DURHAM — OK, OK, we don’t have the steep slopes or off-season ski resort infrastructure of British Columbia or West Virginia. Even in the state, we’re at a bit of a disadvantage. Western North Carolina already boasts the world-famous Tsali and Pisgah trail networks.
You might think it’s unlikely that folks will come to the Triangle just for some off-road action.
But, consider some other unlikely mountain bike destinations… the 33-mile Womble Trail in Hot Springs, Arkansas or the Alafia River trail network in Brandon, Florida. Both have earned the distinction “epic rides” by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), and neither is in an area known for its mountains.
The only thing the Triangle needs to compete with other metropolitan mountain biking hotspots is longer trails. Mountain bike community leaders hope the new Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC) can make that happen.
“We feel like a unified voice speaking for the area riders will stand a better chance to gain access to some of this land as well as be able to secure large enough grants to construct the trail,” says TORC board member Stewart Bryan. “Essentially we are trying to pool the talents and people [who] are working for public trail and use them more efficiently.”
With their sights set on Jordan Lake, Falls Lake and Chatham County, TORC is prioritizing gaining access to big tracts of land and building sustainable, environmentally responsible mountain bike trails.
Carter Worthington, North Carolina’s IMBA representative, is getting involved with TORC so that his “little girl will have a place to ride her bike in 20 years.”
“Right now, we’re losing trails faster than we’re gaining trails,” says Worthington, of Apex. “The legal trails have been successful; we have good relationships with the land managers and owners.”
But unofficial trails are “usually not sustainable. The land owners sell the land,” or the trails just aren’t designed well to begin with. Either way, mountain bikers lose out.
The Triangle currently boasts more than 80 miles of public singletrack – however, most of these trails come in sections fewer than 10 miles in length.
TORC is committed to establishing more legal mountain bike trails in the Triangle, trails to which it can preserve access and that will be longer than existing trail networks. One of TORC’s primary goals is “at least one permanent year round public singletrack trail system of around 40 miles with camping facilities,” Bryan said.
“Everything is in the early stages of a long process that requires a lot of patient work that many riders are not even aware is going on on their behalf,” says the Chapel Hill resident.
To kick things off right, the Triangle Cyclopaths, a local cycling team, are hosting a race to benefit TORC. On the night of June 18th, bike- and helmet-mounted halogens will “Light the Night” as racers compete in a night-time endurance mountain bike race at Umstead State Park.
Who knows? With the thousands of acres of protected natural lands surrounding Jordan and Falls Lake and the steadily growing mountain bike community, the Triangle may just play host to an epic ride someday.
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A TORC membership application is available at Trianglemtb.com.