Go Clipless

Share the road

The other day I was looking through some of my old posts with the idea that I may need to follow up and update them. Well...it appears that Liz Schleeper of Bikevoice beat me to it in one instance. Back in January I wrote about a bicycle advocacy license plate design contest held by BikeWalk Virginia. The organization has selected a new design and I must say that I agree with Liz that the plate is rather uninspiring. I didn't like the original design either...and don't ask me what the design should be...I just know that ain't it!

Anyway the new plate is timely considering Gwadzilla's most recent rants (see links below) about inconsiderate drivers. Does he even own a car?

1. Most recent rant
2. Another rant
3. One of the more poetic rants

Fairfax CCT volunteers needed

According to an e-mail I received on January 8th from Fairfax Trails and Streams, the Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking volunteers to help place signs along the Fairfax Cross County Trail. The volunteers are needed to help carry the sign posting equipment and the signs. The sign posting will take place in Oakon, VA on January 10th and 14th. If you are able to help on such short notice contact Jenny Pate from the park authority at 703.324.8726. Meeting time on January 10th is at 1:00pm at the Oak Marr Recreation Center (park near the golf clubhouse). The meeting time for January 14th is still to be determined.

In addition, Fairfax Trails and Streams will be holding their 4th annual Cross County Trail Caucus at 7:30pm on Monday, January 24th at Woodson High School in Fairfax. The event will provide an update on the CCT along with recognition and awards given to volunteers.

VA DMV approves new bicycle advocacy license plate

A Virginia bicycling advocacy group called BikeWalk Virginia has persuaded the Virginia general assembly to approve a new specialty license plate for enthusiasts. Trouble is the Virginia DMV will only begin production after receiving 350 applications for the new plate. To date, there have only been 301 applications. One reason demand has not reached the required minimum may be the original design of the proposed plate. Evidently, some riders complained that they wanted to see an image of a bike on the plate. (The originally proposed design is on the left).

The advocacy group is initiating a state wide contest for a new design. Designs are due by February 15, 2005. To learn more about the contest or to apply for the plate visit bikewalkvirginia.org.

MORE announces fall trail work schedule

The Midatlantic Off Road Enthusiasts have announced the trailwork schedule for Fall 2004. In the beginning and end of each season MORE organizes a comprehensive trail work schedule that covers nearly all of the major mountain bike destinations in Maryland and Northern Virginia. If you ride regularly on the trails in this area you should check out the schedule and see if you can lend some time at your favorite trail. If you need some extra incentive consider that you can win a new frame or bike through MORE's 20-20-20 award. Simply spend $20 on a MORE membership, $20 to join IMBA, and 20 hours of volunteer trail work. Last year there were roughly 20 to 30 people that qualified for the award (all of whom won prizes). Of those that qualified one person was randomly selected to win a Santa Cruz Blur donated by a local bike shop. Pretty good odds for only a little bit of time and money.

Save the W&OD Trail!

As mountain bikers in Northern Virginia most of us have used the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail to move between dirt trails or to cross-train. Well, Dominion Power plans to locate new power lines along the W&OD Trail in Loudon County. According to savethetrail.com this move threatens 26,000 trees and the equestrian path alongside the paved trail. Not to mention the fact that the metal electrical towers carrying the power lines will look absolutely hideous. Needless to say, many people and organizations are up in arms over this issue.

An article in the Loudon Times-Mirror provides a good synopsis of the issue.

If you want to learn more about the W&OD visit the following sites:

- Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
- The Friends of the Washington and Old Dominion Trail
- Unofficial Page of Washington and Old Dominion Trail

If you want to know what you can do to save the W&OD from this destruction visit savethetrail.com.

New section of Fairfax Cross County Trail Complete

Thanks to Fairfax Trails and Streams the Cross County Trail (CCT) is another step toward being completed! This is according to the news page of the volunteer organization's Website.

For those who don't know, the CCT has been in development for quite some time and stretches some 40 plus miles from Great Falls to Lorton, Virginia. This north/south trail was born from the many protected stream valleys in Fairfax County. Two primary stream valleys make up this trail; Difficult Run in the north and Accotink Creek in the south.

Despite having this excellent resource right in the heart of a county with very few undeveloped places there appear to be few who have biked the entire trail. There are also many great trails that connect with the CCT, including:

- Colvin Run
- The Glade
- Fox Mill District Park and Folkstone Park
- Wakefield

You can learn more about the CCT from the following sites:

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/cctinfo.htm
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/cctmap.htm
http://www.fairfaxtrails.org/cct/
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/9401/
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/9401/difficul.html

While I have not yet ridden the entire trail I plan to do so shortly - so look for an update. Meanwhile if you have ridden the trail or parts of it, please share by posting a comment!

$65M extra dollars available to Fairax County Park Authority: Open space or playing fields?

Apparently the Fairfax County Park Authority has an extra 65 million dollars to spend in its 2005 budget (see article in Herndon Connection for details). According to a survey conducted by the park authority, the majority of residents want the money spent to buy new land to preserve open space. Yet despite the data, the authority plans to spend 80% of the money refurbishing existing and constructing new fields and facilities while only 20% will go toward acquiring land for open space.

This does not bode well for outdoor types like bikers and hikers. Recreational leagues are far more organized than people who hike and bike and have apparently lobbied the authority very hard. While I am sure that there is a shortage of playing fields in the county, it seems to me that this is largely a logistics problem more than a space problem. Scheduling the use of the fields more efficiently could certainly ease the crowding problems that exist in the short term. Also, if the fields are in disrepair than shouldn't the recreation groups that benefit from the use of the fields do more maintenance volunteer work as bikers do for trails?

Acquiring more land for open space is clearly an investment in the people of Fairfax County. Such an investment will make it more desirable to live in the region and in turn bring more money to the county. This money could then be used to repair and construct fields and facilities and all will be happy.

- Read the Fairfax County Park Authority's summary of the proposed bond.

Contact the following organizations to ask for their help with this important issue:

- Midatlantic Off Road Enthusiasts at [email protected]
- Bikes Belong Coalition