by Morgan Fletcher
It is with great excitement that we can finally and officially open the Oakland Pump Track! What started as a mid-ride conversation four years ago has finally come to fruition, and Oakland has a place for everyone, from first-time to experienced riders to come together, enhance their skills, and have some fun.
This project could not have been completed without hundreds of hours of volunteer time, the support of City of Oakland staff, donations of dirt and equipment from Silverado Contractors and Herc Rentals, and over $16,000 in donations from the mountain bike community. Every penny of that money was spent on permits, insurance, tools, and equipment needed to make this track a reality. Thank you all so much for all the effort and patience as we learned the ins and outs of getting a public pump track built, not to mention fires, pandemic, and everything else 2020 had to throw at us. With all that behind us, we hope that everyone enjoys the track!
The Rules
1. Have fun!
2. Treat others with respect
3. Max of 4 riders on the track at once
4. Do not ride on top of berms
5. NO RIDING IN THE WET!
6. Do not add to or modify the track
Next Steps
The track has been built! But it’s going to need some love and care to keep it fun. Dirt tracks degrade over time and we will continue to have volunteer days to keep things in shape. We’ve already started our Phase II fundraising effort on GoFundMe for a permanent water tank, water purchase, water meter rental, hosing, compaction tools, and items we need to keep the track riding well and allow our volunteer teams to maintain the track we built. We hope to complete this work by December 2020. If you are able please consider donating to help us complete this work and more.
Stay tuned to @OaklandPumpTrack on IG, Facebook, and our upcoming website: https://oaklandpumptrack.org.
Check out our very own Jerott King, BTCEB President giving an old school throw down on the new track. YouTube video courtesy Poh Teng aka mrpercussive.
