News From AMBC

April 2020 Meeting Recap

We went LIVE on the internet and it was.. ridiculous! If you couldn’t tune in on Monday night, you can still watch HERE.

We had about 72 people join us from the comfort of their own homes. Matthew Kellogg (Executive Director) and Wes Soward (President) tag teamed the meeting with flair AND distance. We had comments, polls, and many outfit changes.

Matthew, sporting a jaunty Alliance hat, cracked a matching Alliance beer and welcomed the group.

TRAILS REPORT + THE WEATHER

  • POLL: Where have you been riding during the shutdown? Lots of people have been hitting up the Urban Wilderness. Sharps Ridge and Loyston have also been popular but it seems like all of our trails have been seeing tires.
  • We are SUPER lucky to have lots of options and good partnerships with the City of Knoxville, Knox County, private land owners, the State of Tennessee, Legacy Parks Foundation, Aslan Foundation, Ijams Nature Center, and all of our awesome sponsors.
  • Downhill directional trails are still closed and we will report back as soon as we have any information from the City. ***UPDATE – As of 5/4/2020 City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation has reopened all trails. Please use social distancing practices on and off trial.***
  • Our regular weather man, Dave Stanley, has a new future shredder at home so Wes gave the weather report. Proudly wearing his new Southcoast Pizza tank top – “Suns out, guns out”. We’ve had some rain in the last few days but Sharps has been good. “Good for your gardens, bad for the trails”.

WORK PARTY RECAPS

  • Matthew, clad in our awesome AMBC wool trail builder shirt and sipping a Hi-Wire Brewing cold treat, gave some impressive stats!
  • March 7th – Harper Audi fed fifty volunteers and Hi-Wire Brewing kicked in the cold beers! We worked Lost Chromosome and trails in Hastie in the Urban Wilderness.
  • Our spring work parties had a total of 259 volunteers and 900 hours documented for a total of around $23,000 of value!
  • Twenty-three people OF THEIR OWN ACCORD have put in 104.5 hours for a total of $2657.44 of value! If you, or your quaranteam, would like to work on your neighborhood trail, we’d be happy to check our tools out! Reach out to Matthew Kellogg about our Rogue Hoes To-Go program [email protected].
“Work days aren’t for everyone but they are for most people.”
~ Matthew Kellogg

THANK YOU ALL!!!

POLL: Which is your favorite trail building tool? Multiple choice: rogue hoe, loppers, bucket or sledge hammer? The clear winner was the rogue hoe with loppers coming in second.

EVENT RECAP

In a snazzy Sokno Taco shirt sipping from our environmentally friendly AMBC stainless steel cup, Wes reports:

  • The Tennessee National race at Windrock Bike Park happened on March 7th. Two local pro riders made the podium! These guys love to train in our back yard!
  • The always fun Tres Amigos Sokno Taco 3rd Anniversary Celebration and Scavenger Hunt (benefiting AMBC) was March 1st and a good time was had by all!
  • We have a new date for our BIG BAD Marathon Water Stop! November 15th BEER THERE!

POLL: What was your favorite race stop? Everyone loved all of the awesome small business check points 🙂

NEWS

  • Matthew, utilizing the new blaze orange Trailhead buff as a handy mask and sipping a “juicy takeout IPA, wants you to help us help you. We’ve got two new club email addresses:
  • Please report any trail issues or down trees to [email protected]. A screenshot of your location on an app or map showing the location of the problem is super helpful. We’ll get it taken care of!
  • Please log your volunteer hours at [email protected]. Knowing when and where you are spending your time helps us let our partners know what we are up to and we’d love to give you a high five if we see you! SEND PICS!
  • Dave Williams is available to work on some problem spots. On the list currently are touching up the currently closed downhill trails and drainage on Booger and Pit Viper at Fort Dickerson.
  • Socks are back in stock in the club store! Katie Tugwell says “Take my money!” GET SOME!
  • The Knoxville Adventure Collective has set up Solo de Mayo, a solo virtual “race” happening May 1-10th. Ride! Paddle! Run! and log your times on Strava. Winners get prizes!
  • IMBA is having a membership drive during the months of May & June. Go online to check your status and tell your friends! Don’t worry – we’ll remind you again.
  • WE HAVE A BEER! Elkmont Exchange + Lipman Brothers = easy drinking “Best Medicine” goodness with a can designed by our very own Sara Witt! Stay tuned for a list of retailers!

Wes, with a refreshing beer from Simpl and quick quarantine takeout poll. Support our supporters!!! Don’t forget our friends at Sweet P’s BBQ, and Central Flats and Taps.

AND WE FINISHED WITH A BOTTLE ROCKET SEND OFF. As you do…

CHEERS!

If you are interested in any of the many featured looks or delicious treats from this evenings show, please hit up the AMBC online store and consider reaching out to our awesome local favorites. They support us during good times and can really use our help right now.

February 2020 Meeting Recap

We had 76 lovely people come out in the cold rain for this month’s meeting!

As this meeting grows, please be respectful of the neighbors, use public parking and avoid on-street parking in the neighborhood. Ride your bike when possible!!!

TRAILS REPORT + THE WEATHER

  • It rains. And rains. And rains. Please stick to the usual wet weather riding spots.. and don’t forget Norris!
  • Russ Manning filled in for Dave Stanley to report the weather. We’ve had 11 inches of rain in the month of February. BUT we’ve only averaged 4.5 inches in March for the last three years. Fingers crossed for better riding weather ahead!
  • In #yearroundgetdown news – the best place to park is still at Baker Creek, then ride in on Red Bud Crest. There are three parking spots on Sevierville Pike at the Marie Meyers entrance as well. We are working on fixing the problem spots to make dry access easier.

The City is working on new trail maps (we build trail faster than they can make maps) but club member Vinny has been working hard to get the trails (especially YRGD) uploaded to Trailforks & MTB Project.

INTRODUCING MR. MATTHEW KELLOGG AS THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (and MC for this meeting WITH a new PA)!

WORK PARTY RECAPS

  • February 8th at Meads Quarry – 33 awesome people showed up to work! Cycology Bicycles fixed an excellent meal, kept the fire pits going and gave a gift card to every volunteer! Lipman Brothers kicked in cold beers! We worked on moving LOTS (10 tons) of gravel to Hickory and Flow trails. We’ll be working on new bridges on Hickory in the near future
  • February 22nd at IC King – The City Mayor was there! It was an accident but she gave the crew of 52 (!) volunteers a pep talk before she headed out for her run. We worked on trail at the east entrance. The county has approved more trail in the east side of the park and that should get going in the next 6-8 months. Hi-Wire Brewing + Tennessee Valley Bikes crushed lunch!
  • Hi-Wire Brewing Knoxville is in as our beer sponsor for the rest of the work party season!!! WOOP!

BEER COLLABORATION WITH Elkmont Exchange

You heard that right – we are getting an AMBC beer! It will be an easy drinking pilsner, around 4.6-4.8% ABV, in tallboy cans and kegs, to be distributed around town. Keep your eyes peeled, they start brewing next Tuesday! BIG THANK YOU TO CLUB MEMBER JEREMY WALKER FOR KEEPING US IN BEER!

APPALACHIAN YOUTH CYCLING

Ryan Leach reports that they can always still use volunteers and that they are working on getting information on the website and a better calendar so stay tuned.

FUN THINGS TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR

  • March 1st (THIS Sunday) – “Trés Amigos!” the SoKno Taco 3rd Anniversary Celebration to benefit AMBC! Bike scavenger hunt entry is $25 and that get’s you a full day of fun, race t-shirt, one Oscar Blues cold beer + dinner! Registration is behind the restaurant (please park at Baker Creek) from 11-12:45PM and the race is from 1-5PM and the winners will take home some sweet prizes.
  • March 7th – Urban Wilderness Work Party! sponsored by Audi of Knoxvilleand the new all new Audi Q3.
  • March 4-8 – TENNESSEE NATIONAL BIKE FESTIVAL at Windrock Bike Parkincluding Round 1 of the US Pro Gravity Tour (!!!), Continental Enduro World Series, Youth Downhill, and Best Whip! They are looking for volunteers and will trade park passes for your service.
  • March 14th – 15th Banff Film Festival
  • March 22nd – Joy Ride Loyston-Spring Ride & Potluck They’d love to have some volunteers and are planning on an E-bike ride!
  • March 23rd – AMBC Monthly Meeting
  • March 29th – Knoxville Marathon Water Stop (stay tuned for more info on facebook)! Bring your bells! We have won best water stop for the past few years and we don’t plan on giving up our title!
  • March 29th – The Waucheesi Bike Race by Rapid Expeditions
  • BIG FUN TUESDAYS! We are going to #bringtuesdaysback starting in May! Stay tuned for updates about food, music, beer and more!

LIMITED EDITION TRANSFARM T-SHIRTS

Are available at REI (6700 Papermill Drive, Knoxville, TN) WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

AMBC Names First Executive Director

The Appalachian Mountain Bike Club is pleased to announce the selection of former Board President and Club Member Matthew Kellogg as its first Executive Director to serve the organization.

The Appalachian Mountain Bike Club is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable trail access for off-road bicyclists and to maintaining the trails on which mountain bikers ride and other user groups rely on. The Appalachian Mountain Bike Club supports the conservation of open spaces and is committed to educating mountain bicyclists to ride sensitively and responsibly in order to protect the natural environment and the experience of other trail users.

Hiring an Executive Director has been planned for the club for several years and the Board committed funds for the position in late summer of 2019. “AMBC has continued to grow and our board decided now was the time to take the next step and hire an Executive Director.” states Board President Wes Soward. “There were many great applicants and we ultimately decided to hire Matthew. AMBC is excited to see how we mature as an organization with our first staff position.”

As a past club President and former Board member Kellogg has firsthand knowledge and relationships that will help propel the club through the next phases. Kellogg was at the helm in 2015 when community support made Knoxville the winner of Bell Helmets 2015 $100k trail grant. A grant that funded the building of the “Devils Racetrack” an iconic trail at Baker Creek Preserve in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. Kellogg holds a Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Tennessee Knoxville and honed his project management and leadership skills restoring and revitalizing some of Knoxville’s historic downtown structures.

Tasked with maintaining over 70 miles of natural surface multiuse trails in the Knoxville area. The most recent project included the reworking of Marie Myers Park located in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. The project aimed to reduce trail maintenance while increasing the number of suitable ride days. Trail users from around the country and our community have great reviews of the new trail network dubbed the #yearroundgetdown.

AMBC has been the driving force for natural surface trail construction and maintenance in the Knoxville area. With support from our partnering organizations and numerous volunteers, AMBC works to help provide natural surface trail access across the 70+ miles of trails we’ve helped build or provide maintenance. We engage the community through monthly meetings, organized trail work parties and special events. Although we are a membership-based organization, we welcome all to come and join us.

January 2020 Meeting Recap

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

Beware Freeze-Thaw Season!

Temps are dropping overnight, and that means the freeze-thaw cycle is back. Our more weather-resilient trails at Sharps Ridge and Loyston Point should be good to go, but other trails might require a few hours of drying in the morning after a frost. Please be conscious of this during the colder months, and stay off muddy trails!

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