Mountain biking rules of the trail..

As the summer heats up, some cyclists ditch the bike and take to the beaches, some ride early morning on the road; while more us take shelter from the baking sun under the canopy of our local woods. Here on miles of trails, the temperature is a solid 5 to 10 degrees lower than on the street, the flora in full growth keeps shelter from the heat of the sun, and many of the trails lead to water!  As mountain bikers, we are happy to see new faces on the trails, both hiking, and biking, and offer these pointers to our fellow cyclists to keep the ambiance fun and the riding safe.

The following “rules of the trail” are direct from the IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) website (www.imba.com) which aims to promote responsible and courteous conduct on shared-use trails. SPOKESPEOPLE is affiliated with this group, with many of our members having dual membership of both organizations, as well as the local chapter C.L.I.M.B. (Concerned Long Island Mountain Bikers) www.climbonline.org .

1. Ride On Open Trails Only: Respect trail and road closures -- ask a land manager for clarification if you are uncertain about the status of a trail. Do not trespass on private land. Obtain permits or other authorization as may be required.

2. Leave No Trace: Be sensitive to the dirt beneath you. Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage than dry ones. When the trail is soft, consider other exercise options. This also means staying on existing trails and not creating new ones. Don't cut switchbacks. Be sure to pack out at least as much as you pack in.

3. Control Your Bicycle: Inattention for even a moment could put yourself and others at risk. Ride within your limits. Skids are not cool, they just indicate that you are not handling your bike well, and that you are insensitive to trail damage.

4. Yield to Others: Do your utmost to let your fellow trail users know you're coming -- a friendly greeting or bell ring are good methods. Try to anticipate other trail users as you ride around corners. Bicyclists should yield to all other trail users, unless the trail is clearly signed for bike-only travel. Bicyclists traveling downhill should yield to ones headed uphill, unless the trail is clearly signed for one-way or downhill-only traffic. Strive to make each pass a safe and courteous one.

5. Never Scare Animals: Animals are easily startled by an unannounced approach, a sudden movement or a loud noise. Give animals enough room and time to adjust to you. When passing horses, use special care and follow directions from the horseback riders (Stop riding, and ask if uncertain).

6. Plan Ahead: Know your equipment, your ability and the area in which you are riding -- and prepare accordingly. Strive to be self-sufficient: keep your equipment in good repair and carry necessary supplies for changes in weather or other conditions. Always wear a helmet and use appropriate safety gear.

7. Give Back: Recognize the importance of the trails in your life by volunteering for trail maintenance and repair projects on a regular basis. Learn the skills needed to design and build sustainable trails. Cyclists from SPOKESPEOPLE have a strong liaison with the East Hampton and Southampton Trails Preservation Societies (www.EHTPS.org, www.southamptontrails.org) and have logged many hours building and repairing trails for better riding now, and for continued fun in the future. Contact us at www.SPOKESPEOPLEli.org for information, membership and rides!

Family Bike Adventures in Camp Hero State Park

As school ends and you are looking for fun activities for your whole family, why not take them on an adventure out to Camp Hero State Park? This is one of the coolest places to spend the day exploring, have a picnic, and a great place to bring your bikes to get around.

Camp Hero is so interesting to explore because it is an interesting mix of old military buildings, some partly overgrown over the past few decades, an intact “downtown” with barracks, chapel and dining hall, batteries, and of course the radar tower that is such a prominent feature of the Montauk skyline. Mix that in with a maritime oak-holly forest, a little bit of maritime grassland and unusually large mountain laurels, witch hazels and even black birches on the trails and there’s a little bit for everyone in your family.

When you pass through the main entrance, be sure to get a map; there is a great network of paved roads and mowed trails that make it easy to explore this former military area. Because there are so few cars, this is a safe place for young kids to ride around, especially in the shady area near the Camp Hero Road picnic area. The lack of visitors to this neat area also means that it’s easy for your whole family to cycle around together, without the worries of traffic.

One problem families with mixed-age children have when riding together is that their bikes are often different sizes and everyone is moving at different speeds. This can create frustration on the trail and anxiety for parents on roads. Not so in Camp Hero; the roads are quiet and the trails are wide and grassy, so everyone can have a great time using their bikes to explore an historic part of the East End.

We like to picnic off Camp Hero Road – it’s shady and has a nice loop for my kids to ride their bikes and scooters around on their own. However, there are sunny areas with tables near Battery 113 and closer to the Camp Hero downtown. Your family will love exploring the batteries and the little downtown and taking pictures by the radar tower – all on the quiet paved roads.

If you want to get off the road, the Battery 112 trail is well mowed and loops past intersections with three other trails, including the Paumonack Path. If you have little kids in tow, these may be better explored on foot. Other wide and easy to ride on trails are the Battery 113 trail Bluff overlook trail, which connects to Old Montauk Highway, another great road for your family to ride on.

All along the way you will pass buildings left over from when this area was part of the Coastal Defense System. Everyone’s imagination will be sparked when passing little closed up sentry buildings, bunkers, batteries and signs describing what life what like in Camp Hero when it was a military installation. If you head to the north end of the park, you will have spectacular views looking up at the Montauk Lighthouse, and may be able to see surfers in the water or surfcasters on the beach, depending on the tide and conditions.

It’s easy to have a family cycling adventure at Camp Hero. Take Route 27 all the way to Montauk Point. Just before the lighthouse, look for the sign for Camp Hero State Park on the right.

Cyclists from across the US come to Southampton for Instructor Training

Last weekend, cyclists from across the United States came to Southampton to earn their certification as cycling Instructors. Spokespeople, the East End’s cycling advocacy group, hosted a League of American Bicyclist’s League Certified Instructor (LCI) course at Southampton High School. With more and more people looking for alternatives to their gas-burning cars for transportation, many are turning to their bicycles for a fun way to get around and stay fit at the same time. Spokespeople saw the need for more cycling education in our community.

As coordinator of Educational programs for Spokespeople, I contacted the League of American Bicyclists last fall about hosting an LCI training seminar in Southampton. The League put me in touch with Bike New York, which helped me find the instructors for two prerequisite Traffic Skills courses, which all candidate LCIs had to pass with an 85 or better. In addition to the prerequisite course, candidates had to complete and pass a rigorous pre-test based on study material sent before the LCI seminar.

The director of Bike New York’s educational programs, Rich Conroy, came out to Southampton to teach the all weekend course. “You’ll be very tired by Sunday afternoon” he told the candidates Friday evening. He was right. The LCI course started at 5:00 on Friday and ended at 4:00 on Sunday.

All LCI candidates were there to learn the skills and techniques to teach vehicular cycling to children, parents, teens and adults in their home communities. Vehicular cycling is the principle that bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles. This term was first used in the 1970s by John Forester, a transportation engineer, who emphasized that bicycles are vehicles that must be driven according to the rules of the road that are shared by all vehicles, motorized and non-motorized.

Candidates did class work, presented mini modules on cycling law (same as for other vehicles!), lane positioning, brakes, tire maintenance, nutrition and other aspects of being a cyclist that an instructor would have to teach their students. LCI candidates practiced and learned how to teach bike handling skills and avoidance procedures like the quick stop and instant turn. Sharon McCobb of East Hampton, who coaches youth and adult triathletes, said she will “use the parking lot drills whenever I start a new group as an introduction.”

The candidates also took two group rides that taught them how to manage a group of students on the road in various conditions. The road ride also assessed each LCI candidate’s skills at riding in traffic and in other conditions and hazards that could be encountered while on the road.
The ride also emphasized that cycling students need to learn confidence. Alyson Follenius from Springs wants the girls she coaches in her i-tri program to know “not only how to handle their bike safely but also know they have the right to be on the road.” After dinner on Saturday night, students returned for more class work and a night riding demonstration, where Follenius’s orange and reflective striped vest was the most visible. “No one’s going to miss her” said William Gerdes, LCI Candidate from Seattle.

Candidates from out of town also praised the LCI seminar and Southampton in general. “The countryside and village of Southampton is beautiful” said Allen Smith, a retired school teacher and Ironman triathlete from Waycross, Georgia. Smith is starting his second career – as a cycling instructor. “I want to make a difference in my community in regards to health and fitness. Georgia is one of the most obese states in the nation. I plan to offer courses in “Smart Cycling” courses in our schools, local YMCAs and other venues”

Rich Conroy from Bike New York felt that the LCI seminar in Southampton gave Spokespeople a “great foundation on which to build in terms of holding classes, getting more bicycle education into schools and working with young cyclists.” Hopefully, he added that these courses would “give Spokespeople the capacity to get more local cyclists prepared for League Cycling Instructor certification.” Smith also said that the courses the LCI candidates learned to teach will “help any cyclist be better prepared to ride skillfully, safely and confidently in the conditions they will normally encounter on the road.”

When asked about the one thing people should know about the League of American Bicyclists’ classes she had just learned how to teach, Jennifer Miller, program coordinator for SUNY Cortland Community Bike Shop and LCI candidate said, “Cycling is fun”
To have more fun on your bicycle visit http://www.spokespeopleli.org/.

the joy of grunt work

Aaaah the smell of fresh earth, the ache of shoulders, the burn of new palm welts..

This morning, a crew of SPOKESPEOPLE and East Hampton Trails Preservation Society volunteers, took to the woods in Wainscott to cut then blaze a new section of trail. Under the tutelage of the experienced Richard Poveromo, the seven of us took instruction in basic trail construction methods101, lugged "McLeod" hoe-like implements, and set off behind Rich as he led us into the flagged section of thick oak. We tucked our pant legs into our socks, sprayed tick repellent with abandon, and trudged behind as he gave a "once over" on the planned trail. This particular section would allow a hiking-mountain biking trail to be diverted from a local property owners driveway, and connect a corridor from the Millers ground area, eventually to waterfront access at Barcelona neck. We used the IMBA protocol for trail construction, enhancing the new trail on the upslope and feathering it off on the downslope, all the better to facilitate water run-off. We ensured limited elevation of the trail with clinometers, to minimize elevation gain greater than 4% in any 50 foot section, to better preserve the trail under heavy weather. We scratched into the bark of scrub oaks, and painted the blue blazes out of them! We recounted mountain-biking tales while we dodged each others swinging tools and happily sweat together under the mid-morning sun. In just under 3 hours, we had half of this new section completed, had a great workout and had formed new bonds with our fellow trail users. SPOKESPEOPLE have officially joined the EHTPS trails maintenance work group, bringing the average age of the EHTPS volunteers down a couple of decades, but more importantly, cemented in the participants the importance of group trail maintenance. We understand that these retirees won't have the shoulders, the backs or the stamina to continue this type of grunt work forever, and that the mantle of trail maintenance and trail building will naturally fall on us young'uns. We are happy to learn from these veterans of the woods, and look forward to building a new team, a young team, of healthy, hardy trail builders..
We look forward to having YOU join us on our next trail maintenance session. Send us your email here and join us in the woods!

traffic skills 101

Last weekend, several of our SPOKESPEOPLE board and community members signed up for a bike skills course at SYS, run by  the League of American Bicyclists. TS101 is the basic course and is a prerequisite for those cyclists wishing to become certified cycling instructors in the future. Since education of cyclists is a core principle in SPOKESPEOPLE's mission, having several local certified cycling instructors is important.  We hope to have many more local cyclists, parents of cyclists, and teachers in the local school systems participate in these cycling education programs. ..read  Annette Hinkle's wonderful article in the Sag Harbor Express for more details..

LADIES, start your (muscle-powered) engines..

(If I have to explain this...)


.. because on MONDAY MARCH 22nd, we will be re-starting our famed LADIES RIDE.. for mountain biking lassies on the east end..Come and get your tips for bike handling skills, training questions and answers from a USA Cycling level 2 coach and competitive XC mountain biker nutter Sinead

WHERE?  dirt parking lot on route 114 between East Hampton and Sag Harbor
WHEN?  5 pm, Every Monday from now until death us do part.. or at least until it drops to 20 degrees again in December..
WHAT to bring?  Mountain bike! Helmet, Gloves, bike shorts, pump or CO2 containers, spare tire (hahaha) I mean inner tube..Sports drink (NOT WATER!!) edible goodies (enough to share..) and sense of HUMOUR!
WHY? for FUN fun fun, beginners welcome, intermediates welcome, even experts and Pro's welcome..
HOW MUCH?  FREEEEEEE... as always!:
QUESTIONS: email sineadpt@gmail.com

Take a Bike Ed Class. Become a Certified Cycling Instructor.

Three bike safety courses will be offered this spring by SPOKESPEOPLE Traffic Skills 101, and LCI instruction certification.


As roadways become increasingly congested and friction increases between users, are you confident in your bicycle skills?


Do you feel you know enough to teach your children how to ride cautiously but conspicuously on the road?


When you drive your car, are you confident that you can share the road with bicyclists?


The Traffic Skills 101 course gives you the tips, tools, and techniques to confidently to answer YES to each of those questions. On our roads, bikes are legally recognized as vehicles. Simply knowing how to ride a bike is not the same as knowing how to operate a bike safely and legally.
Traffic Skills 101 is a course for anyone who wants to develop more confidence biking on East End roads. Traffic Skills 101 will be offered in April and May. This course is also for experienced cyclists who want to become cycling instructors at the SPOKESPEOPLE-sponsored League of American Cyclists Instructor Certification Seminar June 4, 5, 6.


The League Cycling Instructor certification course is for cyclists who want to teach bike courses to adults and children. Becoming a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) is a great way to help cyclists in your community. It is an intensive weekend seminar that will give you the experience, materials and credentials to make a difference in cycling on the East End. By teaching bike safety courses, you are assisting others to experience the freedom of using their bikes as a means of transportation, fitness and recreation. By teaching others how to ride by the rules of the road, you will also reduce friction between motorists and cyclists, making the roads safer for all. Help bring the joy of safe cycling to others.


SPOKESPEOPLE is offering several scholarships to East End cyclists to attend the Instructor Certification Seminar. For more information and applications send an email to jen.keller.1@gmail.com.