Is Trail Work as Fun as Riding?

I love riding my bike. I have always enjoyed parking at the trailhead, mounting up on the bike and riding off on the sweet singletrack. I never really thought about all the hard work that was involved with getting those sweet lines into the woods. I passed a crew working on the trails I was riding and stopped to tell them how good of a job they were doing. I chatted with the small crew for a few minutes then rode off. After that ride I started to feel a little guilty for not helping more. So I decided to jump in with both feet!

I have recently took up the responsibility of getting a mountain bike club up and running. As acting "president" I have been talking to public officials, meeting with other community group leaders, setting up meetings with IMBA, scheduling trail workdays, and flagging trail. (Worst part is that I haven't been on the mtb since I started this) I find all these things to be fairly easy compared to getting a group together to do the actual work. Life is really busy for many of us and me included. I have two awesome boys under the age of 6, work full-time, and do a couple little jobs on the side. I don't have a lot of spare room on my plate. I am passionate about mountain biking. I hate to see and hear people say, "I have to travel to ride my mountain bike," or "I rode the trails at the local park, but they were too challenging and I gave up." These are just a couple things that I have heard. We live in a beautiful area nestled in between the mountains in West Virginia. There is no reason that we need to travel to the surrounding states to ride. I guess that will be the end of my little rant, back to the point of the post.

I have not been doing trail work for a very long time. I have always found the time to be a good trail steward in the past and clear fallen sticks and such like that to help keep the trails open but I had never taken an active role in the full process until recently. I guess it started when I signed up and attended a IMBA Trail Care seminar in Richmond Va. I really enjoyed the class and took a lot from it. Our club is undertaking a long since forgotten loop at our local park. After going to the class it was easy for me to see why I had heard things like that in the past about our project. We are working to correct those spots now. I would suggest every mountain biker, hiker, trail runner, and even equestrian rider attend an IMBA class. There is something there for everyone. I am working on the Chapter process with IMBA so in the future we may have the Trail Care Crew training course in our area!



I asked this question on a few cycling forums to see what kind of feedback I received. Overall it was a mixed bag but the most common response was, " not as fun but necessary," I am paraphrasing but that was the gist. I don't expect people to be rolling over backwards to help put trails in but I thought many other would be like me and feel a little responsible to maintain the trails they ride. In our case we need help completing and grooming what we already have along with adding more. To anyone that actually reads this I am not referring to anyone specific I am speaking in generalities. Our workday group seems to be picking up and seeing new folks come out. That is AWESOME and I appreciate all the help! In closing I hope this post starts some conversation or drives someone out there to get involved in any capacity. I urge you to look into your local club, IMBA chapter, or even local parks and rec office for opportunities to give back to the trails that give so much to you.

If your still with me at this point here is my answer to the question, I get equal enjoyment out of trail work or a ride, but I follow that by saying that when I ride on a trail that I had hours working, blood and sweat  into my ride experience is elevated! That's why I urge you to get out there and give back!