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Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act Passes Congress

8-ish Days of Christmas

We know that there have been access issues with the west side of the Hohokam Trail. The railroad right of way is private property and they have posted no trespassing signs and often block the road with boulders or gravel piles. You should not park there. We have been in contact with the railroad and they are unwilling to provide any access and certainly are unwilling to allow parking along the road next to the tracks. Pima County Natural Resources & Parks is aware of the issue and is trying to work out a solution to connect the Hohokam Trail to the Gabe Zimmerman. The long term solution is to extend Hohokam Trail west to connect to the AZT and the Gabe Zimmerman trailhead. For now folks will have to park at McKenzie and ride Hohokam as an out and back from there, or park near 3 Bridges or Gabe Z and use a combination of the AZT, dirt roads and gasline roads to connect. It is legal to park along Agua Verde Road near Marsh Station Road. However there is not much space there. We are working with Pima county to resolve this access issue. Stay tuned.

Brushtober Fest is here and you are invited to help. Each year, SDMB identifies trails in need of some "trail love" after the active monsoon season. No experience is necessary and everyone is invited to help out with brushing back overgrown vegetation, repairing minor tread damage and have fun while meeting others interested in mountain biking and trails. This year, 4 events are planned: Sweetwater, September 28th, 8:00 to 12:30 PM Mt. Graham, October 11-13th Fantasy Island, October 20th, 8:00 to Noon Starr Pass, November 9th, 8:00 to Noon More information and registration is available on our website under "Events." Lunch and beverages are provided to all volunteers who register in advance. Tools are also provided. So, come on out and give our trails some much needed love as we get ready for the fall and winter riding season. See you on the trails.

SDMB is pleased to host the 2023 8-ish days of Christmas ride series! This will be a series of mountain bike rides around the Tucson area to celebrate the holidays. Come one come all for the festivities and relax.

The Graham Cracker: Years-long project yields world-class mountain bike course on Mount Graham Read more about it hereThe Graham Cracker: Years-long project yields world-class mountain bike course on Mount Graham

Sweetwater Brushtober was a great success we did a lot of great work on Red Tail Ridge, Red Canyon, and Homestead. SDMB could not maintain the trail system without Volunteers like you. Remember to join us for other events coming up this fall. https://sonorandesertmountainbicyclists.wildapricot.org/events

The next SDMB board meeting will take place on October 11th at the Tucson Parks & Recreation Building near Reid Park, 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Board meetings are open to the public and you are encouraged to attend to learn what SDMB is focused on, particularly during October when Brushtober Fest is in full swing to brush back and repair trail tread after the monsoon season. Email "president@sdmb" for details.

The next SDMB board meeting will be held September 7th from 6:30 to 8:00 PM via Zoom. We'll be discussing plans for Brushtober Fest among other topics. Board meetings are open to the public so if you wish to attend and see what we're up to, please email: rcanamar@gmail.com  to get the link to sit in. We welcome your involvement.

Our own Nat Gordon on the SDMB Board was a recent featured guest on locally produced the Mountain Cog Podcast. He talks about our trail restoration work on Mt Graham, the vision for the Graham Cracker Ride and about what's up from his perspective as the Development Chair at SDMB. Listen Here.

Spring has sprung, so we are looking to grow our SDMB committees. We hope some of you are willing to help our committees accomplish more great things in the months and years ahead. In the past, we had some very active people on our committees, but COVID impacted committee participation.

Check out the latest video from Brice Shirbach about SDMB and TORCA as two exemplary trail organizations working on behalf of mountain bikers and all trail users in the greater Tucson area. Kudos to Dave Slagle for representing us so well. Click here to see the video

SDMB is pleased to host the 2022 8-ish days of Christmas ride series! This will be a series of mountain bike rides around the Tucson area to celebrate the holidays. Come one come all for the festivities and relax.

Arizona State Parks & Trails recently released its new 5-Year plan that outlines the agency's priorities for both motorized and non-motorized recreation on state park lands. Included is information about applying for grants as well as a host of information from surveys of trail users. It is a lengthy document but might be worthwhile for you to scan for your own areas of interest. View the plane here.

The Coronado National Forest recently released its 15-year trail plan for the Catalina Ranger District. Public comments are being solicited until December 2nd, and there is a public meeting scheduled for November 17th from 5-7:00 PM at the Jewish Community Center on River Road. You can also review the entire plan here

We are sad to have to announce that this year's McKenzie Frenzy Race has been postponed to an as-yet-to-be determined date in spring 2023. We know that many people were interested in participating again in this race, but logistics and other issues have prevented us from hosting the event during the first weekend in December. Stay tuned for future announcements.

Bike Ambassadors help keep Pima County trails safe Mary Reynolds, Pima County communications, recently created a short video about our new program on local trails. A cadre of bike ambassadors is working with Pima County to promote proper safety and etiquette on trails throughout southern Arizona. The program, organized by nonprofit Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists, is made up entirely of volunteers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ewCbC_wFBM  

Sponsors of the Mt. Lemmon Gravel Grinder haveannounced that this event is being discontinued after 5years. We are sad to see the end of this event since it was a great way for cyclists of all types to be involved and was a major fundraiser for SDMB. Here's is what John McCarrell and the MLGG Crew announced: "It is hard to express in words what this event has meant to me over the years.  It all started back in 2016 with a handful of folks who had the idea of putting on an event for the communities of Tucson and Oracle to enjoy and call their own.  Each year the event grew and the MLGG experienced 3 different venues starting at Arizona Zipline Adventures and ultimately calling the 3C Ranch home.  After taking 2020 off due to a devastating wildfire on Mount Lemmon and the COVID-19 Pandemic, it returned better than ever and saw the largest number of participants, 500+, the event had ever experienced.  But putting on these events is not easy.  There are always obstacles to overcome and it takes a tremendous amount of energy.  Ultimately, it takes a toll on the family."

The state level: Ebikes in Utah

An electric bike rode into the backcountry. Now there's a nationwide turf war

Some recent chatter on social media about SDMB's neutrality on the e-bike issue has generated a LOT of passion and feedback. We thought it appropriate to weigh in here on the blog to offer up some points of clarification and information.

Arizona State Parks & Trails recently approved a small grant to SDMB to support our Bike Ambassador program. The funds will be used to provide jerseys to Bike Ambassadors which identify them clearly out on the trails, and for First-Aid Kits and Be Cool trail etiquette materials. Congrats to Nathaniel Gordon for submitting a successful grant to support the SDMB Bike Ambassador program. Look for them on the trails.

Personally, we have noticed an improvement in trail etiquette here in Tucson with the "Be Cool" program, particularly at Sweetwater where the past was sometimes marked by complaints and conflicts from hikers about MTBers. Our new bike ambassador program is designed to take the new step to make our trails even safer and better—for all users.