Climate Change and Mountain Biking

Double Fully Rigid, 5/31/24

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about climate change and mountain biking. It probably won’t be the last. In what we now reference as “pre-pandemic” times, I wrote a piece in 2018 for Dirt Rag about riding in Sequoia National Monument, where mountain biking is permitted. In that piece, US Forest Service personnel talked about climate change and management of the great trees. You can read that piece at this link:

I wrote this next one here on Substack a little while back:

I was in Kernville a few weeks back and on the way to see the big trees, we drove through where the KNP Fire Complex wildfire of 2021 raged. Forest crews were out clearing timber while we were on that drive. The views from the roadway were of completely charred forest for many miles. Somehow they managed to save the Trail of 100 Giants grove.

Farther down the road, we stopped off at Dome Rock. The view was like nothing I had seen over the past 24 years of going there from time to time.

IMBA’s blog has 2 postings that are relevant to all of this, one regarding the Inflation Reduction Act and the other one having to do with National Monuments. The intersection between the two pieces and what I saw in the Sierra is access in the age of climate change:

https://www.imba.com/blog/inflation-reduction-act-mtb

and

https://www.imba.com/blog/mountain-bike-friendly-land-designations-advocates-0

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Wouldn’t it be great if IMBA, along with CAMTB, worked with CalFire in setting up workshops for trail maintenance crews to better understand how to manage trails in the age of climate change? I’m aware of CalFire having some interaction with National Forest Service offices who work with mountain biking organizations, but I’m talking about a formal acknowledgement and planned effort, with IMBA and/or CAMTB taking a leadership role.

CalFire now is listening to indigenous peoples of California in developing new understandings of fire and fire management. Native peoples are educating CalFire. Wouldn’t it be great if mountain biking organizations reached out to Native Americans/First Nation peoples in better understanding fire/climate change/land stewardship. Mountain bikers, as a community of people from riders to industry to media, are great at putting land acknowledgement statements everywhere, but what if we actually moved beyond words and became active in hearing indigenous voices?

At the very least, a guide for mountain bikers with tips/strategies/considerations when going out into remote areas, especially, would be a good start. Sure, we can say that mountain bikers have a role/responsibility unto themselves, but let’s be real, not everyone on trails has the long-view-wisdom that exists within IMBA and other long-time mountain biking organizations. Add in the increase of e-bike users who are new to mountain biking, and the argument is stronger.

Here’s a start:

1. Anyone planning to mountain bike in the American West, but also anywhere in the country, needs to know what Inciweb is and needs to monitor it for the areas they are riding or plan to ride. They should share Inciweb with loved ones.

2. Whether you ride solo or with friends, leave a detailed note/email/text of your route with loved ones and do not deviate from it.

3. Watch the sky.

4. When heavy rains arrive, and if you’re caught up in a storm, be mindful/thinking about the landscape you are in and that water often flows/runs quickly, more so than we can sometimes comprehend. Consider getting to the high ground.

5. If waterways are between you and your exit plan, do you have another bailout option?

And the last one, #6, that I’ll add off the top of my head is this: carry a location tracker device, e.g. SPOT, inReach, other. Yes, cell phone coverage is another one, but as we all know, sometimes service isn’t there. And, yes, if you hit the emergency button/dial 911, it should work.

I’ll say it again, and probably will again and again, it is not possible in the year 2024 to be a mountain biker and not at least prepare yourself for what is the climate change reality happening on the land. And I’ll say it again, we need mountain biking organizations to finally stand up and take a leadership role on this.

Fully Rigid is a monthly column by James Murren about Mountain Biking Issues within the Mountain Biking Community.

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