Report from the Chair

It’s been a busy time for the Trust these last few weeks. It’s been really pleasing for us to have had a solid media presence with such a positive message coming through for what we are doing, and the potential for the region. Also fantastic to have had Trustees Andrew, Malcolm and Gary highlighted in the community papers for their wonderful contribution to the region’s trail development. 

Alan and I presented to the Nelson Rotary Club last week, and received some great feedback there. It’s an important part of the Trust’s strategy to pull in groups and people who otherwise mightn’t be involved with MTB activity. The support through the growing Friends of the Trust group shows it's not just mountainbikers who are getting on board.

The Trust also had a great meeting with the Nelson MTB Club committee this week – this should be a regular feature with our two organisations complementing each other so well. 

We wanted to highlight some trail etiquette messages this enews, as these important points often aren’t pushed as hard as they should be. 

 Riding Wet Trails – this time of year it only takes a brief shower of rain to top up moisture levels to slippery and greasy. While some trails will always cope well when wet (Involution is probably our best all weather build) most require time to dry before being ridden. Maintenance loads increase due to trail damage caused by riding them when muddy, and the club’s work on Turners is probably a prime example – fresh builds especially need some TLC, and making sure they have had at least a measure of decent drying time before ripping into them is just good etiquette. 

 Be Respectful – all our trails are multi-use, even those built specifically for mountainbikes. Walkers, runners, dogs, and all sorts of other users will use these trails, and everybody needs to share and show some tolerance. Say hello, smile and wave, and let other trail users know you’re coming up on them. We see a lot of runners out there with their earplugs in too, so sometimes some patience is needed before they realise there is a bike breathing down their neck! A little bit of friendliness goes a long way to furthering the MTB cause. Some of the most interesting conversations I’ve ever had have been with foot bound strangers in the middle of nowhere, but they will never happen if we don’t make the effort to engage. 

 Keep it Clean – if you’re heading out for some miles, especially into the back-country, make sure you get yourself away with a clean bike, shoes and kit. There is some real evidence of rapid weed spread into the South Branch part of the Dun Mountain Trail, and it’s only been since the trail has been upgraded (and MTB use has increased) that this has appeared. It’s got key people at DOC and the NCC concerned, and the Trust is working on some code of conduct material to build awareness of mountainbikers’ responsibilities to help with this problem – enlightened trampers have known about this and managed it for years. The potential to carry and transfer weed seed by bike or kit is massive - think about the last time you brushed some hook grass on the side of the trails, that stuff can carry for miles. Education around this issue will be important for the Trust given the type of Epic Trails projects we are progressing, and especially with the Starveall/Lee loop as the first major target, we’ll need to get this right. 

Happy Trails, Chris

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