BTCEB Buzz, Biketober 2021

Saturday October 30th – 9:00am to Noon
Crockett Hills Regional Park, Crockett, CA​

The Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay (http://www.btceb.org) invites you to our monthly Gala Ride.  THIS MONTH WE WILL BE RIDING ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 30TH AT CROCKETT HILLS REGIONAL PARK IN CROCKETT!!!

If you haven’t been before to Crockett Hills, it offers a lot of great trails for mountain bikes that are maintained by BTCEB members. So join us for a fun and flowy group ride! And it’s Halloween, so if you come in costume, extra points!

==> THE ADDRESS IS: 1300 Crockett Blvd, Crockett, CA 94525.

We will gather at 9am in Crockett Hills Regional Park Parking Lot and hit the trails promptly at 9:30am.

This is just off Crockett Blvd, in the town of Crockett. You can park in the parking lot. If the lot is full, you may need to park on at the school just down the street from the entrance. 
Join us for refreshments and snacks after the ride. Safety glasses are suggested. A well-tuned mountain bike is a must!

We offer ride groups for ALL SKILL LEVELS, from novice to intermediate to advanced. All rides are ‘no-drop’ rides (we won’t leave you behind or let you get lost) and are fully supported. A novice rider should be able to ride 10-12 miles (including ~1000ft of climbing) on hilly narrow singletrack for 2.5 hrs.

We will separate into 3 levels of riders: The beginner group, group C, will ride around 10 miles and 1000ft of elevation gain; The intermediate group, group B, will ride around 13 miles and 1500 ft of elevation gain; the advanced group, group A, will ride around 15 miles and 1800 ft of elevation gain.

Rides are free and open to the public and led by experienced local mountain bikers familiar with the trails. Medical coverage is provided to all paid BTCEB members, one more reason to join. So go to our website and hit the JOIN TODAY button. We take PayPal.

And as always PLEASE RSVP to join the ride.

Editors note:  Don’t trust your mapping software to get you to the park by just entering “Crockett Hills” as it will take you to the wrong place in the park.  Instead navigate to 1300 Crockett Blvd 94525.

Also please note that due to the potential for smokey skies or even *RAIN* please be sure to consult the Meetup event the morning of the ride for any last minute changes or cancellations.

Saturday November 20th – 8:30AM to Noon
Meet at 5560 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacifica, CA 94044

Next up in our women’s ride series, we’re going as far West as we can to ride the trails south of Pacifica. The mission of Ride Like a Girl is to have fun, learn new trails and meet other women who love to mountain bike. We’ll take care of you: these are no-stress rides where no one is left behind.
Join ride leader Rebecca Lewington on Saturday, November 20th at 8:30am in the parking lot near the excellent Humble Sea Brewing Company, 5560 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacifica, CA 94044. Guess where the post-ride hangout will be?

​Sign up on Meet Up.

Our route will cover about 13 miles with 1,900 feet of climbing. We’ll roll at 9am, which will give us plenty of time to sign in, go over how the rides work and answer any questions you might have. These trails drain well, but if it’s very wet, we’ll postpone.

Please bring your mountain bike, obviously, in good working condition. (No ebikes, please.) Whether you’re running tubeless tires or not, please make sure you have a spare inner tube to fit your wheels, plenty of water and some food for the trail.

And don’t forget to join BTCEB! We are much more than a group that puts on rides. BTCEB tirelessly advocates for better bike access on trails in the East Bay and we need your support.

JOIN today!

By Scott Bartlebaugh

Here is an update on some of the advocacy activities that we’re working on at BTCEB.

You’ll begin to see some messaging from the Trails are Common Ground campaign in our social media feeds.  This campaign has been created by a collective group of trail users including mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians, trail runners, and motorized trail users.  It aims to improve trail experiences for all trail users and emphasizes education on trail etiquette / courtesy and being accepting, inclusive and welcoming of all identities, backgrounds, abilities, and speeds.

E-Bike policy

The EBRPD Park Advisory Committee was scheduled to discuss E-bike policy related to natural surface trails during September but the discussion has been delayed until staff have further time to prepare for the discussion. 

BTCEB supports the policy position made by CAMTB which essentially endorses class 1 e-bike use on trails open to regular bikes and has submitted this input to EBPRD.  We feel the benefits far outweigh the potential negative impacts.  E-bikes allow a variety of people including the elderly, groups of varying abilities, and diverse others to experience nature and access areas of the parks they would not be able to otherwise.  Additionally they allow individuals a means to more enjoyably and safely climb steep fire and ranch roads that were not designed with recreation in mind, but sadly, are the majority of the routes open to bicycles currently. Current research indicated that e-bike impact on trails on a per mile basis is similar to bikes. Allowing increased e-bike access would likely bring more users to the trails legally.  The EBRPD PAC work plan has not been updated to indicate when they will discuss e-bike access policy.

Roddy Ranch Open House

EBRPD held an open house of the Roddy Ranch property in the Brentwood/Antioch area.  A portion of the property was open to walk on the remaining paved golf cart paths, many of which will be removed.  At this point it is looking like their next round of design will retain a large portion of the multi-use trails with bike access in their Option C (Focus on Flow) – Planners estimated it would be 4-5 years until the property would be opened to the public.

You can find more information regarding Roddy Ranch and the park district process at EBRPD.

EBRPD Bike Bell Project

Work continues with East Bay Regional Park District and the East Bay Regional Parks Foundation on a pilot bike bell program.  The program will provide bike bell stations where cyclists can borrow a bell to use while riding to help communicate to other trail users that they are approaching.  Sometimes during even our best efforts to communicate verbally to other trail users bikes can be very quiet and calling out still ends up being a startling experience for other trail users particularly when bikes are approaching from behind.  A continuous bell provides an earlier notification and helps other trail users get a feel for how fast a bike is approaching.  Bells can be effective in areas with blind turns or particularly when bikes are descending a trail.  The bells are a continuously ringing small cow bell type bell with a velcro loop to attach to handlebars.  The bell can be silenced by flopping it on a brake or shift cable housing. 

EBRPD Small Trails Crew

The EBRPD established a Small Trails Crew several seasons ago and the crew is continuing and the program is slowly expanding.  The ‘Small’ refers largely to a narrow trails focus as compared to the EBRPD Roads and Trails crews.  The STC is a step by the EBRPD to provide increased maintenance to narrow trails within the district and a recognition that narrow trails have value and need more maintenance. 

Patrick Demmons is the lead for the STC and he brings a commitment to doing quality work, continued learning about trail maintenance and construction, and what the various users are looking for in the trails.  The crew was recently out at Crockett Hills when they had access to a Sutter ST 300 trail machine with plans to do work on Goldfinch trail.  Attempts to get access to this machine earlier in the year when moisture levels in the dirt are more favorable didn’t work out and this was the available time frame.  Even with a water tender it turned out to be impractical to get good results under the current conditions and the decision was made to stop for now and return hopefully early next year when moisture conditions are favorable and the district will have received their own Sutter ST 300.

The Small Trails Crew is a step to adding people, equipment, and knowledge to improve the maintenance and construction their trails.

You can find some nice photography of their work on Instagram @pdemmonstrails.

Carnegie OHV Expansion Halted – Parcel to Become State Park

For about 20 years the California State Parks has been trying to add 3000 acres to the smallish Carnegie SVRA.  There was local resistance from the start and while it appeared that headway was being made to expand Carnegie, things dragged out and a court ordered that instead of part of the 3000 acres be opened for OHV use that the entire addition must be added as a state park.  State officials are presenting it as a win-win; the OHV division originally paid $9M for the property and will now get $31M to find an OHV property elsewhere.  We are inquiring as to what the public land planning process for the new state park will be and the points for public participation to advocate for trails and bike access.  Read more about in the Mercury News. 

Franklin Canyon RV Resort Project

There is a project proposed to convert the Franklin Canyon Golf Course to an RV Park/Campground.  Included in this project would be a parking lot with access directly off highway 4 and a trail connection into John Muir Land Trust’s Fernandez Ranch.This project falls under the Hercules Planning Commission who began discussing this project in their September meeting and will continue discussion in the October 4th meeting. 

​At this point neither the project nor JMLT are anticipating the addition of any significant new trails but it would create and additional access point and could play a part in creating future routes to access the park by bike rather than a car.

Public Comment Calendar

If you’d like to be added to a public comment opportunity email list, send a message to advocacy@btceb.org.  We will message out via email on particular public comment opportunities.  

• EBRPD Board Meeting 
  Friday November 2nd, 1 pm
• EBRPD Board Meeting
  Tuesday November 16th, 1 pm
• EBRPD Board Meeting 
  December 7th, 6 pm
• Walnut Creek Parks Recreation and Open Space Commission
  Monday December 6th, 6:00 pm
  Item:  Lime Ridge Flow Trail / Trail Committee Recommendations
• EBRPD Board Meeting 
  Tuesday December 21st, 1 pm

By John Roberts, BTCEB Director-at-Large

A new Facebook group called “Dirt Kids – Bay Area Parents/Kids MTB” had its inaugural Sunday group ride on 10/17/21. We met at the Oakland Pump Track at 9AM.

All nine kids that arrived rode with their parent/guardian. We had a riders’ meeting where Facebook page creator Morgan Segal gave intros.  I too spoke about ride etiquette that included: staying to our right on the trail, and walking our bikes together when we crossed Skyline. The route had been laid out by Caron, another parent.  

After discussing the trail route, I had the honor of leading the first 3/4 of the ride. We started by walking our bikes across Skyline Blvd to the Sequoia Bayview Trailhead. We then rode Sequoia Bayview to the top of Cinderella Trail.  At the Horse Arena Gate area, we all again walked our bikes across Skyline Blvd to the MHA building / Redwood Bowl Staging parking lot. We stopped at the Redwood Bowl picnic tables, where some kids had snacks, and one parent performed mechanical repairs to a kickstand.

We then rode past the PAL Camp and again walked our bikes back across Skyline Blvd to the Redwood Glen Trailhead. We rode south on Big Trees Trail until the Roberts Park spur. There, the kids dismounted and walked around the fairy circles and trees. This gave them time to play, chat, and bond together. The parents socialized too.  At that point, all trail users I had encountered was with a smile, as I would announce: “We have a child train coming”. For the final ride segment I yielded the lead to another parent, Elaine, who led a contingent that included beaming young girls.

The ride ended back at the Sequoia Bayview Trailhead. I was later told two kids had tip overs or falls on the final segment of the ride, on the Big Trees Trail. Interestingly, one was the son of the lead parent, Morgan S., and the other was my son, Emilio. You would not know this had happened though. For example, when everyone else left, our two kids rode the pump track together for another 20 minutes and then played on foot together around the pump track area for another 30 minutes, much of the time laughing or exploring, and having a great time.

Some parents made the comment that riding as a group helped their kids have the best ride day ever. I agree. In addition, all encounters with other trails users I experienced were positive, and many said nice and encouraging words when they saw the young riders.

By Rebecca Lewington​

Eight dirtlovers joined ride leader Rebecca Lewington at Fernandez Ranch, near Martinez, back on September 18th . Fernandez Ranch is a little gem of a park and has a singletrack trails that are, amazingly, fun to ride in both directions. Which we did, hitting almost every trail in the park twice! It’s possible they were just being polite, but everyone said they enjoyed themselves.

For the fourth edition of our reborn women’s ride series, we ventured beyond the East Bay up onto the Peninsula skyline. Ten of us hit fun, flowing singletrack in four preserves: Monte Bello, Skyline Ridge, Russian Ridge and Coal Creek.

The mission of RLAG is to have fun, learn new trails and meet other women who love to mountain bike. We achieved all three: it was a blast, few of us had seen any of these trails before and we had some first timers. I was also impressed how far our riders travelled: we had a party from Modesto and even one from San Diego!

We’re going even further West for the next Ride Like a Girl. Join us on Saturday, November 20 st to ride the trails in the Pacifica region. If it’s wet, which would be no bad thing, we’ll postpone. Follow BTECB on Facebook and Meetup to be alerted when signups open.

By Josh Church, BTCEB Director-at-Large

If you’ve ever attempted to introduce a new local rider to dirt, you’ve probably had the realization that there’s just not a whole lot of appropriate off-pavement spaces for new cyclists to find their dirt-stoke nearby. To get the most out of a ride, the best situation provides a combination of relatively safe speeds over limited grades, and a positive and memorable experience. China Camp State Park (North Bay) has the technically ideal, but often crowded, Shoreline Trail – a narrower undulating trail frequented by KOM chasers. Closer to home, Wildcat Creek Trail in (Wildcat Canyon and Tilden parks) offers a few miles of uninterrupted extra-wide fireroad. A few other parks and trails nearby get nods online as suitable places to bring new riders as well. While all of these spots offer the appropriate level of difficulty, they’re not the most interesting places to spend time. Granted, new riders who are aerobically fit can certainly enjoy more challenging locations and longer rides without necessarily taking on greater risk (Marin Headlands for example), by practicing NSIW (no shame in walking). But to find a memorable, enjoyable experience for your newest rider, consider instead a trip to Eden Landing Ecological Preserve. 

Eden Landing Ecological Preserve is essentially a 4600-acre mudflat wetland divided by a few miles of pancake-flat, gravel levee roads that meander out from Hayward towards the bay, just south of the foot of the San Mateo Bridge. For many East Bay folk, it might be close to an hour away, so why make the trip? While it’s not mountain biking, it is unpaved. It’s also interesting and beautiful, and can provide that critical sense of escape that keeps many of us returning to our bikes. 

Prior to the state taking ownership in 1996, the site was an active salt farm dating back to the late 1800s. The Cargill Salt Company ceased operations there in 1972 and the facilities were left to the elements, and remnants of the structures still stand out of the flats and water. A few interpretive signs offer an interesting glimpse into the area’s history and ecology.

The ecological preservation efforts started in 1996, and have helped restore the habitat for many native species of plants and animals, many of which can be seen by bicycle: Ibis, killdeer, snowy plovers, various raptors and other birds inhabit the area. Visitors might spot hare, snakes, and even rays or leopard sharks in the shallow waters just off of the trail. Along the way and at the far point westward, you can find benches to pause and take in a snack, the bay views and fresh bay air.

Who should bring a bike to Eden Landing? Eden Landing itself is fairly small, yet hosts enough space for kids as young as 4 years old to earn a good night’s sleep. The gravel depth changes a bit from segment to segment, and green riders of any age can develop some subtle loose terrain control skills by riding here while enjoying the scenery. Additionally, it connects to the Bay Trail, allowing riders who want more saddle time to stretch their unpaved ride into double digit miles – some of which runs right at the bay’s edge, and passes by the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center (currently closed, but a great spot to stop when open). 

Eden Landing (and the adjacent Bay Trail) is one of the East Bay’s best kept secret ride spots. If you’re hoping to turn someone on to cycling off of pavement, put this area on your short list of first rides. You just might find yourself returning for second, third, and fourth rides too.

The annual trail stewardship event is back on Saturday, November 6th, when we host volunteer projects building and maintaining Ridge Trail all around the Bay Area. If you’ve been itching to get outside and get your hands dirty, all while supporting your favorite regional trail, this is the event for you! Tools and lunch will be provided, plus a chance to win some fun gear.

Can’t make it November 6th? Sign up for the DIY stewardship option so you can show the Ridge Trail some love on your own time. Bonus: post pics of your DIY trail clean-up for the chance to win prizes! Learn more and register here.