trails” after Public Meeting does not share all the details that will avoid user conflict.  With the announcement of mountain bike specific trails at Percy Warner that will not intersect others, we now look to the county wide master plan and work PW into a high priority project.  More info to be shared in April as sight review will render a glimpse of what’s to come.

Tennessean – Residents Debate Warner Parks…

IMBA E-news Article

SORBA Member’s letter to the Tennessean

Same Tennessean Article reference on NPR

Action Alert for Public Meeting for Percy Warner

Vanderbilt University’s Outdoor Rec Center’s Inaccurate Take on why MTB is not allowed in Percy Warner

One Speed Blog – Percy Warner New Addition

Please pass this link on to EVERYONE!  We need a strong response on the  Friends of Warner Parks website from the mountain bike community!!  It only takes a minute!

For those of you who were unable to make the public meeting last Thursday to discuss the use of the new Warner Parks Burch Reserve, I will try to give a short recap.  The property containing the old growth forest has already been set aside as a State Natural Area and will not be up for discussion (Hill Forest DSNA).  The area south of the Hill Forest DSNA is the Burch Reserve and has around 140 acres (post meeting correction…only 80 acres) north of the CSX tracks and is the focus of these public meetings.  Hodgson and Douglas (Landscape Architects) have been hired to come up with a master plan.  This first meeting was to gather input from the user groups.  At the next meeting on March 22^nd the proposals will be presented for public feedback.

There were about 150 people in attendance (standing room only).  I estimate at least 120 were cyclists.  The mountain bike community was well represented with thoughtful and respectful comments about the need for mountain bike trails on the west side of Nashville (in Warner Parks specifically).  Comments included the positive impact on child obesity rates, family activities, exercise, sustainability of properly designed trails, and the imbalance of the user groups to resources.  A big THANK YOU to everyone who attended and represented the mountain bike community in a positive way!!!

Whether you made the Jan. 27th Warner Parks meeting or not, please go to the Friends of Warner Parks website (link below) and click on “Share your Thoughts” to provide your comments. I would love for their box to be flooded by comments about the desire for mountain bike trails in Percy Warner Park.  Your comments will be recorded as public record.

http://www.friendsofwarnerparks.com/

Points you may want to consider in writing your response:

• mountain bikers are one of the most underserved communities in Nashville
• studies have shown that mountain biking (on a properly built trail) has equal or less impact to the environment than many other user groups (including hiking and particularly equestrian)
• mountain biking provides a safe and fun outlet for kids and families (good alternative to computer games)
• IMBA-SORBA can facilitate designing, building, and maintaining the trails using volunteer labor, fund raising, and grants.  Rebuilding & sharing existing trails within Warner Parks must also be considered.
• Mountain bikers out number golfers by almost double in the U.S.
• IMBA-SORBA

PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR COMMENTS ASAP!!!

My Comments (for your reference):

The Burch Reserve and the adjoining Hill Forest DSNA properties are a wonderful and unique treasure for the city of Nashville.  I recognize importance of preserving the natural state of such a unique and interesting property.  With that said, I would like to propose that if ANY trails are to be included on the Burch Reserve, that mountain bike trails are considered as one of the leading options.  I have seen studies and witnessed first hand that mountain bike trails (when properly built using IMBA standards) have less impact to the soil, erosion, and surrounding plant life when compared to other user groups (including hikers and equestrians).  I think this is often misunderstood and should be studied and understood before a conclusion is made.

In the public meetings starting in 2008, it has been clearly documented that mountain bikers are one of the most underserved user groups in metro parks.  It has been requested for many years that mountain bike trails be considered for inclusion in the Warner Parks system, but the requests have fallen on deaf ears.  The inclusion of mountain bike trails will move Nashville up in the ranks of “cool” outdoor cities to live in.  We are behind most other cities in the areas of green space and outdoor recreation and the inclusion of mountain bike trails will only improve that standing.

I would like to request the following (in order of preference):

• Please consider mountain bike trails as one of the options for the new Burch Reserve property.  At least 10 miles of trail are requested (with a density of 1 mile per 15-20 acres).
• If trails are not considered on the Burch Reserve, please offer at least 200 acres of land in the currently existing Warner Parks for the creation of at least 10 miles of mountain bike trail.
• Take a section of the horse trail in addition to the property adjacent to Cheekwood and allow the creation of at least 10 miles of mountain bike trails.
• Provide dual use of current horse trails using alternate days.
• Provide land for a few miles of trail in the Burch Reserve in addition to acreage in the existing park to create at least 10 miles of mountain bike trail.

Please consider these options and consult SORBA/IMBA for questions or more studies:

The Warner Parks are the largest municipally administered parks in Tennessee and together span 2684 acres of forest and field, 9 miles from downtown Nashville.  Mountain bikes have not been allowed on any park trails since the early 1990′s.

Here’s a link to some of the impact studies referenced:

http://www.imba.com/resources/research/trail-science/environmental-impacts-mountain-biking-science-review-and-best-practices/

I appreciate the opportunity to provide my feedback and look forward to seeing your proposal for the property.

Carolyn Heichel

SORBA Mid-TN-Membership Chair