The San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA) and IMBA are pleased to announce that after several years of discussions and an application period they have entered into an agreement that moves both organizations forward. SDMBA has "graduated" and joined the IMBA Chapter Program with an agreement that provides increased organizational capacity including membership support, special programs and a full-time staff person dedicated exclusively to working on programs, projects and advocacy in the South West.

"SDMBA has been an IMBA Affiliate Club for years. We've always been a part of the IMBA family but now both organizations are even closer. Now we'll be supporting IMBA even more and they will return that support." said Michael MacGregor, SDMBA's President.

By joining the chapter program, all SDMBA members will automatically receive dual membership with SDMBA and IMBA for just one fee. IMBA encourages all mountain bikers in the areas served by SDMBA to join this successful, highly-organized and very active organization. Founded in 1995, SDMBA has more than 500 members throughout San Diego County and maintains more than 300 trail miles in 18 parks, preserves and open spaces. In 2012, SDMBA volunteers logged 2,000 hours at 37 organized trail work days. SDMBA also provides rides and social opportunities to its members with events including the annual Archipelago Ride, the Tour de Fat and Annual Photo Contest.

IMBA is excited to have SDMBA as a partner in its chapter program. With more than 115 chapters active at the beginning of 2013, IMBA is looking forward to helping evolve the mountain bike movement. The Chapter Program has boosted IMBA's ability to increase staff including Regional Directors. Patrick Kell, IMBA's Southwest Regional Director has been helping SDMBA with advocacy issues as diverse as getting San Diego a bike park, working on US Forest Service and State Park Plans and support through regional summits. "The IMBA Chapter program is proving to be a highly successful model for uniting mountain bike advocates under one umbrella, with each chapter maintaining its local identity and flair. Through this program we are literally banding hundreds, if not thousands of riders together each year, giving us a stronger voice on Capitol Hill, and with land managers all around the country. We are very excited to have the San Diego Mountain Biking Association join the chapter program, given their standing as a leading trail advocacy group in California, the potential to impact literally millions of southern California residents and visitors through providing new and improved mountain bike trail access and bike parks. IMBA are very proud to have SDMBA as a chapter and pledge to work closely with them in creating more trails for us all to ride"

We at SDMBA look forward to this great partnership and a future of mutual growth in membership, cool programs, talented staff and more opportunities for great mountain biking.

HOW THE ARCHIPELAGO RIDE GOT IT'S NEWEST TRAIL
The following is from SDMBA Liaison to La Costa Preserve, Rich Julien
Check out some pictures of the bridge construction here

Dear Mountain Bikers

Here is my story of Copper Canyon. Copper Canyon gets it name from the German immigrants who discovered some copper deposits between Denk Mtn (La Costa) and Double Water Tanks to the south. The copper was mined extensively during WWI and in the following decades the ore played out was of poor quality and the mines abandoned.

There are still plenty of reminders of the mines right under foot but the shafts had to be filled in after some knotheads fell in and died. “Survival of the Fittest” at work.

So there were some old old legacy trails faintly there that some knowledgeable locals knew about. Trouble was the land was now in the hands of a family that had been up to that time living on the perimeter of the suburbs. But now they were being surrounded by an explosion of growth and all the people that brings.

The stories of their efforts to keep people away and stop trespassing will go down in lore. The property then went through another owner who bought it for purposes of mitigation and today it is managed by the Center for Natural Lands Management. CNLM manages both La Costa (Denk Mtn) and the land going up to Double Water Tanks. Copper Canyon ties it all together.

Hence the new Archipelago route this year will be through Copper Canyon and not down the heinous, dangerous & lame Denning Rd. The Copper Canyon trail will be reached by descending “Whip Tail”, also a new adoption by CNLM.

Copper Canyon Trail crosses Copper Creek three times. Bridges were required to negate the effects of bank erosion and general damage to the stream habitat. With the trail now open to the public certain standards had to be met so I constructed the bridges to standards used by the USFS and similar to the bridge I built for the USFS on the San Juan Trail.

CNLM was going to pay for the bridges but I was so stoked to get Copper Creek open I wanted CNLM to use their money for bigger things like acquiring more open space and protecting what little habitat remains here. Even though it hasn't always been an easy path to coexist within the mission of conservationists I think we can help each other. It is my opinion that people need to be part of the equation of protection of open space, not not be eliminated from the equation. CNLM has made us part of that equation.

Once people relate to the land and form a bond and sense of ownership, the level of interest, compliance and participation to protect grows exponentially. So to support the mission of CNLM and bring people together I decided to sell routered names on the planks of the bridges and donate the money to CNLM.

I petitioned SDMBA for the costs of the three bridges and the Board granted me the money. It was a huge job and I needed a good right-hand man. In fact I found a couple of good men to help me. One was Bryan Furbee, my riding partner, and the other was Dee Folse, of Team Shoebacca. Between us we have routered 80 names of committed people and 20 corporate names from businesses that have always had our backs.

The addition of Copper Canyon now provides a critical corridor that starts at Cadencia Park and leads you to Elfin Forest and onward on the Archipelago Trail. While we have been raising families, riding, surfing and holding down jobs, someone else has been doing the work that we didn't know how to do or didn't want to do. So the plan is to present CNLM with the proceeds from the planks.


-Richard Julien

This event is the first time mountain bikers earned the privilege to construct shared-use trails within a National Wildlife Refuge which is administered by the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).

SDMBA has worked with USFWS since 2009, conducting multiple trail assessments, providing input dealing with biological and cultural assessments, and earning the trust of USFWS to be able to deliver exactly what SDMBA said they would deliver. The proof is on the ground at Par Four.

To view the full article with photos click the link below.

http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/12376 

On July 7th the San Diego Mountain Biking Association celebrated it's volunteers with its annual Volunteer Appreciation Party. Taking place at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor's Center volunteers enjoyed a pre-festivity ride in the park, delicious street tacos on fresh made tortillas, and the beautiful backdrop of the Mission Gorge at sunset.

This year's Volunteers of the Year (VOTY) are:

Advocacy Committee: Russell Boggs
Even though he's gone on to bigger things in our nation's capital Russ once again was the heavy lifter in our advocacy efforts. Attending meetings, reading through endless documents and commenting on agency plans Russ helped raise the SDMBA's profile among governmental agencies and bicycling advocates around the state.

Marketing/Sponsorship: Tara Lucille Luansing-Aguilar
Social Committee: Tara Lucille Luansing-Aguilar
A double category winner and SDMBA-PRO member Tara is not afraid to grab the bull by the horns. She made us proud by making events like the Trails to Ales Ride and the always popular Skills Clinic happen. Tara pitches in and says, "I can do that." with enthusiasm. Her love of the sport is obvious to anyone that talks to her for more than a minute. She joins a history of women in SDMBA who make up for lack of numbers with great achievements.

Co-Liaisons were Cuyamaca's own Barcy Bacani and Steve Boland
Responsible for getting the new Cold Spring Trail Reroute project off the planning boards and onto the ground our newest and most energetic Liaisons held multiple trail work events this year including an event with long time SDMBA supporter REI. Way to go guys!

Rookie of the Year: Leah Moses
One of our youngest members Leah doesn't just come and hang out with her dad, she really contributes. From flippin' burgers to the famous E-Ticket "Leah Cam" video she is a reminder of why we're doing a lot of this work in the first place. With Leah around we're confident that the future is bright for mountain biking.

Chief Cat Herder: Jason Showalter
As head of the Bike Park Committee Jay has had the task of making sure we're all pulling in the same direction. It's not easy but he handles the job with true professionalism.

The Turner Trail Worker of the Year for most trail work hours and winner of a Turner frame of his choice (in this case a black ano, XL Sultan) was Jon Major. Jon has worked on SDMBA trail work crews for several years but really stepped up his game this year. He could be seen brushing Noble Canyon to working a strike crew in Mission Trails. Great job Jon!

Our overall Volunteer of the Year was Carlos Orosco.
"Los" really made an impression this year. From providing tools and expertise to being a calm voice of reason he's proved to be a real asset to the Association. Everything from helping to start a SDMBA online forum to providing Bobcats for land managers he was there. A SDMBA-PRO member, Los has a great ability to spread the gospel of two wheels on dirt not only through what he says but through what he does on the ground. Thank you Los.

"Above and Beyond Sponsor, 2012": New Belgium Brewing
A long time sponsor New Belgium went over the top this year. Not only is the Tour de Fat (coming up, September 29, save the date) a great event and fund raiser for the SDMBA but NBB kept us in suds all during the year providing brew for the annual Archipelago Ride and countless trail work days. Along with burgers from our new grill NBB beers like Shift really helped relax those sore trail work muscles.

We'd like to thank our incredible VAP sponsors:
Turner Bicycles
Stone Brewing Company
Cal Coast Bicycles
North of the Border Bikes
Zoic Clothing
Canfield brothers
JensonUSA
Schwalbe Tires
Shimano
Seki's Cycles
Black Mountain Bikes
Frame Defender
Shoebacca

Turner Bicycle's Erik Trogden presents frame to the SDMBA/Turner Trail Work Volunteer of the Year Jon Major