Tag Archives: meeting recap

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

October 2015 Meeting Recap!

REMINDER

The Wood Property trails are under construction and NOT open to AMBC members or the public. Please DO NOT ride there until the trail system is officially open. We hope to celebrate this great addition to the Urban Wilderness with the Legacy Parks Foundation in the Spring of 2016!

Recent Events:

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

This was a great event! There 60 people out for the event held at the Wood property beginner loop. We love to see such enthusiasm for mountain biking from the parents and kids. We can’t wait to get more involved in this event next year!

Oak Ridge Trail Day

Brad Spears shared the back story of the Oak Ridge trail project and the success of the recent work day. There were 53 people out to build the 1.3 mile “Sink Hole Trail” in the North Boundary area! This is significant in that it could open the door to over 22,000 acres of land owned by the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge. Great job on this to everyone who helped and thanks to the sponsors: RSI, UCOR, Knoxville Bicycle Company, and Yee Haw Brewing.

12 Hour HOT Race

Thanks to John Baker & Co. for another fantastic 12 Hour HOT Race! It never disappoints. And many thanks to all the awesome volunteers!

Open Streets

What a fun day for our city! Were you there?! Want to do it again?? Write your local government representatives and tell them!

Coming Attractions:

River Sports Pint Night!

This month’s Pint Night at Riversports Outfitters is benefitting the AMBC! Tomorrow night, 6-9 pm. The first 200 people get a custom pint glass filled with a delicious beer and one refill for a mere $5 donation to the club! Yakima is the sponsor and is sure to have cool stuff for raffle. Food truck too! Ride down and join us!

AMBC Fall Fest

It’s here!! Saturday, November 7 at Helix Lane! Here’s the main things to know:

  • It’s awesome. Done.
  • Park and Ride! There is very limited parking onsite so PLEASE park at Anderson School and ride in.
  • Spend the night! There will be onsite camping, which is fun and SAFE! Feel free to set up your campsite Friday night, or drive in Saturday and set up and then park offsite.
  • Learn all the skills! There are clinics galore! Read about them here.
  • RAFFLE. WIN BIKES! 
  • SILENT AUCTION. BUY STUFF!
  • We need a ton of volunteers to pull this off! Please let us know if you can help out for a very short shift. You’ll still get to ride and play!
  • Eat breakfast! TVB will be cooking up a hot breakfast on Sunday morning and they promise an exciting culinary experience!

Work Days:

  • November 21 – Mead’s Quarry – We’ll be working in Marie Myers and on trash cleanup on our adopted street Burnett Creek Road. Sponsored by Cycology Bicycles.
  • December 12 – Sharps Ridge – Sponsored by TVB.

One More Thing!

Congress is considering three amendments to the transportation bill that would significantly reduce federal bike funding by cutting two critical programs, the Recreational Trails Program and the Transportation Alternatives Program. RTP directly impacts our quality of riding in Knoxville and is responsible for more than 10 Miles in our Urban Wilderness. The most recent project is the 6 miles that Legacy Parks is currently building at the Wood Property. Follow the People for Bikes initiatives and let our representatives know the importance of these programs. Click here for more information! 

We’ll see you at the next meeting on Monday, November 23!

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