Here here.
As 2021 tapers down and the iceman stoke fades, we at WMMBA are extremely grateful for the year we’ve had. It sort of seems like the last two years are encompassed within the last year, and for us, they kind of were. 2021 saw us get back to a somewhat normal year in terms of our work and our events and we certainly have a lot to be thankful for. So, we figured we’d just make a list.
At the beginning of 2021, we were joined by 50+ volunteers to rebuild major sections of The State Game area that were majorly impacted by logging. The logging crew actually did an amazing job of salvaging our trails and they made it significantly easier to rebuild and/or reroute major sections of trail. The end result of our work is a trail that is more sustainable, is now ridden in, and fits the character of the existing trail. The whole process shows how powerful the collaboration is between land managers, volunteers, and our board. That was a great way to start the year and we are stoked about how it turned out and although there will be more logging in the future, we are confident that collectively we will all be able to make the best of it and keep CSGA the gem that it is.
We are near completion of another great section of trail being complete on The Dragon. 2021 saw A TON of riders enjoying the trail, albeit sometimes on top of each other on 11.5 miles of out and back trail. Spreading out those riders and adding new connected trail is within arms reach now that the newest sections are complete. The Dragon is a massive project that is a collaboration of multiple state and county agencies, private orgs, and volunteers. It’s an amazing showpiece for what can be accomplished and 2021 certainly started showing riders just what a gem this complete trail system is going to look and feel like. We are extremely appreciative of everyone who is making it happen and to all of our members and volunteers for being a part of the journey.
Luton saw the opening of the new facilities as well as some trail updates and improvements. It’s such a great community-oriented trail and it was a great year at Luton watching all types of trail users work together to share the trail with each other. We are going to be doing some major trail restoration to the Yellow Loop in November and December in 2021 and we are thankful to be working with directly Kent County Parks to help us manage these updates. We need to fix a fair amount of erosion spots and dead roots/tree issues but we will certainly be focused on keeping our updates within the character of what Luton is. More on this to come very soon.
Merrell was on pause a bit this year besides what we view as an absolutely killer late winter of fatbiking. We were extremely stoked to be able to purchase a SnowDog groomer, which is narrow and can maneuver through tight areas, which worked perfectly for Merrell. Out of all of our local trails, Merrell saw the most fatbiking and our team of volunteers did an awesome job with the little snow we had. This coming winter will see the same plan for Merrell and then come spring, we have some big plans in the making to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Merrell. More on that to come but suffice it to say that our plans are not possible without the army of volunteers and the members who donate to support building, maintaining and improving our trails.
2020 saw us, for various reasons, shrink from a board of 9 down to a board of 3 existing members. In 2021, we were able to add 3 new board members, all of whom bring unique skills, experience, and passions to the table. We were blessed with new trail coordinators, new committee members, and a whole host of new volunteers that have helped with everything from trail days, to races and events, to fundraising. It was a challenging 2020 trying to keep things organized and moving forward but 2021 saw our new board get their footing and get back to the work that represents the needs and goals of our members and our community. We are very thankful for everyone who helps out and we still need more board members, more committee members, and we always need more volunteers. To help in any capacity, shoot us a message HERE and hit us up!
2021 saw the return of events, well, at least the Fall of 2021 did. We were able to be volunteers at BRX by pouring beers, we were able to run the YSTT again, Luton Park Time Trail happened, and MISCA and the Coyotes held multiple races on our trails. While racing and volunteering numbers are still down, it was amazing to be able to get back together with the whole bike community and race and party. A collective socially distanced high-five to all of the organizers that battled through 2020 and pulled of events in 2021. WMMBA actually collects most of our operating revenue from these events and we are absolutely thankful to the race organizers and committees who include us. It’s a privilege.
With 2021 allowing groups to come back together, we were able to restart existing trail-building conversations, and some new ones popped up too. We essentially lost 1.5 years of momentum for building any new trails but we are thankful and excited to start talking about them again. New trails projects are hush hush for many reasons but we have several new and exciting trail projects that are in the works and we will announce them when the time is appropriate. A lot of these projects have come from the relentless efforts of volunteers who have worked with state, city, and county officials in order to advance these trail conversations. We are stoked to announce new trail projects and going into 2022, we should have several projects be shovel-ready so keep an eye out for these announcements and how to help.
One of the positives to come out of the pandemic is the rapid acceleration in outdoor recreation. We have more new people on our trails and entering our sport than we’ve ever seen. We are extremely thankful for our new members and to our existing members for being such great advocates for our sport and the work that our volunteers put in. It’s an exciting time to be involved in building trails as state and local authorities are realizing the need to build and fund outdoor recreational opportunities. We feel tremendous support from our loyal community and we feel a growing sense of support from our municipal partners that help us achieve our big picture goals. There is a ton of momentum going into 2022 and we are stoked to be a part of it.
In a world that feels more divided than ever, we are extremely grateful to be a part of a community that seems to be more together and connected than ever. As a board, we take the bulk of the complaints when it comes to what happens on and with our trails. From our perspective, we saw fewer complaints, fewer incidents, and less b*$%ing than in previous years. We saw multiple types of trail users be gracious to one another when it comes to sharing the trail. We saw experienced riders helping to usher in new riders. We saw a ton of new volunteers. We saw more families and kids. We saw more diversity on the trails. We saw so many things within our community that give us hope and make us thankful to be a part of it.
2021 just felt like a year where everyone who was on the trails realized that being out on trails is more important than kudos and PR’s and shredding the gnar. It’s about having a place where anyone and everyone can find some peace, find some joy, and find a community that shares something together. If we all take anything forward into 2022, we hope it’s that.
Cheers to a great year and here’s to a better one!
Ride on.
-Prez