Our next workday will be Saturday and Sunday September 11th and 12th. Thanks to our hardworking volunteers, we are just a handful of workdays away from opening two new segments of trail in Buffalo Creek. The first segment is a classic cross country climb to one of the best vantage points in Buffalo Creek, sitting atop a granite outcropping with sweeping view of the mountains surrounding the area. The trail can be ridden as an out-and-back, or looped by accessing the new black diamond trail. Neither of these segments is open and we need your help to get them completed this season.

Over the last few months, members of the JCOS Trails Use Task Force (TUFT) have been working on the idea of proposing that JCOS open up one or two parks for night time use. As most of you know, there are a limited number of Front Range locations that accommodate night time riding, and it is not currently permitted at JCOS parks. Obviously, it would be great to have a few more options.

Before TUTF representatives takes a proposal to JCOS staff and the Open Space Advisory Council (OSAC), we wanted to gauge support/interest among various user groups. Members of TUTF have developed a survey that to help in that endeavor. To be clear, this is not an official JCOS survey; the TUTF is acting independently in hopes of developing a proposal to take to the county at some point in the future, hopefully in October. It may or may not prove to be viable, but members of the TUTF are committed to giving it a try.

Pass the survey link along to your friends or other interested parties.

Please take the survey here

Help us work towards completion of this exciting urban dirt park!

Meet at 10:am at Tony Grampsas Park– best to park in the primary lot off of Salvia St (red star on map below) and then ride/walk north up the perimeter gravel path (around the archery range and next to the ditch) to our location; if riding in, come in off of Easley just south of 48th St (yellow star on map below), look for yellow gate and dirt road.

Don't forget: boots, hat, sunscreen, gloves, water, and lunch.

Volunteers are allowed to bring bikes to sample the trails, even though the park isn't open/finished yet.  ;-)

Questions? Contact Taylor Shull. Please RSVP.

Our next workday will be this Saturday August 21st. In July we were able to complete over half of the singletrack needed to connect  the two granite ridges that the black diamond trail traverses in addition to refining sections of lower Charlie's Cutoff. This will Saturday we will finish the singletrack and move on to rock work on the lower granite outcropping. Feel free to join us around the campfire on Friday evening. Beer and brats provided on Saturday afternoon. Come catch up with your friends -- or make some new ones -- in Buffalo Creek this Saturday!

This weekend there will be several informal opportunities to assist at the Golden Bike Park, as we look to get one step closer to finishing this exciting project.

Rather than one mass-volunteer day, there will be crew leaders out for short stints on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Therefore, if you aren't heading down to the Buffalo Creek build day and have a couple of hours free to help, please send an email to terry@comba.org with your availability and we'll connect you with the appropriate crew leader for details.

Otherwise, keep an eye on COMBA.org for additional GBP build days in weeks to come.

That's how we see things at COMBA.  Whether it's providing ride and learning opportunities for our beginning riders by giving them a safe and comfortable group to ride with; by participating in a fun, all levels, no drop social ride or by just getting together over a beer or two to discuss the new trail building opportunities or the newest, lastest and greatest in bikes -- we encourage a return to Community. So, come on out and enjoy the commraderie and ride with us!  Bring your friends, acquaintances, your workmates, whoever and introduce them to the wonderful world we share and explore when we mountain bike together. 

Our Beginner & Social Rides will continue through September.  Mark your calendar with these dates:

August 19th -- Beignner Ride at Flatiron's Vista/Marshall Mesa

August 26th -- Social Ride at Lair o the Bear

September 9th -- last Social Ride TBD

September 16th -- last Beginner Ride at Bear Creek Lake Park.  Please note there is no ride on September 2nd in consideration to families and potential traveling for Labor Day Weekend.

October 7 - 10th we'll be going to MOAB

Too many children grow up in the Denver and the Boulder area without having the opportunity to explore the fantastic Colorado Rocky Mountains. Get kids outdoors and on bikes by helping out our friends at Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder. Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder's core mountain biking program for underserved youth is looking for both volunteer and paid rider leaders. They are also having a kids bike sale on August 21st. Find out more at...

http://www.tripsforkidsdenver.org/

Nancy Kelly, Founder of the Dirt Divas and COMBA Board of Directors member, sustained an injury to her kidney while leading a Dirt Diva's ride at Lair o'the Bear on Wednesday July 22nd. She is currently in Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge while doctors monitor internal bleeding that resulted from the trauma. Luckily, Nancy's condition is improving rapidly and she hopes to be back home soon. Please send her your love and healing thoughts.

Nancy is a cornerstone of the local riding community. Through her work with the Dirt Diva's, COMBA, and local shops, she has introduced hundreds of women to the sport of mountain biking. Unfortunately, helping your community does not always come with large financial rewards -- or even health insurance. Nancy's stay in the hospital will hopefully be short, but she has already amassed a large amount of medical expenses for testing and hospital stay.

Join us in coming together as a community to help one of our own. While Nancy is resting and healing her body, we can help her heal the financial wound by contributing using the secure button below. Thank you!

Let's finish the Buffalo Creek black diamond trail this season!

June 19th was a busy weekend in Buffalo Creek with COMBA's volunteer crew building new trail and the Bailey HUNDO racing on the adjacent local singletrack. While Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Sonya Looney were on winning rides in the HUNDO, COMBA's volunteer trail builders built singletrack to the top of the ridge where the black diamond descent will begin. Thank you again to all of our hard-working volunteers and racers for a job well-done.

Our next workday will be on Saturday & Sunday July 24th and July 25th. The July weekend will focus on building singletrack between the two granite ridges that the black diamon trail traverses. We will also refine sections of lower Charlie's Cutoff built during the May build weekend. This will be a weekend event with beer and brats provided on Saturday evening. Come catch up with your friends -- or make some new ones -- in Buffalo Creek on the 24th and 25th!