Bike Decorah

August DHPT Meeting Minutes

Aug. 5th, 2008 7:00 PM  T-Bock's

Summer Sizzler 

 

Everything is in place for the first Summer Sizzler.  Check the website for information.

• Thanks to Ron Moffat, Captain, Judy, Alice Bjergum and Deke for volunteering to run registration and timing.

• Thanks to Doug Osborn, O'gara and Shockey for volunteering to set up the course.Thanks to Marty for transporting the tents, coolers, and other park and rec stuff to the registration site.
• Thanks to Doug Osborn, O'Gara and Ben Shockey for setting up the course.
  

• If you would like to help set up, show up at Oneota River Cycles Saturday at 11:00 AM.
• We will discuss clean up following the race.
• The race will be 2 or 3 laps in Van Peenen park. 
  
• The results will also be posted on the website.
  

The Luther X-Country teams will be helping build and maintain trails again this year on August 28.  We will be doing some prep work Aug. 24 that will include sawing out trees.  If you have a chainsaw, please bring it. 

Dave Paquet (aka Sarge) has just moved back to the area and is an avid cyclist.  His wife works to get grants for Organizations in North East Iowa.  We are going to be trying to receive a grant to hire a full time summer trail manager to build and maintain our trails. 
 

July DHPT Meeting

July 1, 2008 7:00 PM T-Bock's 

Ballyhoo

• A long discussion was held about the events leading up to and following the weekend that was supposed to be the 2008 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.  Unfortunately, it is very likely that the Ballyhoo will not be coming back to Decorah. 
• However, we are starting to look into hosting another type of Bike Festival that may not be specific to 29ers.  This will have to be discussed further.

Horses

• Recently there has been some major damage to the Dead Pet Extension from Horses riding on that trail.  Some trails are built with the intention of being used by Horses, some are not and can not withstand Horse Traffic.  That particular trail can not sustain Horse traffic and it is in need of repair before hikers and bikes can effectively use the trail.
• Decorah Park and Recreation has specified where Horses are and are not allowed.
  • Pallisades 
    • Allowed on the paved road
    • Allowed on the very top trail section
      • Not Allowed on Dead Pet or Lower Pallisades
      • Not Allowed on Middle Pallisades
      • Not Allowed on the Smeby's hill section

Dunning's and Ice Cave

• Allowed on the Louge/ Climb in from Bruening
• Allowed on Old Randy's
• Allowed on the Top Loop
• Allowed on Wold's
  • Not Allowed on New Randy's
  • Not Allowed on Boa
  • Not Allowed on Captain's

Van Peenen

• Allowed on Rocky Road
• Allowed anywhere in the Prarie
• Allowed on Horsey
  • Not Allowed on Little Big Horn
  • Not Allowed on Fred's
  • Not Allowed on Dust Bowl
  • Not Allowed on North 40
  • Not Allowed on the Switchbacks

The burden is on the Biking and Hiking Community to inform the Rider that the particular trail they are riding is not built to accomodate a horse.  If you are riding and you see a horse on one of the trails that they are not supposed to use, please talk to them in a calm, cool and non-confrontational tone. 

• Get the Rider's name
• Inform them that the trail is not built to withstand horse traffic
• Inform them that you must report their name to Park and Rec. which can fine them for Vandalism of the trail.

Important:  It is not your duty to enforce the rules.  Park and Rec. is the Police, you are just the Witness. 

Signage

• We will be pursuing metal signs to place the trail names on each section of trail.

Trout Run Trail Head

• There is still no discussion about the Trout Run Trail Head Building/Parking Lot.  When there is, we have been assured that DHPT will be brought into the conversation to best serve the bike community.

 

June DHPT Meeting

June 3, 2008 7:00 PM T-Bock's

 

Monthly Time Trial will be this coming Wednesday starting around 6:30 PM in Van Peenen.   

Items for discussion included preparing the trails for the ballyhoo.

The Ballyhoo Campground will be mowed the week of the event.

Porta Johns will be available again.  The afterwards event on Saturday night will be either in the Ballyhoo Campground or in the basement of T-Bock's.

Palisades will be the demo loop.  Last year vendors were having problems with people taking bikes and riding them the entire weekend, so demo bikes will be rode in Palisades and asked to be returned after the loop.

Night ride on Friday night if weather allows.

Ballyhoo Pre-Meeting, June 17, 2008

• Group Ride Leaders
  • Rides will leave at 10 AM, 12 PM, 2 PM and 4 PM.  Locals will be asked to sing up to lead groups on these rides.  2 or 3 each time.
• Unfinished Trail Work
• Campground Events

We'll also be working to get signage on all the trails prior to the Ballyhoo.  The numbers are good but it has been the concensus that it is much easier to remember Trail Names rather than numbers.

May DHPT Meeting Minutes

May 6th, 7:00 PM  T-Bock's 

1. Time Trials Recap - In general we heard a lot of very positive comments.  Visitors were very happy with the condition of the trails following the week of weather we had.  Trans Iowa will not be taking place on the same weekend as the Decorah Time Trials next year.
2. Trail Projects - A county road grader destroyed the bridge leading into the new trail section in Pallisades where the Time Trials started.  There will be some work to do in Death Valley this summer where the very bottom of Fred's turns to head up to Randy's.  It's not a high priority right now because it's easy to ride around.
3. Trail Work Day - We are planning on a work day this Sunday, May 11th.  Yes it is Mother's day and we understand if you are unable to make it.  The project of the day will be walking a section between Boa and Wold's.  We will be attempting to create a way to ride parts of each and eliminate the near impossible climbs.
4. Adopt a Trail - This year we are going to try something new.  Deke will have a Large trail map in his shop.  You can go in, look at the trails, and claim your section of trail.  You can also e-mail me what section you want and I will go make sure it is claimed for you.  PLEASE consider adopting a trail this summer.  It is a step in earning a DHPT Jersey later this summer.  If you have any questions about how to maintain a trail or what it involves, feel free to ask me or either bike shop.
   1. Doug has claimed Palisades (not including the new Dead Pet section)
   2. Shockey has claimed Log Jam

Jersey Advertising - If you have a potential advertiser for the DHPT Jersey, let me know and set up an appointment to talk to them.  I will accompany you and bring a Jersey with to discuss prices and placement of their advertisement.  Let me know if you have any questions or would like to advertise.

Rain Jackets - When the DHPT Logo is finalized, we will be selling yellow rain jackets at cost.  Please see Deke for details.

 

Time Trial Meeting

Tuesday, April 22 at the River Trail's East End

6:00 PM - Light Trail Work/Maintenance/Raking

8:00 Pm - T-Bock's

We need to do some raking in preparation for the Time Trial next Sunday - April 27.  Most of the work will be raking as some of us have been out rerouting fallen trees and cutting them out of our trails and finishing sections that could not be completed last fall. 

Following the trail work, plan to spend about an hour at T-Bock's setting up responsibilities for the race.  This discussion will include course set up, registration/race help, sweepers, and trail clean up.

 

April Meeting Minutes

April 1, 2008   7:00 PM  T-Bock's

The time trials are fast approaching but the some of the trail sections still have snow on them.  There will be a meeting Tuesday, April 22 to discuss trail work needed to be done before the race.  We'll get help from the Luther Mt. Bike class in cleaning the trails before the race.

The Sunday trail work day was cancelled due to weather forcasts.

Park & Rec was impressed with the presentation of the 5 year trail plan by DHPT President Jeff Freidhof.  They only ask that we make sure all feature areas are signed.

There were discussions about helping out area groups with trail days.  These groups include LaCrosse, Prarie Du Chein, Dubuque/Platteville.  Deke has also been in talks with people about building trails in the Yellow River Forest. 

The 2008 Summer Sizzler will be August 9.  Registration will start at High Noon, Race starts at 2:00.  Next year we will may try to implement a triple crown series for the 3 Decorah Races.  This should create an incentive for the people who come for the Time Trials to attend other races. 

This year we are going to try something different for trail maintenance and participation.  We're going to be getting DHPT Jerseys made.  Some will be for sale and the proceeds will go to the DHPT fund.  Others will be made that group members can earn by meeting criteria determined by the oficers.  The criteria may include:

• Adopting a trail and maintaining it
• Getting involved with the Time Trials
• Getting involved with the Ballyhoo
• Getting involved with the Summer Sizzler
• Getting involved with the Night Shift
• Attending Meetings

There will be an e-mail coming soon with the sections for trail adoption and finalization on the criteria for earning these Jerseys.

2008 Trail Plan Approved!

March 16, 2008 - The trail plan for 2008 that was discussed in the February DHPT meeting was presented to Decorah Park and Rec Sunday night.  The plan was approved with no amendments or adjustments!  We are excited and looking forward to this years projects!

• Adding to the West end of the River Trail including some Beginner Features
• Adding a section that connects the upper Boa trail to upper Wold's
• Adding features to the Log Jam in Pallisades 

Mark Stevenson (aka Guitar Ted) came up for the March DHPT meeting to talk about ideas for the Trans Iowa and the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo which are both taking place in Decorah this summer. 

Mark brought copies of the Posters for this year and talked about distribution of those posters.  There may be a T-Shirt idea in the works as well.  Ideas for a schedule of events was disgusted.  Registration will be held on site at the Ballyhoo Campground.  The giveaway will be on Sunday rather than the Saturday night this year, but the party and events will still be held Saturday Night. 

We set a goal to have all of our trails labeled with signage that is the actual name of the trail.  The number system was a good idea, but it is hard to remember the numbers and is less recognizable than the names themselves. 

We hope to have a DHPT tent on location with maps and other information for the out of town visitors.

Inspired Media magazine is interested in writing an artile about the Ballyhoo and helping promote the event.

Expect to see Reps and Bikes from Gary Fisher, Raleigh, Siren, Salsa, Niner, Quality, Trek, and there is rumor of the Surly Boys showing up as well.

Below are the websites for each event.  Transiowa takes place the same weekend as the time trials, which there is a link for as well.

Big Wheeled Ballyhoo

Trans Iowa

18th Annual Time Trials

Meeting Minutes.  February 5, 2008

1. Ward and Jackie Budweg donated $295 from the sale of a car they don't need because they are biking around the world.  Thanks!

2. Jeff Friedhof was nominated for the office of President after Bill Fanter respectfully declined to be nominated.  We also held a discussion of the roles for each officer.  Terms are 1 year and officers can be re-elected.  Your new DHPT officers for 2008 are

   1. President Jeff Friedhof - Community Liason and attends Park and Rec meetings
   2. Vice President Doug Osborn - Organize Work Days
   3. Secretary Jesse Reyerson - Meeting Agendas and Minutes
   4. Treasurer Pete Blodgett - Keep track of the money
3. Additionally, Kirk Johnson is going to manage the DHPT Press and Media Presence.  He will be in charge of press releases/news stories for local publications as well as larger media like Dirt Rag, Bike, and Bicycle magazines.

4. Trails - the trail projects for 2008 were voted on.  These will be proposed to Park and Rec for approval and built this riding season.

   1. Boa to Wold's - a trail built to connect the top section of Boa to the top section of Wold's in the Ice Cave/Dunning's park.
   2. West End River Trail - The plan is to build a new trail from the very beginning of the river trail in the land between the current trail and the road, and incorporate into it some beginner type features.
   3. Fred's around the Bluff - A route that will allow riders to climb into Van Peenen without climbing the huge switchback.

5. Time Trails -

   1. Takes place April 27, 2008
   2. Marty Grimm will be in charge of the 2008 Time Trails.  Due to Deke's recent surgery (which went very well and so is his recovery), he felt it was time for someone different with different ideas to come up with the race course.  Parties interested in creating the course threw their names in for a drawing and Marty's name was pulled.  This may become the process for all races in the future.  Since 1981, Deke has been setting up every race course.  He sees this as a way to get new people involved and new ideas for race courses.
   3. This year there will be NO Single Speed or Beginner Class.
6. Big Wheeled Ballyhoo
   1. We will be looking for funds to pay for Printing Ballyhoo Posters. 
   2. These posters will be distributed to area shops to promote the event.  Also, getting these posters into race packets to promote the Ballyhoo at area races and events.

   3. Event Activities - This yearwe are looking for ideas to help bring more participation from attendees.  Some ideas (keep in mind, these are just ideas so far)

      1. Log Pull
      2. Huffy Toss
      3. Bike Hockey
      4. Figure 8 Death Race
      5. Bike Limbo
      6. Bike Jump into the river
      7. Beer Run
      8. Bike Joust
      9. Tandem Barrel Races
   4. Exhibitors will be encouraged to sponsor things like porta poties and trail maintenance.
   5. This year's registration will be on site, as well as the Sunday drawing to help streamline the registration process.  The Saturday night Shindig is still planned to be held at T-Bock's.
   6. The Ballyhoo Crew is working to get Gary Fisher to attend this year.  

Jan. 8, 2008 Meeting

The Jan. meeting was held at 7:00 pm at T-Bock's

1. Trail Approval Process
   1. This year we are going to try something different as far as trail building and maintenance.  At the January Meeting, we heard suggestions for new trails to be built in the 2008 riding season.  We will take the trail ideas and put them on a ballot to be voted on in the February meeting.  The top 3 ideas voted on by the group will be presented to Park and Rec to be built in 2008.  This should help with some of the discrepancy between where we can build, where we can't build, and what we are allowed to build. We will also be asking to build "Features" into the trails.  Things like bridges, teeter totters, and erosion control systems.  The Ideas that were presented are as follows.
      1. A new trail in Dunning's Park that would consist of switchbacks to climb rather than Wold's and the big steep Boa Climb.
      2. Building Features into sections of the Log Jam in Palisades Park
      3. Building trails on Luther Grounds including Roslyn Woods, Hickory Ridge, Falcon Hill and the Ski Hills
      4. A section that would Connect lower Boa to Backbone
      5. River Trail, making it more windy at the Dunning's end and building a feature at the Bruenning's end to cross the creek, possibly build a landing/dock as well.
      6. Wrap Fred's around the Bluff.
         • E-mail or stop in to either of the Bike Shops if you want to know more about the trails.
2. Officers
   1. Nominations for the new DHPT Officers were made at the January meeting.  The Election will be held at the February meeting.  Nominees
      1. President - Bill Fanter
      2. Vice President Doug Osborn
      3. Secretary - Jesse Reyerson
      4. Treasurer - Pete Blodget
         • If you would like to nominate someone or yourself, please e-mail me and I will put the name on the ballot for the Feb. meeting.
3. Grant Information
   1. Deke has been working on the grant writing process.  What we will need to do is to draw up a 3 year plan and a 5 year plan as to what we would like to accomplish for our trails and what we want to do as a group.  The best way to accomplish this is to look at what we have accomplished and inventory everything we have, have done, and have contributed to.
      1. Events
         1. Time Trials
         2. Summer Sizzler
         3. Night Shift
         4. Big Wheeled Ballyhoo
         5. Trans Iowa
      2. Surrounding Clubs
         1. LaCrosse HPT
         2. Platteville Chain Reaction
         3. Blue Dog
         4. Prairie Du Chien's Prairie Pedaler
         5. New Cedar Rapids Club
      3. Tools/Equipment
         1. 1 DR Trimmer - $1300
         2. 1 Chain Saw - $400
         3. 2 Weed Eaters - $400
         4. 5 Pruning Shears - $125
         5. Countless hand tools including rakes, shovels, hoe dags, pick axes, etc.
      4. Maps/Signage
         1. 50 Trail Locator Number signs
         2. 4 Kiosks
         3. Approximately 10,000 handout maps
            • Please e-mail me with items and such that we can use here.
   2. We will also need a way to track the hours that we put into the trails.  This is important because it shows how much time our group spends bettering the community by making the outdoor trails available.  We can also use these hours when we apply for new trails to Park and Rec.  We will be working on a way to make tracking hours convenient for all members.
   3. We will be putting together a proposal to receive some funds from the Park and Rec Trail Maintenance Fund.
4. The 2008 Big Wheel Ballyhoo
   1. www.bigwheeledballyhoo.com
   2. Just a note, remember how much work we put into the trails last year and assume at least the same amount of work will be necessary this year.  We want to make sure that everyone who visits our trails leaves here with the idea that we know exactly what we are doing with Mountain Biking in Decorah.
5. Bikedecorah.com
   1. www.bikedecorah.com
   2. This is a website I have recently built.  There is a DHPT page where I will list the Meeting Agendas prior to each month's meeting and the minutes after each month's meeting.  Please check it out and let me know if you have any suggestions.
6. Other Topics
   1. We will be looking into putting signs at every trail head with the name of the trail.  The number system is working, but it makes sense to label each trail with a sign that has the actual name of that trail.
   2. We talked about putting drop boxes on the Kiosks for comments and for visiting riders to request information about DHPT and Decorah trails.
   3. Time Trials this year will takes place April 27, 2008

Playing in the snow - Jan. 9, 2008

Kiosks -

One of DHPT's accomplishments this year was the construction and installation of 4 Trail Information Kiosks that are located in the Park Trails Systems.  A big thanks to all those who helped with the project.

2008 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo -

 The hype has already started for the 2nd Annual Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.  Click HERE for all the information about the Event.

2007 marked the first ever 29" Mt. Bike Event/Festival.  The brain child of Guitar Ted and Tim Grahl of www.twentynineinches.com brought this event to our trails for 3 days of Bikes, Friends, Drinks and Dancing.  See what they thought and what others had to say here.