Bikers mean business
Organization wants to build new trails
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
ROUND TOP — Can mountain biking mean serious business here? That’s what four biking enthusiasts from Round Top believe.
The quartet — Gary Campbell, Ian Powell, Mike Henry and Lee Herchenroder — make up the Round Top Mountain Biking Association, a new nonprofit organization.
The small but dedicated group met this week with the Cairo Town Board to discuss its bold plan: To build new biking trails in the hamlet for recreational use and competitions. It also wants to begin clearly marking existing trails.
“It’s in essense trying to bring in tourism,” Campbell told the town board.
The association plans to meet with the Greene County Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning over the proposal.
Their eventual goal is to connect all the trails, linking them with the local resorts in what Henry calls a “trail-based economy.”
The project will take a lot of volunteer hours to complete and association members say they’ll seek grant funding. Meanwhile, the group will need to continue its collaborative relationship with the resorts — which own a lot of the land the trails are on.
Places such as Riedlbauer’s Resort and Winter Clove Inn have hosted competitive races in the past. And last summer, for the first time in the United States since 2005, the Mountain Bike World Cup was held not far from Round Top on Windham Mountain.
Powell, who was involved with putting on the World Cup, said big events could be held in Round Top once the trail network is established.
The group has begun negotiating with private property owners over pieces of land needed to complete the trail network.
“They’re blown away by how beautiful it is,” Henry said of current visitors to the trails in an interview Friday. “There’s so much here.”
The group has good reason to be confident that mountain biking equals dollars.
That’s because in places such as northwest Wisconsin, mountain biking associations have succeeded in creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation and attracting customers for the area’s businesses and restaurants.
For the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association, which cares for almost 400 miles of bike trails — substantially more than Round Top hopes to build — covering six small communities, the trail network provides the perfect setting for a three-day festival in June.
“They are the forefront,” Campbell said of the Wisconsin group.
The Festival of the Trails, as it’s called, operates as a fundraiser for the organization and an educational opportunity for riders of all ages. The festival also includes an event in which local restaurants set up stations along the trail offering samples of their food.
According to association volunteer Scott Chapin, who has been in contact with Campbell about the Round Top group’s venture and spoke to The Daily Mail Friday, the festival is a huge attraction.
Chapin said groups like his have small budgets and don’t require large start up costs because much of the trail work is performed by volunteers with hand tools.
He said it’s key for any new association to have the support of the community, secure a volunteer base and outside help on trail design.
Lastly, marketing is key. “You can do a lot with sweat equity and a Facebook page,” he said.
The quartet — Gary Campbell, Ian Powell, Mike Henry and Lee Herchenroder — make up the Round Top Mountain Biking Association, a new nonprofit organization.
The small but dedicated group met this week with the Cairo Town Board to discuss its bold plan: To build new biking trails in the hamlet for recreational use and competitions. It also wants to begin clearly marking existing trails.
“It’s in essense trying to bring in tourism,” Campbell told the town board.
The association plans to meet with the Greene County Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning over the proposal.
Their eventual goal is to connect all the trails, linking them with the local resorts in what Henry calls a “trail-based economy.”
The project will take a lot of volunteer hours to complete and association members say they’ll seek grant funding. Meanwhile, the group will need to continue its collaborative relationship with the resorts — which own a lot of the land the trails are on.
Places such as Riedlbauer’s Resort and Winter Clove Inn have hosted competitive races in the past. And last summer, for the first time in the United States since 2005, the Mountain Bike World Cup was held not far from Round Top on Windham Mountain.
Powell, who was involved with putting on the World Cup, said big events could be held in Round Top once the trail network is established.
The group has begun negotiating with private property owners over pieces of land needed to complete the trail network.
“They’re blown away by how beautiful it is,” Henry said of current visitors to the trails in an interview Friday. “There’s so much here.”
The group has good reason to be confident that mountain biking equals dollars.
That’s because in places such as northwest Wisconsin, mountain biking associations have succeeded in creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation and attracting customers for the area’s businesses and restaurants.
For the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association, which cares for almost 400 miles of bike trails — substantially more than Round Top hopes to build — covering six small communities, the trail network provides the perfect setting for a three-day festival in June.
“They are the forefront,” Campbell said of the Wisconsin group.
The Festival of the Trails, as it’s called, operates as a fundraiser for the organization and an educational opportunity for riders of all ages. The festival also includes an event in which local restaurants set up stations along the trail offering samples of their food.
According to association volunteer Scott Chapin, who has been in contact with Campbell about the Round Top group’s venture and spoke to The Daily Mail Friday, the festival is a huge attraction.
Chapin said groups like his have small budgets and don’t require large start up costs because much of the trail work is performed by volunteers with hand tools.
He said it’s key for any new association to have the support of the community, secure a volunteer base and outside help on trail design.
Lastly, marketing is key. “You can do a lot with sweat equity and a Facebook page,” he said.
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