Gaining Ground: Urban Mountain Biking
© Beth Puliti
Last week, members of the Western Michigan Mountain Biking Association (WMMBA) moved dirt in an effort to eventually transform a former Little League park into an urban mountain biking spot in Grand Rapids.
A professional trail builder from the International Mountain Bike Association flew in to donate a week of his services to WMMBA. With his help, and the help of the local mountain bike community, the park will open this spring.
I think this is a great idea. What better way to keep a community thriving than to fulfill its need for urban recreation? I rode at one of the better known urban MTB success stories last year. While visiting friends in Pittsburgh, Pa., we made our way to Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Cleveland, Ohio–and rode for hours. Inside an old warehouse. In the middle of the city. In the dead of winter. It was surreal and spectacular.
Urban mountain bike parks are springing up in cities across the country–from New York City to Seattle. Is a mountain bike park being planned in your city? Or does one already exist? Let others know how to get involved or where to ride by commenting below.
Gaining Ground: Urban Mountain Biking originally appeared on About.com Mountain Biking on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 13:38:44.