death of a trail

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Having a bit of a rant here but I need to get it out of my system:

I've been off the bike for about 2 months with a broken foot. Last night I went for a short ride
along the only nice bit of trail in my local area, which is part of the trans-pennine way (UK).
Its only a 3 mile stretch but it was an oasis of singletrack, lovely flowing stuff not much wider
than your front wheel, undulating up and down the natural dips which have

formed

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over many years. Its not a busy path, but its used by a few mtb'ers - when the unquenchable urge
to ride becomes too much its just long enough to satisfy. Well last night to my dismay I found
this trail has been utterly destroyed, gravelled over and widened so that it is now a 3 foot bland
"road". I just cannot understand why anyone would do this, no-one benefits and the landscape is
scarred. Worse still, because the path has been

cleared

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of all wild plants etc erosion is now prevalent and the sandy surface

below

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is coming through making it nearly unrideable. These people just don't get it do they? maybe if I
went along with a bulldozer and reduced all the thousands of golf courses around here to pitch and
putt courses they would take note. [censored].

rant over.

Steve E.

Holy [censored] Steve, I'm right with you there - sucks big time. The woods that was my Bburn stomping
ground had been all gravelled over when I was a kid. Luckily, heavy traffic coupled with infrequent
maintenance saw it pretty much return to normal over the years.

Shaun aRe -

"Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Having a bit of a rant here but I need to get it out of my system:

I've been off the bike for about 2 months with a broken foot. Last night

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

went for a short ride along the only nice bit of trail in my local area, which is part of the
trans-pennine way (UK). Its only a 3 mile stretch

but

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

it was an oasis of singletrack, lovely flowing stuff not much wider than your front wheel,
undulating up and down the natural dips which have

formed

Quoted message said:

over many years. Its not a busy path, but its used by a few mtb'ers -

when

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the unquenchable urge to ride becomes too much its just long enough to satisfy. Well last night
to my dismay I found this trail has been

utterly

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

destroyed, gravelled over and widened so that it is now a 3 foot bland "road". I just cannot
understand why anyone would do this, no-one

benefits

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and the landscape is scarred. Worse still, because the path has been

cleared

Quoted message said:

of all wild plants etc erosion is now prevalent and the sandy surface

below

Quoted message said:

is coming through making it nearly unrideable. These people just don't

get

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

it do they? maybe if I went along with a bulldozer and reduced all the thousands of golf courses
around here to pitch and putt courses they

would

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

take note. [censored].

rant over.

Steve E.

Holy [censored] Steve, I'm right with you there - sucks big time. The woods that was my Bburn stomping
ground had been all gravelled over when I was a kid. Luckily, heavy traffic coupled with
infrequent maintenance saw it pretty much return to normal over the years.

Shaun aRe -

I was hoping / wondering that the "return to normal" would happen, but the erosion leads me to think
its just going to get worse. There's more bad news, but I've forgotten my take it to alt.bmx
flame-retardant suit.

Steve E.

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Holy [censored] Steve, I'm right with you there - sucks big time. The woods

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

was my Bburn stomping ground had been all gravelled over when I was a

kid.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Luckily, heavy traffic coupled with infrequent maintenance saw it pretty much return to normal
over the years.

Shaun aRe -

I was hoping / wondering that the "return to normal" would happen, but the erosion leads me to
think its just going to get worse.

Before it gets better? ',;~}~

Quoted message said:

There's more bad news, but I've forgotten my take it to alt.bmx flame-retardant suit.

Here, borrow mine and spout away - stuff the whinging [censored] with big spiky halberds!

This about the trails you said were probably run down without you being there?

Shaun aRe

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

There's more bad news, but I've forgotten my take it to alt.bmx flame-retardant suit.

Here, borrow mine and spout away - stuff the whinging [censored] with big spiky halberds!

This about the trails you said were probably run down without you being there?

Shaun aRe

I'm developing a nervous twitch from having to keep all this in so what the heck. I expected a bit
of undergrowth would need to be trimmed. What I didn't expect was that some [censored] has taken a spade
and dug bloody great holes in almost all the lips and landings. The ground dries rock hard in
summer, someone has deliberately vandalised these jumps. I don't know whether it was one of the
townies after a few 3 litre bottles of strongbow (as has happended before, but not this bad) or one
of the walkers who come walk through once a year and seem to think they own the land (they don't,
its private land and the owner supports us). Most of the dog-walkers are friendly enough, they seem
pleased that people are getting off there backsides and doing something instead of hanging around
harassing old folk in the town centre, so I doubt its one of them. Looks like thats it for the year
anyway, no way to reapir the damage when the ground is baked hard. I don't think whoever did this
appreciates how much work needs to be put in during the winter and spring, which is now down the
pan. Bummer.

Steve E.

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

There's more bad news, but I've forgotten my take it to alt.bmx flame-retardant suit.

Here, borrow mine and spout away - stuff the whinging [censored] with big spiky halberds!

This about the trails you said were probably run down without you being there?

Shaun aRe

I'm developing a nervous twitch from having to keep all this in so what

the

Quoted message said:

heck.

Why the heck would you want to keep it in?!?!?!?

Quoted message said:

I expected a bit of undergrowth would need to be trimmed. What I didn't expect was that some
[censored] has taken a spade and dug bloody great holes in almost all the lips and landings.

Unfreakingbelievable!!!!!!! It makes no sense that someone would make the effort to take a spade
there and actively 'work' to cause that damage.........

Quoted message said:

The ground dries rock hard in summer, someone has deliberately vandalised these jumps. I don't
know whether it was one of the townies after a few 3 litre bottles of strongbow (as has happended
before, but not this bad) or one of the walkers who come walk through once a year and seem to
think they own the land (they don't, its private land and the owner supports us). Most of the
dog-walkers are friendly enough, they seem pleased that people are getting off there backsides and
doing something instead of hanging around harassing old folk in the town centre, so I doubt its
one of them. Looks like thats it for

the

Quoted message said:

year anyway, no way to reapir the damage when the ground is baked hard. I don't think whoever did
this appreciates how much work needs to be put in during the winter and spring, which is now down
the pan. Bummer.

Hell fire - why TF would anyone want to do that? May the [censored] pea sized balls fall off and get
squashed in heavy traffic.

Sorry to hear about this Steve - I hope karma catches up with them soon.

Shaun aRe - gonna E-mail you 'our' latest semi(?!?)-disaster shortly ;-(

Shaun Rimmer said:

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>There's more bad news, but I've forgotten my take it to alt.bmx flame-retardant suit.

Here, borrow mine and spout away - stuff the whinging [censored] with big spiky halberds!

This about the trails you said were probably run down without you being there?

Shaun aRe

I'm developing a nervous twitch from having to keep all this in so what

the

Quoted message said:

heck.

Why the heck would you want to keep it in?!?!?!?

Quoted message said:

I expected a bit of undergrowth would need to be trimmed. What I didn't expect was that some
[censored] has taken a spade and dug bloody great holes in almost all the lips and landings.

Unfreakingbelievable!!!!!!! It makes no sense that someone would make the effort to take a spade
there and actively 'work' to cause that damage.........

I used to dirt bike ride in the California desert (motocross). Occasionally, someone would go out to
the more remote trails and dig *huge* holes on the back side of fast climbs, blind turns, or jumps
that were not only hidden, but deep enough to swallow a Jeep! I was lucky (or slow 🙂) enough never
to hit one, but I've heard of more than one person hospitalized after an encounter with one. The
hate and stupidity in some people is just overwhelming <sigh>. They need help.

I hope that you get your trails back. Especially since they're on private land and the land owner
supports your use!!!

David

"Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> There's more bad news, but I've forgotten my take it to alt.bmx flame-retardant suit.

Here, borrow mine and spout away - stuff the whinging [censored] with

big

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

spiky halberds!

This about the trails you said were probably run down without you

being

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

there?

Shaun aRe

I'm developing a nervous twitch from having to keep all this in so what

the

Quoted message said:

heck.

Why the heck would you want to keep it in?!?!?!?

Bit difficult trying to explain to colleagues why I'm unusually tetchy:

'Hey stevie, why the long face?' 'Well some [censored] has gone and gravelled over that nice piece of
singletrack' 'Uh whats singletrack?' 'Really narrow path with lots of tight twists and turns, the
[censored] have made it 3 foot wide' 'So they've improved it then?' 'No, no it was better when it was
narrow. Anyway some other c*nts have dug holes in the jumps I help maintain' 'dug holes?, why not
just fill them back in?' 'Because the ground is rock hard, you need the soil to be the right
consistency or it won't stick' 'its a bit like gardening then is it?' '[censored] off!'

Steve E.

"David Kunz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Shaun Rimmer said:

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I expected a bit of undergrowth would need to be trimmed. What I didn't expect was that some
[censored] has taken a spade and dug bloody

great

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

holes in almost all the lips and landings.

Unfreakingbelievable!!!!!!! It makes no sense that someone would make

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

effort to take a spade there and actively 'work' to cause that damage.........

I used to dirt bike ride in the California desert (motocross). Occasionally, someone would go out
to the more remote trails and dig *huge* holes on the back side of fast climbs, blind turns, or
jumps that were not only hidden, but deep enough to swallow a Jeep! I was lucky (or slow 🙂)
enough never to hit one, but I've heard of more than one person hospitalized after an encounter
with one. The hate and stupidity in some people is just overwhelming <sigh>. They need help.

I hope that you get your trails back. Especially since they're on private land and the land owner
supports your use!!!

David

Every year it happens to some degree more or less. This is definitely the worst its been since a
load of motocrossers virtually flattened the whole site. Not much chance of re-building until the
winter then it'll be next April before they're rideable again. Theres many valuable lessons in life
to be learnt from trail building, I should be used to this [censored] by now.

Steve E.

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

spademan o---[) * <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

> > There's more bad news, but I've forgotten my take it to alt.bmx flame-retardant

suit.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>
> Here, borrow mine and spout away - stuff the whinging [censored] with

big

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Quoted message said:

> spiky halberds!
>
> This about the trails you said were probably run down without you

being

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> there?
>
> Shaun aRe

I'm developing a nervous twitch from having to keep all this in so

what

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the

Quoted message said:

heck.

Why the heck would you want to keep it in?!?!?!?

Bit difficult trying to explain to colleagues why I'm unusually tetchy:

'Hey stevie, why the long face?' 'Well some [censored] has gone and gravelled over that nice piece of

singletrack'

Quoted message said:

'Uh whats singletrack?' 'Really narrow path with lots of tight twists and turns, the [censored] have
made it 3 foot wide' 'So they've improved it then?' 'No, no it was better when it was narrow.
Anyway some other c*nts have dug holes in the jumps I help maintain' 'dug holes?, why not just
fill them back in?' 'Because the ground is rock hard, you need the soil to be the right
consistency or it won't stick' 'its a bit like gardening then is it?' '[censored] off!'

Heheheheh, yeah, point taken! Hey though, I've taken my bike to the allotment, does that count as
being a bit like gardening?

OK, I'll shut up now............

Shaun aRe - 'Yo, dig this'.

"spademan o---[) *" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Having a bit of a rant here but I need to get it out of my system:

<snip righteous rant> if I went along with a bulldozer and reduced all the

Quoted message said:

thousands of golf courses around here to pitch and putt courses they would take note. [censored].

rant over.

Steve E.

I can relate. It sucks. There's a short bit of trail near me that's had the same, and worse, done to
it. If I can time to get to it in the next day or two I'll post a quick photo or two. You'll be
amazed at the, for want of a better word, devastation.
--
Westie