First was the announcement that $15 million has been raised for creation of the new 1,100-acre Red Mountain Park, the new Railroad Park downtown and for expansion of the existing Ruffner Mountain Nature Center.
All these will be great facilities, but from the cyclist’s perspective the big news is Red Mountain Park (www.redmountainpark.org), which will put about 18 miles of new hiking/biking trails within minutes of downtown. This will be an amenity very few cities can match.
Another bit of good news was the positive result of an engineering study for the Inverness Greenway, a proposed paved walking/biking trail that would parallel Inverness Parkway near U.S. 280, with eventual extension along Valleydale Road to Hoover’s Veterans Park. This would offer a great biking venue for kids and casual cyclists while providing nonmotorized access to the park, schools and neighborhoods along the Valleydale Road corridor.
Last (and least in cost), representatives from the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers mountain bike club met last week with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and other interested parties to present BUMP’s proposal for expanding the trail system at Oak Mountain State Park and increasing the proportion of more desirable “single track” trail. This would enhance the park’s appeal as a tourist destination as well as for local trail users.
The BUMP plan would bridge the dam spillway and create new trails around the far side of Double Oak Lake, including a multi-use trail with handicapped access. Also planned is re-routing the current double track sections onto roughly parallel new single track, adding a mountain bike skills building area, a linking trail to the campground, and several miles of new, challenging single track at the north end of the park. With volunteer labor from BUMP and other trail users plus financial assistance from Shelby County and other sponsors, all this could be accomplished without cost to DCNR.
Confederate cavalry commander Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest said the key to success was to get there “firstest with the mostest” and that’s exactly what the BUMP plan offers – more trail sooner. A copy of the presentation BUMP made to DCNR, along with additional supporting information, is available online at www.bump.org. Your thoughts on the prospect of additional trail at OMSP can be directed to DCNR through the contact information given on their Web site, www.outdooralabama.com.
Local events:
The Bike Link folks are hosting road rides for experienced riders on the first and third weekends of each month. Saturday a 50 miler will depart from the Hoover shop on Alabama 150 at 8 a.m., while on Sunday a hilly 36 mile ride will start from the Inverness store on U.S. 280 at 1 p.m. See www.bikelinkbham.com for more info.
Cahaba Cycles is repeating the free bicycle maintenance classes offered in January. The next session will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 at all four of their shop locations – Cahaba Heights, Pelham, Homewood and the new store in Trussville. See www.cahabacycles.com for details. Doug Daughhetee has been active on the Birmingham road cycling and mountain biking scene since 1992. His cycling column appears every other Wednesday.
EMAIL: ddaughhetee@bhamnews.com
