2023 Accomplishments

First, a huge thanks to the countless volunteers that showed up to our workdays, staffed our events, and help make RCMBA the community's bike club!

Our trail days saw over 200 volunteers who logged almost 3000 hours on the ground building and maintaining trails. There was a ton of progress on the trails in McKinleyville thanks to the dedicated MackTown trail crew who had more than their fair share of WET workdays! The crew at Hatchery Ridge completed two new trails - Rat Tunnel and Upper Borderline and made many improvements to the existing network. We are all watching with great anticipation as the Blue Lake Bike Park is being constructed and our volunteers are providing support for that project as well. The MTB-specific downhill trail in the McKay Community Forest is off to a great start and the Eureka crew is working to establish a set schedule of midweek workdays. RCMBA hired Sensus Rad Trails to develop a conceptual plan for the McKay Bike Park and Pump Track. The long-awaited Arcata Pump Track was built and opened, and RCMBA members supported that project along with the newly constructed and revamped jumpline with volunteer labor. We had our first Open Board Meeting in Fortuna in November with the goal of increasing RCMBA's presence and support in the Eel River Basin and beyond, and we are excited to have forged new relationships with a dedicated crew to the south! Lacks Creek, as always, has our heart and we had some great trail days out there working alongside BLM to keep the flow trails flowing and the tick weeds tamed. Tom Foolery underwent a reroute by the man himself and Chutes got some much-needed upgrades! We love getting feedback about the work being done, so head on out to the trails and let us know your thoughts!

The Redwood Roots Enduro, our first youth-only race, was born in 2023! We welcomed a large field of racers from out of the area and loved showcasing our trails and cool temps. We are psyched to announce that we are collaborating with other regional bike organizations to offer a youth enduro series in 2024! Look for details to be dropping soon!

In 2023, a timing system was also born! We were able to test the new system several times at local race events, putting it to its biggest challenge at the 5th Annual Mad River Enduro! The timing system accurately captured results for a record number of racers and the event was better than ever. Mark your calendars for the 2024 MRE September 7th!

All of these accomplishments are the result of the hard work of our members, volunteers, contributors, and partnering land managers who all collaborate to bring more outdoor riding opportunities to our community. We are stoked on the progress we have made, collectively, and look forward to much more of the same in 2024!