Who Pays? Not the Mountain Bikers!

By RANDI ROSSMAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT: pressdemocrat rescued-from-Annadel

Published: Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 3:51 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 3:51 p.m.

Two mountain bike riders needed rescuing from Annadel State Park Sunday after crashing, emergency officials reported.

One man hurt his ankle Sunday morning and was carried out by the Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter. Another man hurt his collar bone Sunday afternoon.

In the morning rescue, the adult male rider was possibly about a mile up the Burma trail when he crashed.

The accident was reported at 11:45 a.m. to Santa Rosa firefighters. The Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter crew also was brought in to help because of its ability to quickly spot and retrieve people in the huge, dense park, Santa Rosa Battalion Chief Mark Basque reported.

The man, whose name wasn't initially available, had been riding with a group of friends when he crashed.

The helicopter crew found him within minutes of arriving. They used a 200-foot line to lower a paramedic and a sergeant with a litter.

He was packaged up and then lifted, at the end of the line, to an awaiting ambulance at the base of the park.

At about 1:45 p.m., Santa Rosa firefighters were called back to the park for another injured rider.

This man was about a half-mile up the Warren Richardson trail. Firefighters, state and county parks rangers helped with the effort, Basque said.

The man was treated for his injury and driven down the hill.

Both riders were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Further details weren't available.

Annadel was busy with hikers and bikers on Sunday.

“It's not unusual to get called into that park multiple times...especially on weekends when a lot of folks are up there,” Basque said. “Especially when the weather is really good.”

The Threats Were Real...

Trail Wars: Press Democrat:



"Keene, the cycle shop owner, said the state could have a legion of willing cyclists volunteer to help maintain trails if it wanted them. He compared it city officials who combat graffiti by inviting artists to paint murals. His businesses raised $4,000 for Annadel at a fundraiser party during the Tour of California."

If Mr. Keene was so keen on truly helping Annadel's fragile environment, he'd put his "crews" on restoring the illegal trails to original condition. To not do so, is to give approval to their destruction. Yet another mountain biker rationalization for irrational bike behavior.

The illegal bikers threatened to do this as soon as the state cut back on park services. Selfish? Un-environmental? You bet.

Criminality in Biking

http://www.sfweekly.com/2010-05-26/news/floyd-landis-doping-scandal-the-s-f-connection/

Matt Smith's recent article in the SF Weekly reveals a startling level of criminality in the world of professional bike racing. Some within the industry itself, describe the activity as like a "Mafia".

The culture of bad boy-bad girl in both racing and especially mountain biking is something that is lauded in the bike press as if it were a badge of courage. This misplaced hero idolatry fuels the ongoing commission of illegal acts both in the professional realm of cycling and in the forests where illegal trails are cut with impunity, imperiling the eco-culture of fragile terrain and even impacting endangered species. But this is what you don't often hear about. The bike industry tries to portray itself as a benign force, bringing outdoor appreciation to new levels of experience. Unfortunately the cost of that experience is wreaking havoc on open spaces and lives.

T-Boning a Deer is One Thing....

T-Boning a Deer is One Thing. Trying to t-bone a person is against the law.
On December 23, 2009, a trail activist who discovered a very large group, up to 60 people, night riding mountain bicycles in or near China Camp, was assaulted and nearly t-boned by a violent biker, who apparently didn't like being advised that his colleagues were caught riding an illegal trail in San Pedro Ridge Open Space. This person's criminal activities were witnessed by the gentleman in the picture here and the driver of the jeep with this California License plate. Seeing Sheriff's deputies arrive on the scene, the cyclist fled. If you have information who these people are please call the Marin County Sheriff's Office at 415-479-2311

NEW DISTURBING ADS IN MARIN MAGAZINE

The February 2010 issue of Marin Magazine features a giant two page ad from mountain bike manufacturer, Specialized. In the ad the riders, who are depicted riding in a fog shrouded forest, are exhorted to "t-boning " a deer at 40mph.






This is the kind of provocative and sensationalized advertising that stokes illegal trail riders who more often then not value high speed over safety. Is this responsible advertising? Should this have appeared in a magazine distributed in Marin County- the Nations hot-bed for illegal mountain bike activities? What was Marin Magazine thinking?


Maybe Marin Magazine executive editor, Jim Wood, would like to hear from you:
jwood@marinmagazine.com





Perhaps Marin Humane Society would like to hear from you too:
The Marin Humane Society
171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd.
Novato, CA 94949
mrogers@marinhumanesociety.org

415-883-4621

Thanksgiving, A Time For Mountain Bicyclists To Give Thanks For Lax Enforcement

Thanksgiving, A Time For Mountain Bicyclists To Give Thanks For Lax Enforcement



Illegal mountain bike trips abounded on China Camp peninsula this Thanksgiving weekend. Anyone can count the nearly 20 cars parked outside of the official China Camp gate almost any given day, more on weekends and holidays. None of these mountain bike riders pays a dime to the cash strapped State Park system in China Camp. The state is probably losing somewhere between $6,000 to $8,000 dollars a month (about $70,000.00 per year) in lost revenue from one of the parks biggest users and abusers. Now add to that illegal trail riding which flourishes during holidays. I spotted two illegal bike riders riding on private property near Back Ranch , trail signs kicked down on closed trails on the Bay View trail and evidence of illegal usage, large bike outing on closed to bikes Santa Margarita Island, and a steady stream of illegal speeding down-hillers on the north slopes of San Pedro Ridge in Marin County Open Space, on their favorite illegal riding spots.

Before granting any further trail access, County officials need to give this bunch of determined trail destroyers, quadrupled fines, bike confiscations and trail closures. It’s out of control and the lawless know it.

Talk About Glorification of Illegal Acts?

This type of illegal trail riding has become a major cultural thing within mountain biking. The type of glorification of illegal acts in the wilderness portrayed in this film and others extols the virtues of "speed" at any cost, a cost that is reflected in the growing number of mountain biking injuries. See post below.