Sugar Mag, Jerseys, Sourdough, Festivals, and Sufferfest!

Change is the only constant in our lives. And so it is the case with the Sugar Mag. [those page-a-day calendars have got nothing on us for pithy wisdom] As of August 3rd, the old Sugar Mag has closed. We will miss you dearly, old friend, and we rejoice that your rebirth is right around the corner.

Seriously, many of you have seen the forestry work taking place on Sugar Mag over the last few weeks. This is the first step in a multi-year effort to maintain recreation access as the West Mag Trail System transforms around us. "Transform?", you ask? BMA and the US Forest Service will be bringing you more extensive stories and information in the days and weeks ahead, but for now the short version of why Sugar Mag is being rerouted:

The pine beetle is transforming the forest. The USFS will log large swaths of the West Mag area to manage beetle kill and beetle spread; Sugar Mag is just the start. These logging operations will destroy large sections of the existing trail system. But with destruction comes great opportunity to create something new and amazing
High user pressure at West Mag, shrinking USFS budgets, and a limited pool of volunteers willing and able to maintain trails = unsustainable high-maintenance trails are unacceptable. Trails like the old Sugar Mag are fun to ride, but the trail was in a drainage and consequently eroded like Sarah Palin's hold on reality.
The old Sugar Mag straddled and encroached on private property. Dem's da rules, the trail has to go elsewhere.

There's been a robust discussion on Facebook about these changes, head over to BMA's Facebook page to check it out. Rest assured the BMA Trails Team hears you and is working hard to create the most sustainable new trail which try hard to keep the fun and feel of the old Sugar Mag.

The new trail should be reopen soon. And, if you care about this trail as much as we do, take one Saturday off from riding, and lift a shovel to make the New Sugar Mag a reality.

Sugar Mag Reroute Work

On August 13-14, we'll hold a big volunteer campout weekend that will focus on final tread detailing and reclamation work on the old drainage portions of Sugar Mag. Trail work will happen on both Saturday and Sunday, with camping available on Friday and Saturday nights.

BMA is partnering with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers to reroute the Sugar Mag. Nederland will be severely impacted by the exploding mountain pine beetle epidemic. To mitigate the effects of mountain pine beetle and extreme wildfire danger, the USFS will be doing extensive fuels treatment in the area, thus impacting over nine miles of very popular trails, which have been enhanced dramatically in the past few years by volunteer effort.

There are only a few spots left so SIGN UP NOW! Most of the volunteers already signed up are more restoration oriented, so the more recreation oriented folks signing up now the better. When you register, make sure to indicate you're with BMA!

Jerseys are in!

Jerseys are in! Mark Tuesday, August 16th on your calendar, and plan on coming out for a party BMA style (yes! beer!) and check out the jersey everyone in town will be wearing for the rest of the summer. We'll have plenty on hand to sell (along with our other gear), some beer (yes! beer!), and who knows what else! Party is for BMA members, so renew now to skip the line at the door.

See you there!

Sourdough Reroute At Brainard Road

If you're a Forest Trail rider or a Sufferfest fan, and you missed the July 30 South Sourdough reroute project, all is not lost. You still have a chance this year to give something back to the Sufferfest route and the Sourdough Trail.

The Forest Service has done a massive destruction and construction project at the Sourdough and Brainard crossing. It's a fancy new lot, with bathrooms and a warming hut - but the project wiped out the old Sourdough crossing. BMA and the Forest Service have roughed in a new trail section. We need help to finish it off. Help us get it done;.

This project is Saturday, August 27, but you can come up Friday, after work, for an early evening ride and overnight camp out if you want to. There will be BMA folks there and some beer Friday evening.

If you can't come up Friday, be there on Saturday, August 27, by 8:30AM. There will be coffee, juice and light breakfast snacks for folks who get there early or who have camped over. We'll start at 9, work until 2, and then relax with food and refreshments courtesy of BMA and our sponsors.

You can still earn some bragging rights - when Sufferfest rolls around you can say "I built this and I rode it first!" Sign up now!

Boulder Mountainbike Festival!

On August 28th Valmont Bike Park's first bike race, the Boulder Mountainbike Festival, will kick off! It blends the best features of the park for a jam packed day of skills, racing and big air!

BMA is partnering with the City of Boulder to create this special event as an annual fundraiser for the park. The day starts with mountain bike circuit racing for the Cross Country enthusiasts, we add a Dual Slalom clinic followed by informal head to head Dual Slalom racing, building to the Colorado Slopestyle State Championships. We top it off by crowning the king and queen of the Pump Track Challenge.

It's going to be a full on festival, with bike games, food, jumpy castle, and maybe even some libations. So mark your calendars now and prepare for mayhem!

Sufferfest 2011!

We've been hard at work making this year's Sufferfest the best ever! Stay tuned, we will likely have some great news about the route & new options for this year. You'll be singing our praises if this comes through! Date hasn't changed - September 10th... You won't want to miss this one, we'll see you there.

As usual, Sufferfest is for BMA members. Take a minute and re-up your membership or sign up for the first time so you're ready to ride Sufferfest 2011.

Suffer!

Contact Mic De Min to volunteer your time. We need your help to make the 4th Annual Sufferfest an event to remember!

Muddy Buddy Help

There will be 2500 nutty area bike riders at this year's Muddy Buddy on August 14th who need to know more about BMA. All ya gotta do is chat w/folks about what good work we do and how much fun we have doing it! This is an annual fundraiser for BMA so please sign up for a shift at our booth and help those sloppy buddies become informed and involved. Email Hersch or give him a call at 303-570-9177 to give a hand.

Business Members

Please support these businesses that support BMA and our trails!

The Pro's Closet

The Fix

Sports Garage

Trek Store

Boulder Cycle Sport

U Bikes

Vecchios

Oskar Blues

Boulder Beer

Avery Brewing

Dirt Labs

Catalyst Communications

Does your business want to be featured here? Hit the reply button and let us know that you'd like to learn a bit more about how to help BMA.

Trails App

Need to know those trail conditions? Want to check out the map one last time before you leave? We'll soon have you covered!

We're getting ready to launch a new BMA App for Android. While we have a few folks beta testing now, there's something you can do to help out! We still need to finish some of our trail descriptions and other info on the website.

Email us if you're willing to help, and we'll give you a list of what needs doing. Even ten minutes of your time would be huge, and your hard work will be immortalized on the BMA website for all to see, enjoy, and use

Find BMA!