FRONT SIDE OPEN

Due to rain, we've decided to cancel the May 11 Git'er done day.  A reminder, we still have a maintenance day next Saturday which we will devote to prepping the trail for the Spring Time Trial and Trail Run Extreme.  We still have thing that must be done for these events.

And BTW, if you are not participating in either of these events, we have need of volunteers to act as course marshalls and work water stations.  It's critical that we have people fill these roles in order for these events to be successfull.  Please volunteer your time so that we can properly fund this seasons trail building activities.

TAKE A BREAK, TAKE A RIDE

We'll meet in the Imagination Glen Mtb trail head parking lot @ 10 am to RIDE for a change.  We've put in a lot of trail work days so it's time to see what we've got so far.  Jamie and I will be putting in ramps on the newest Beaver Bridge on Friday nite @ 3pm.  We should be able to ride over it on Saturday. 

The Portgage Parks is promoting Bike Month and we will help them out this Sautrday by taking folks who show up on rides around the Glen.  Beginners will stay on the Front Side for safety reasons.  If we get more advanced folks we'll do the Dark Side.  If no one shows we'll just do a fun recon ride to see what we need to get done before our Time Trial in 2 short weeks.

See ya Saturday morning,

No Air Bud

As noted, the bridges on the Far Creek Run have been razed by flooding and freezing.  These bridges were scheduled for replacement this Spring, so they will NOT be repaired. 

WE NEED YOUR HELP IN THE COMING MONTHS installing durable, permanent replacements for these structures.  At the first opportunity, we will be installing concrete anchors for long spans of bridges.  We'll need help moving materials and mixing concrete.  After that there is a lot of materials to be moved and set in place so that the season can open. 

The Far Side trail will NOT open for the 2008 season until these structures are complete.  We need lots of extra hands when the time comes.  Remember this work is on top of other regular "spring cleaning" tasks such as clearing out the winter deadfalls, clearing ditches, blowing leaves and making sure everything drains. 

Please mark your calendars for the next two months sceduled trail maintenance day:  Sat Mar 22, and Sat Apr 19.  We will also be having special bridge building days during this time to get everything done in time.  We need extra help to get these tasks complete and open the season with the weather.

The Outback Challenge Spring time trial will be Saturday May24th.  If you want to make a weekend out of it in Portage, there is the Trail Run Xtreme 12K Run on Monday, Memorial Day.  There are several campground nearby [Indiana State Park campground  & Dunewood Campground @ the National Lakeshore]  You will also find a couple of hotels off the exit of the Indiana Toll road.  It would be a good way to pre-ride the Outback trail for the DINO race on Saturday June 14th.

The Outback Challenge Fall Time Trial wil be on Saturday September 27th.    

We hope to host the Trips for Kids event again this season.  No date has been set.

See ya this spring,

No-air Bud

One of the most important aspects of cycling is your pedalling technique.  An efficient technique can add a significant amount of power to your pedaling.  I found this excellent article discussing the different pedaling techniques.  It's a great thing to practice on a stationary bike in preparation for spring.