TRAILS REPORT + THE WEATHER

• One word – WET. Please stick to the usual wet weather riding spots.. Loyston, Sharps, #yearroundgetdown.
• “Go kayaking, it’s much better with rain”

BIG NEWS!

Our organization has grown and taken on much responsibility in the community. It’s time to take the next step and we are excited to announce that Matthew Kellogg is our new executive director! Matthew is a former AMBC president and has been instrumental in our growth thus far. You’ll be hearing much more from Matthew in the future! (Tidbit from former president, Randy Conner- we started out with seventeen members and had meeting attendance of around eight people!)

JANUARY 25TH WORK PARTY RECAP

• We had a great crew (58 people!) come out to help at the Forks.
• We worked on draining and hardening problem areas on Whaley Trail and West Perimeter.
• Luke led a crew tidying things up at Sharp’s.
• Harper’s Bike Shop provided lunch and Yee-Haw Brewing donated cold beers!

JANUARY 19TH BELL JOY WOMEN’S DIG DAY RECAP

• It was a COLD morning but thirty women came out to learn how to dig trail (thanks for the instruction Becca Stone!) and get started on Tennessee’s first adaptive mountain bike trail!
• Bell Joy + Legacy Parks + Catalyst Sports + AMBC = making awesome things happen!

CATALYST SPORTS – I’LL PUSH YOU

Carly Pearson came to tell her inspirational story about how adaptive sports programs have changed her life since her catastrophic spinal cord injury. Leslie King with the Knoxville Catalyst Sports chapter, shared their upcoming fundraiser and screening of I’ll Push You: A Camino Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends and One Wheelchair. It’s Saturday, February 1st at Onsight Rock Gym. All proceeds will go to Catalyst Sports of Knoxville. TICKETS are $10 and include a Q & A from adaptive athletes in Knoxville and surrounding communities.

BIKE PARK UPDATE

Rebekah Montgomery (City of Knoxville Urban Wilderness Coordinator), Scott McClure (Blalock Construction), and Randy Conner (Contour Trail Design) filled us in on the latest with the Baker Creek Bike Park project. Some fun facts:

• Nearly $250,000 spent to date (out of $650,000 budget)
• 120 tons of asphalt spread
• 7000 cubic yards of dirt moved
• 260 tons of crushed concrete used
• 480 feet of pipe run
• Completion percentages: overall grading 80%, fine grading 60%, east jump line 70%, asphalt jump line 60%, skills park 70%, pump track 20%
• APRIL is the goal! (weather permitting obviously)

Huge THANK YOU to the City for prioritizing outdoor recreation on a major scale. This is a one-of-a-kind, groundbreaking (ha!) project that’s a BIG DEAL for Knoxville. None of it would be happening without YOU ALL. Our cycling community is pretty awesome!!!

KNOXVILLE OUTDOOR TOURS

Alex Clark has a new venture – Knoxville Outdoor Tours . He’ll be hosting guided mountain bike rides around the Urban Wilderness. He’d love to take any visitors or new riders around to show them our awesome trails. Give them a like!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR FUN STUFF COMING UP!

• February 1 – Little Bellas registration open!
• February 8 – Urban Wilderness Work Party
• February 22 – IC King Work Party
• February 24 – February Monthly Meeting
• March 1 – “Trés Amigos!” the SoKno Taco 3rd Anniversary Celebration & Scavenger Hunt benefiting AMBC
• March 4-8 – TENNESSEE NATIONAL BIKE FESTIVAL at Windrock Bike Park including Round 1 of the US Pro Gravity Tour (!!!), Continental Enduro World Series, Youth Downhill, and Best Whip!
• March 29 – NEW Waucheesi Gravel Race hosted by our friends at Rapid Expeditions