Annual GORC Appreciation Party

Get ready for the annual GORC Volunteer Appreciation party on October 30th! This year it will be held at Cliff Cave park following a much-needed workday. Cliff Cave offers a wealth of geological curiosities and oddities throughout the park that can be explored while on your mountain bike. Sinkholes, caves, bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, haunted demon hollows and car wreckage. All can be found in this twisty trail-laden park.

This edition of the volunteer appreciation party will feature a poker run. Yep. We are holding the party earlier this year instead of the traditional GORC birthday of December 12th when we typically freeze to death. We're hoping for great weather and a large turnout so we better see you October 30th. Bring candy, too, Matt says so.

Look for more details on the GORC website either on the message board or home page as the date nears. We would like to get a head count so be sure to post up on the board.

DON'T FORGET YOUR COSTUME -- it's halloween weekend after all!

Lost Valley Workday- Saturday, October 2nd

We're going to do some well-needed maintenance at Lost Valley. Mostly Focusing on the trail we've built over the last two seasons. Just an effort to tune it up and remove/mitigate some minor problems we've experienced.

We'll need as many able bodies as we can get. Perhaps you think that maintenance workdays are not as sexy as building new trail, but this work is really needed and will help the trail immensely.

The Specifics:

When: Saturday Oct 2nd
9am - 1pm (please arrive by 8:45 or so in order to "shuttle" in to the work site)

Where: Lost Valley "Upper Parking lot" aka The Mound, ~2miles south of hwy 40 on hwy 94 just around the bend from the High School.

Details: Bring: Water, gloves, sturdy shoes, dress for the weather.
Expect: Enjoyable but strenuous work, camaraderie and good times.
We'll Ride after lunch too!! As always.

Misc... As always, FREE LUNCH, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation will be provided after the work.

BONUS: Morning Coffee to be provided by the 2nd Street Bike Stop and Cafe

Sign-up and more info can be found on the message board.

Fall/Early Winter 2010 Workday Schedule

September is here already and so is the workday season. With a mix of maintenance, and new trail construction there's a lot to be done, so mark your calendar. More information on each workday can be found here as the date approaches.

Sept 18 Creve Coeur Park
Sept 25 Greensfelder Park

Oct 2 Lost Valley
Oct 16 Chubb
Oct 17 North Trace Sawyer Run
Oct 30 Cliff Cave | Appreciation Party

Nov 6 Greensfelder Park
Nov 13 SIUE (Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville)
Nov 20 Rock Hollow

Dec 4 Matson Hill Park
Dec 11 Matson Hill Park

Summary of Spring 2010 Work

"Car Door Loop" at Matson

More new singletrack at Matson

Another busy Spring. Our trail mileage was down due to the number of workdays that had to be devoted to maintenance. Next time you're out in marginal conditions trying to decide whether or not to ride, please remember that these maintenance days take away from building new trail. Here's a brief summary which lists the trail name, what type of work was done, the number of workdays, and the mileage of the sections worked on:




Cliff Cave - New Construction/Reroutes 1.5 workdays  0.5 miles
Matson Hill - New Construction/Reroutes 4 workdays 1.50 miles
SIUE - Maintenance/Reroutes 1 workday 0.10 miles
Castlewood - New Construction/Reroutes 2 workdays 0.40 miles
Chubb - Maintenance/Reroutes No official workdays 0.10 miles
Greensfelder - New Construction/Reroutes 2 workdays 1.0 miles
Creve Coeur - New Construction 2 workdays 1.0 miles

Greensfelder Figure 9 Epic

Ok, so it's not a Figure 9, and it's not exactly an epic-- yet. Give us some more time on that part. Nevertheless, you can now get in a ride right in your own backyard that until recently, would have had you driving a fairly long way.

There's less than a week until the Greensfelder Challenge Race on May 8th, when we'll finally get to showcase the hard work that's gone into reroutes, maintenance, and brand new trail on the Dogwood, DeClue, and Eagle Valley trails. If that's not enough, all of the proceeds from the race are generously being donated to GORC!

GORC is having a big party at the race, and you're invited. Even if you don't want to race, come on out and ride the trails, and see what's new. Not interested in doing loops on the race course? You can get in a ride of ~18 miles (of which 1.25 is doubletrack and pavement) that makes use of all of the singletrack GORC has built, and doesn't include the same trail in the same direction. You can get the map here.

The short overview is:
- Begin at the Roundhouse main parking lot
- Dogwood
- DeClue CCW
- Deer Run down to Eagle Valley
- Left on Eagle Valley to new singletrack- up to Visitor Center
- Left on bridle path to Scenic Loop
- Scenic Loop back to DeClue
- Declue and Dogwood in the opposite direction that you did earlier.

We had hoped to include the singletrack on Eagle Valley in the race course, but it's not quite ready for prime time. The lower leg up the first switchback will require some dismounts at several swampy spots, but we're hoping to fix them in the near future. The upper leg is in great shape.

There are big plans for more trails at Greensfelder, so come out on race day, and ride, have some fun, and see how you can get involved. The more people we have at workdays, the faster we can get new trail built!

Creve Coeur Workday- Saturday, May 1st

Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park, Bootlegger’s Run Trail Extension
What: Help continue trail construction that will extend the Bootlegger’s Run Trail along the hillsides overlooking the lake.

When: Saturday, May 1st From 9am - 1pm (FREE LUNCH!) – if dry - Bike or Hike After !

Where: Upper Creve Coeur Lake Park (Entrance off Dorsett Rd - Follow Signs to the meeting area at the North end of the park).

What to bring: Gloves, Sturdy shoes, eye protection, and something to drink on the trail.

GORC & St. Louis County Parks provide: Trail building tools, instructions on trail building, and safety guidelines.

Please contact Sue Kuhnert at 314-615-8822 or email skuhnert@stlouisco.com if you plan to attend.

Volunteers will be rewarded with give-a-ways from Alpine Shop and lunch and breakfast snacks will be provided by St. Louis County Parks.

Update (4-28): It's Wednesday, and there are only 2 people signed up to attend on the message board. If you can spare the time, please come out and help.

Castlewood Workday- Saturday, April 24th

Alright everyone, LISTEN UP!!!
On Saturday, April 24th we will continue the work on one of our favorite but most neglected trails. The Cedar Bluff Trail at Castlewood is in dire need of our helping hands. An 1800+ foot re-route has been started to begin restoring this trail to its former greatness. The initial workday last month set a great foundation but we need to get this re- route done! With a good number of volunteers, we can see this re- route gets completed and opened up. Lone Wolf Coffee Company will be providing an excellent lunch for all volunteers.

Details? From 9:00 am till 1:00 pm on Saturday, April 24th. Meet at the Sherman Beach Trailhead off St. Paul Road in Sherman, MO.

Directions? Sherman Beach Trailhead is located off St. Paul Road in Sherman, MO. From Big Bend Rd. and 141 take the following:
Big Bend Rd. west to New Ballwin Rd.
Take a left onto New Ballwin Rd.
Turn right onto Kiefer Creek Rd.
Turn left onto St. Paul Rd.
Follow St. Paul Rd to Sherman Beach Trailhead on the left

What to Bring? You’ll need gloves, eye protection, water, and protective clothing (there are ticks).

RSVP? Lunch will be provided by Lone Wolf Coffee Company following the workday. Make sure you let us know if you will be attending by posting on this thread.


What is Provided? GORC will supply trail building tools, safety instructions on the tool usage, instructions on how to build and maintain trails, and Lone Wolf Coffee Company will be providing a great lunch.

Why? Cedar Bluff Trail has been subject to abnormally high amounts of erosion over the last several years and its time it gets a little attention. This re-route will provide a more sustainable, enjoyable piece of trail.

After the Workday? Chow down on the great lunch provided and then, trail conditions permitting, ride!

Lone Wolf Coffee Company: www.lonewolfcoffeecompany.com

Creve Coeur Workday- Saturday, March 27th

What: Help continue construction that will extend the Bootlegger’s Run Trail along the hillsides overlooking the lake.

When: Saturday, March 27th From 9am - 1pm.

Where: Upper Creve Coeur Lake Park (Entrance off Dorsett Rd - Follow Signs to the meeting area at the North end of the park). (See GORC's Creve Coeur page for directions and details of the park).

What to bring: Gloves, Sturdy shoes, eye protection, and something to drink on the trail.

GORC & St. Louis County Parks provide: Trail building tools, instructions on trail building, and safety guidelines

Signup and more information is available here.
Please contact Sue Kuhnert at 314-615-8822 or email skuhnert@stlouisco.com if you plan to attend.

Volunteers will be rewarded with give-a-ways from Big Shark Bicycle Company with lunch and breakfast snacks provided by St. Louis County Parks. Afterwards, if it's dry, we'll ride the trail that was just built.

Matson Hill Workday- Saturday, March 20th

When: Saturday, March 20th, 2010. From 9:00~1:00.

What: We're having the 1st of four workdays this spring at Matson Hill Park, and everyone is invited. Mountain biker, hikers, and trail runners are all welcome, so don’t be bashful about showing up.

This is the continuation of a multi-year project, and we hope to TRIPLE OR QUADRUPLE the current trail mileage at Matson by the time we’re finished.

Where:
From the Highway 40/94 interchange,
• Take Highway 94 South for 7.4 miles to F (turn right on F).
• Stay on F for 3 miles, then turn left on Stub Road. Follow Stub Road for ~.5 miles to gate, and follow directions from there. Or,
• Click this for a Google map link. Clicking the green bike will give you the “get directions” link. (For some reason, the last instruction just has you turning left off of F, without naming the road. That's Stub Road.)

What to bring: Gloves, Sturdy shoes, eye protection, and something to drink on the trail. It’s also a good idea to read through the “What to expect at a workday” post. Bring your bike or trail shoes if you want to try what you built after lunch.

Why: To add more multi-use single track (natural surface) trail to the existing Matson loop. This is Phase One of a multi phase project, eventually utilizing 400+ acres of new Park property.

Please RSVP via ONE of the following (to make sure we bring enough food):
The St. Charles County Park's (SCCP) office [636-949-7535];  through the WebTrac registration system on the parks website, http://parks.sccmo.org/parks/; or on this thread.

GORC & St. Charles County Parks will provide: Trail building tools, instructions on trail building, safety guidelines, and lunch.

NOTICE: In case of bad weather, please call the St. Charles County Parks (SCCP's) Trail Hotline (636-949-7475, option #2). SCCP's will only leave a message about the workday if it's cancelled.

Castlewood Workday- March 13th

On Saturday, March 13th we will be working on one of our favorite but most neglected trails. The Cedar Bluff Trail at Castlewood is in dire need of our helping hands. An 1800+ foot re-route has been planned to begin restoring this trail to its former greatness. Please, come be a part of this great event that will help keep Cedar Bluff Trail useable for years to come.

Details: From 9:00 am till 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 13th. Meet at the Sherman Beach Trailhead off St. Paul Road in Sherman, MO. Parking may be limited, so carpool as much as possible.

Directions: Sherman Beach Trailhead is located off St. Paul Road in Sherman, MO.
From Big Bend Rd. and 141 take the following:
Big Bend Rd. west to New Ballwin Rd.
Take a left onto New Ballwin Rd. RdTurn right onto Kiefer Creek Rd.
Turn left onto St. Paul Rd.
Follow St. Paul Rd to Sherman Beach Trailhead

For google maps directions, type 1582 st. paul rd, sherman, mo into the search box.

What to Bring: You’ll need gloves, eye protection, water, and warm, protective clothing.

RSVP: Lunch will be provided by Lone Wolf Coffee Company following the workday. Make sure you let us know if you are going to attend. That way we can make sure everyone gets some delicious grub following all the hard work.

What is Provided: GORC will supply trail building tools, safety instructions on the tool usage, and information on how to build and maintain trails.

Why: The Cedar Bluff Trail has been subject to abnormally high amounts of erosion over the last several years and is in need of attention. This re-route will provide a more sustainable, enjoyable piece of trail.

After the Workday: Chow down on the great lunch provided, and then, trail conditions permitting, ride!

SIUE Workday- Saturday, March 6th

When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010. From 9:00~1:00.

What: We are doing some much needed maintenance work at SIUE. The trails received very little TLC last year, so let's get them spruced up for Spring '10.
We will be doing a short re-route around the mudpit on Trail 1, as well.

Why: SIUE is a super popular trail system that gets a lot of use, and is all dirt, so it needs quite a bit of work to keep it truly sustainable.

More Info: Please RSVP via this thread where you can ask questions or find more details.

Directions: From the Highway 40/94 interchange, Take hwy 255 North past Interstate 270, to New Poag Road. Turn Right or East at the end of the exit ramp. Stay on New Poag Road until the first intersection with a 4 way stop sign. This will be University Drive. Turn Right onto University Drive. The road will immediately bend to the left, at the end of the bend on your right is a gravel road, turn onto the gravel road. Follow the rock road past the hedgerow on the left, the road will make a 90 Degree turn to the right and then back to the left, then it will dead end. The Northernmost Trailhead is located at the 90 degree corner of the woods near that dead end.

What to bring: Gloves, Sturdy shoes, eye protection, and something to drink on the trail. It’s also a good idea to read through pilznr’s “What to expect at a workday” post, available via this link.

GORC will provide: Trail building tools, instructions on trail building, safety guidelines, and lunch. There will be giveaways as well. Bring your bike. There will be some sort of a ride afterwards, even if we cannot ride the trails due to conditions. There are miles and miles of bike paths in Madison County for your riding enjoyment if it is too muddy.

Sponsor: The Cyclery is sponsoring this workday and will be providing lunch from Blimpies, some great swag. Stop on by their shop after the workday and say hello. They are good people.

They're located at 2472 Troy Road, Edwardsville, IL 62025 and you can contact them at 618-692-0070, Store Hours: M-F 9-8, Sat 9-5, Sun 12-4.

Greensfelder Workday - Feb. 27th, 9am - 1pm

Yellow line represents new trail reroute to eliminate fall line at the end of the DeClue trail. Blue is existing DeClue. Trail in Blue after Yellow line intersecton will be reclaimed back to forest. This will be about a .35-.45 mile piece of new singletrack built to IMBA standards.

Date: Sat, Feb 27, 2010, 9am to 1pm
Location: Eureka, MO

Join GORC & St. Louis County Parks at Greensfelder Park on Sat, February 27th, 2010 from 9am to 1pm to help build new trail and re-route sections of existing trail at Greensfelder Park.

We will be re-routing a short steep section at the end of the Declue/Greenrock Trail where it ties into the Scenic Loop road.

Come out, work with us in the morning, we'll serve you a nice lunch, and then we'll bike or hike afterwards.

How to get there: You're headed for Greensfelder Park on Allenton Rd. behind Six Flags. You should park at the Tower Lot. Take Interstate 44 to the Allenton/Six Flags Exit 261. Go north on Allenton Rd, past the Six Flags entrance. Allenton Rd. bisects Greensfelder Park. Lunch will be afterward at the Mueckerman Shelter located at the corner of Allenton and Hencken road.

What to bring: Gloves, Sturdy shoes, eye protection, and something to drink on the trail.
What GORC & St. Louis County Parks provide: Trail building tools, instructions on trail building, and safety guidelines.

Maplewood Bicycle is sponsoring this workday and will have coupons available after the workday. Check out their website for training classes related to bicyclists.

Advance registration is required. Also, post on the messageboard if you are attending. Please contact Sue Kuhnert at 314-615-8822 or email skuhnert@stlouisco.com

Upcoming Events

Jan. 31st- Midwest Bike Expo in Collinsville, IL. GORC will have a booth there where you can find out more info about the latest projects, pick up some literature or maps, or buy some GORC merchandise.

Feb. 3rd- Regular monthly meeting at the Schlafly Tap Room.

Feb. 6th- The trails at SIUE have taken a real beating and need some attention.. We'll be rerouting a section near the asphalt on Trail #1 which has turned into a permanent mudpit, as well as fixing some of the other problem areas that have developed. More info and sign up for the workday.

Feb. 27th- Greensfelder Workday. We're continuing work on the switchbacks which will complete the DeClue extension and carry the trail all the way over to the Scenic Loop Road. Bryan has posted some pictures of the fun involved in getting the rocks down to the site posted on the GORC Facebook Page. We'll also work on getting other areas of the existing trails into riding shape. More details and signup as they become available.

Feb. 28th- The first of St. Charles County Parks Moonlight Ride series will be held at Broemmelsiek Park from 6-9pm. These are organized rides in parks that usually don't permit riding at night, and are always a good time.

Spring 2010 Workday Schedule

Clearing Corridor for new trail at Matson Hill

Spring 2010 Workdays

January 17th- North Trace Sawyer Run

February 6th- SIUE Maintenance
February 27th- Greensfelder
March 13th- Castlewood
March 20th- Matson Hill
March 27th- Creve Coeur
April 10th- Greensfelder
April 24th- Castlewood
May 1st- Creve Coeur
May 15th- Matson Hill
May 22nd- Matson Hill
June 5th- Matson Hill