scratchy
08-12-2006, 07:33 PM
I am very proud to present MitchamMTB, his qualifications as a fairy are long. He is the rock of reason when this loose canon wants to fire stuff off to Today Tonight. Read and learn kids! (I'll add pictures later).
Style of tracks: Legal ones of any sort – mostly XC sniggletrack, bit of DH and some techy stuff mixed in disguise so the insurers don’t twitch.
Name: Mitcham MTB aka Rod Worthington
Age: nearing the top of the hill, clinging to my 30’s
Location: Adelaide
Background:I was a jaded urban and regional planner (town planner) in the late 90’s when I decided to put some energy into doing something for the sport I love. I had worked for about 10 years in Local and State Government negotiating for better landscapes and built environments while at the same time getting addicted to MTB riding as an escape from the day to day grind or writing reports and settling disputes between competing interest groups and individuals. Why not combine the skills I thought. I took 6 months leave from the “real” job and jagged a short term contract with the State Government to pull together South Australia’s first MTB Plan. That was 6 years ago and I never looked back. Since then I have worked for Bicycle SA, Recreation and Sport and at least five Councils to draw up plans and implement trail projects for legal MTB trails. Some of the more famous ones I have been involved in (but by no means am I claiming sole responsibility) are the Mawson Trail redevelopment, expansion of the Cudlee Creek network, Eagle MTB Park, Melrose Trails and Mitcham Council MTB Plan.
I’ve got 2 jobs at present both involve MTB trails. One is with Mitcham Council as part time trails officer – 2 days a week to coordinate the provision of legal MTB trails. The other is with a recreation and leisure consultancy. In this role I am currently working on trail projects for 4 Councils and 3 State Government agencies. These range from planning, design, mapping, costing construction and organising other contractors to build trails. I rarely get my hands dirty these days but I have hand built a few trails with others and I still occasionally fit in some Bush for Life work.
I still ride a MTB as often as I can. XC, singlespeed or off-road commuting mostly.
You can email me at mountainbike@mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au or rodw@smartconnection.com.au
Mistakes made?: Grossly underestimating how long it takes to get legal trails from concept to reality. I was once asked how long it would take to build some trails in a certain MTB Park (at that time this was a first for Australia). I said “give us about 6 months, a bucket of money and we’ll have about 30 kms of sustainable trails”. That was in 2001…fast forward through 5 years, a couple of Government elections and many buckets of money and we now have the results…almost!
When land managers ask me now I usually say it takes about 6 months to prepare a draft plan, another 6 to 12 months to get it approved in principle, another 6 months to get funding, another 6 to 12 months to get the detailed plans right and everyone happy…then it can take another year or two to get the trails built and everything else in place. It’s a 3 -5 year commitment up front for land managers and then there’s the on-going maintenance and expansion of the networks to manage.
Favourite Tool:There’s so many needed in a government trail building tool kit. Some of the basics include:
• Tool # 1: A big dose of humour and patience,
• Some experience in the weird and wonderful ways of government decision making and politics,
• A good relationship with the MTB clubs and other influential riders / shop owners etc,
• IMBA Trail Solutions book – get one – read it – know it- hold it up in meetings – lend it out– go to trail building courses if they are offered,
• Some local trail building standards, trail marking and map examples.
• GPS and GIS system and skills.
• Some basic plant identification skills and knowledge of environmental threats like Phytophthora,
• Understanding of the Australian standards for Risk Assessment and how the mind of Government insurers work – yes they are freaked out by north shore structures,
• Intelligent, articulate and passionate community members. Get them on your side or at least understand what they want,
• The occasional visit and presentation from energisers eg Joey Klein from IMBA and Troy Rarick from Fruita, Colorado, Tony Scott from MTBA. Don’t forget your local heroes…in our case this includes Chris Jongewaard, Sean Lewis and Grant Allen,
• An ability to see all sides of the story and find a line through the traps and thorns while keeping focus on the finish line,
• Volunteer trail builders that understand sustainable trail principles and are not afraid to get into a bit of native vegetation restoration work.
• Some great contract trail builders and designers…in SA we have a growing list including…Brenton Collins (and his many helpers), Garry Patterson, Nick Bowman and Marty Kreig (when he’s in Aus), and
• The ability to accept you will not win all the time and some people will never be as excited about MTB trails as we are!
• Go back and top up with tool one!
Free Fairy or Pro Fairy
Pro Fairy – don’t contemplate it though if you want to get rich! I’m still saving up for some air for my worn out tyres.
Online Resources:
I keep an eye on these MTB sites and the many links within them:
www.imba.com
http://www.mtba.asn.au/
http://26inches.com/index.php
http://www.ilmtb.com/site/
http://www.amtbc.com/MTBCommunity/TrailAccess.asp
http://farkin.net/
http://www.bikesa.asn.au/index.php
Links to find the $
http://www.grantslink.gov.au/
http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/grants/
http://www.grants.ord.sa.gov.au/
Government portals like this one in SA:
http://www.sacentral.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm
Here are a couple of plans I’ve been involved with:
http://www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Mitcham_MTB_Draft_Aug_05_-_No_Appendix.pdf (beware it’s 12 MB)
http://www.recsport.sa.gov.au/research-planning/state_mntn_bike_plan.pdf
And last but not least…good old Google http://www.google.com.au/
Your Topic
Legal trails!
They take time, money and lots of effort to achieve but it’s the only way to go in the long run. It sometimes feels like we are “reinventing the wheel” here in Australia. There are always other places that get fondly referred to for great trails that seem to just happen (Whistler, Colarado, California, NZ…the race venue in the next state etc) but my learned guess is that each one has come about as a result of several passionate people getting things started followed by heaps of hard work be it lobbying or digging (yes lots start out in response to illegal trail building but those trails do not often survive). None of these achievements are handed out on a platter, many include making a mistake or two, but I am pleased to say that in Australia we are collectively getting our acts together and producing great legal trails.
I recently attended an Australasian Cycle Tourism Conference which was supposed to cover all types of cycling but everyone wanted to talk about MTB trails and initiatives. Great things are happening in all nearly every State in Australia. We also learnt many a valuable lessons from our friends from Rotaroua about how to set up and run a world class event. Tom and Troy from the US of A were a fountain of knowledge but also impressed with what is happening here. We can learn a lot from sharing info, taking on new ideas and putting that classic local Aussie flavour to our trails.
Here’s my challenge to you.
Have a look around your local patch. Do you have legal trails or are you sheepishly riding around scared of coming across a park ranger? Are you happy doing that?
Does your Government or Council have a plan to provide legal trails or a policy to support recreation in their reserve? If not, why not? Ask them. Explain how it will help them (see tips on IMBA.com). Offer to help. Some Councils are now asking for volunteer help. Have a look at my local one www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au/goto/mtb
Are there some trails that could be formally recognised by the local land manager if a bit of work was done to them or a maintenance agreement formed with your local club? Typically most illegal trails can benefit from some sustainability improvements but their foundations are usually basically good. Don’t start out advocating for fall line free ride trails with huge drops and north shore etc. Baby steps folks.
General Rant
Enough ranting from me.
Just remember we are only talking about riding bikes – a simple pleasure that we tend to complicate too much too often. The KISS principle applies ….Keep it Simple Stupid!
Style of tracks: Legal ones of any sort – mostly XC sniggletrack, bit of DH and some techy stuff mixed in disguise so the insurers don’t twitch.
Name: Mitcham MTB aka Rod Worthington
Age: nearing the top of the hill, clinging to my 30’s
Location: Adelaide
Background:I was a jaded urban and regional planner (town planner) in the late 90’s when I decided to put some energy into doing something for the sport I love. I had worked for about 10 years in Local and State Government negotiating for better landscapes and built environments while at the same time getting addicted to MTB riding as an escape from the day to day grind or writing reports and settling disputes between competing interest groups and individuals. Why not combine the skills I thought. I took 6 months leave from the “real” job and jagged a short term contract with the State Government to pull together South Australia’s first MTB Plan. That was 6 years ago and I never looked back. Since then I have worked for Bicycle SA, Recreation and Sport and at least five Councils to draw up plans and implement trail projects for legal MTB trails. Some of the more famous ones I have been involved in (but by no means am I claiming sole responsibility) are the Mawson Trail redevelopment, expansion of the Cudlee Creek network, Eagle MTB Park, Melrose Trails and Mitcham Council MTB Plan.
I’ve got 2 jobs at present both involve MTB trails. One is with Mitcham Council as part time trails officer – 2 days a week to coordinate the provision of legal MTB trails. The other is with a recreation and leisure consultancy. In this role I am currently working on trail projects for 4 Councils and 3 State Government agencies. These range from planning, design, mapping, costing construction and organising other contractors to build trails. I rarely get my hands dirty these days but I have hand built a few trails with others and I still occasionally fit in some Bush for Life work.
I still ride a MTB as often as I can. XC, singlespeed or off-road commuting mostly.
You can email me at mountainbike@mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au or rodw@smartconnection.com.au
Mistakes made?: Grossly underestimating how long it takes to get legal trails from concept to reality. I was once asked how long it would take to build some trails in a certain MTB Park (at that time this was a first for Australia). I said “give us about 6 months, a bucket of money and we’ll have about 30 kms of sustainable trails”. That was in 2001…fast forward through 5 years, a couple of Government elections and many buckets of money and we now have the results…almost!
When land managers ask me now I usually say it takes about 6 months to prepare a draft plan, another 6 to 12 months to get it approved in principle, another 6 months to get funding, another 6 to 12 months to get the detailed plans right and everyone happy…then it can take another year or two to get the trails built and everything else in place. It’s a 3 -5 year commitment up front for land managers and then there’s the on-going maintenance and expansion of the networks to manage.
Favourite Tool:There’s so many needed in a government trail building tool kit. Some of the basics include:
• Tool # 1: A big dose of humour and patience,
• Some experience in the weird and wonderful ways of government decision making and politics,
• A good relationship with the MTB clubs and other influential riders / shop owners etc,
• IMBA Trail Solutions book – get one – read it – know it- hold it up in meetings – lend it out– go to trail building courses if they are offered,
• Some local trail building standards, trail marking and map examples.
• GPS and GIS system and skills.
• Some basic plant identification skills and knowledge of environmental threats like Phytophthora,
• Understanding of the Australian standards for Risk Assessment and how the mind of Government insurers work – yes they are freaked out by north shore structures,
• Intelligent, articulate and passionate community members. Get them on your side or at least understand what they want,
• The occasional visit and presentation from energisers eg Joey Klein from IMBA and Troy Rarick from Fruita, Colorado, Tony Scott from MTBA. Don’t forget your local heroes…in our case this includes Chris Jongewaard, Sean Lewis and Grant Allen,
• An ability to see all sides of the story and find a line through the traps and thorns while keeping focus on the finish line,
• Volunteer trail builders that understand sustainable trail principles and are not afraid to get into a bit of native vegetation restoration work.
• Some great contract trail builders and designers…in SA we have a growing list including…Brenton Collins (and his many helpers), Garry Patterson, Nick Bowman and Marty Kreig (when he’s in Aus), and
• The ability to accept you will not win all the time and some people will never be as excited about MTB trails as we are!
• Go back and top up with tool one!
Free Fairy or Pro Fairy
Pro Fairy – don’t contemplate it though if you want to get rich! I’m still saving up for some air for my worn out tyres.
Online Resources:
I keep an eye on these MTB sites and the many links within them:
www.imba.com
http://www.mtba.asn.au/
http://26inches.com/index.php
http://www.ilmtb.com/site/
http://www.amtbc.com/MTBCommunity/TrailAccess.asp
http://farkin.net/
http://www.bikesa.asn.au/index.php
Links to find the $
http://www.grantslink.gov.au/
http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/grants/
http://www.grants.ord.sa.gov.au/
Government portals like this one in SA:
http://www.sacentral.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm
Here are a couple of plans I’ve been involved with:
http://www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Mitcham_MTB_Draft_Aug_05_-_No_Appendix.pdf (beware it’s 12 MB)
http://www.recsport.sa.gov.au/research-planning/state_mntn_bike_plan.pdf
And last but not least…good old Google http://www.google.com.au/
Your Topic
Legal trails!
They take time, money and lots of effort to achieve but it’s the only way to go in the long run. It sometimes feels like we are “reinventing the wheel” here in Australia. There are always other places that get fondly referred to for great trails that seem to just happen (Whistler, Colarado, California, NZ…the race venue in the next state etc) but my learned guess is that each one has come about as a result of several passionate people getting things started followed by heaps of hard work be it lobbying or digging (yes lots start out in response to illegal trail building but those trails do not often survive). None of these achievements are handed out on a platter, many include making a mistake or two, but I am pleased to say that in Australia we are collectively getting our acts together and producing great legal trails.
I recently attended an Australasian Cycle Tourism Conference which was supposed to cover all types of cycling but everyone wanted to talk about MTB trails and initiatives. Great things are happening in all nearly every State in Australia. We also learnt many a valuable lessons from our friends from Rotaroua about how to set up and run a world class event. Tom and Troy from the US of A were a fountain of knowledge but also impressed with what is happening here. We can learn a lot from sharing info, taking on new ideas and putting that classic local Aussie flavour to our trails.
Here’s my challenge to you.
Have a look around your local patch. Do you have legal trails or are you sheepishly riding around scared of coming across a park ranger? Are you happy doing that?
Does your Government or Council have a plan to provide legal trails or a policy to support recreation in their reserve? If not, why not? Ask them. Explain how it will help them (see tips on IMBA.com). Offer to help. Some Councils are now asking for volunteer help. Have a look at my local one www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au/goto/mtb
Are there some trails that could be formally recognised by the local land manager if a bit of work was done to them or a maintenance agreement formed with your local club? Typically most illegal trails can benefit from some sustainability improvements but their foundations are usually basically good. Don’t start out advocating for fall line free ride trails with huge drops and north shore etc. Baby steps folks.
General Rant
Enough ranting from me.
Just remember we are only talking about riding bikes – a simple pleasure that we tend to complicate too much too often. The KISS principle applies ….Keep it Simple Stupid!