Many of you have stopped one or more of the officers and asked, “What is that new trail on the climb out of Chicopee?” There seems to be a lot of buzz about all of the new work going on so I thought I’d address what we’re doing in case you didn’t know.

First of all, the new trail dissecting the climb out is the new Beginner Trail. When completed, it will provide Chicopee with a new beginner trail, something it has never had. One of the catalysts for us receiving the RTP Grant from the government was providing a riding experience for a wide variety of riders.

This is crucial for the sport as a whole. SORBA, using the tried-and-true guidelines of IMBA, is working on the 25/50/25 plan. With this plan, you try to have your trails broken down into 25% Beginner, 50% Intermediate (where the bulk of your riders lie), and 25% Advanced. This is not a rigid rule and Chicopee will likely weigh lighter on the beginner and heavier on the intermediate and advanced.

Yes, there will be an Advanced Loop at Chicopee. Construction on the Advanced Loop will begin once the Beginner Trail is complete. The idea is to get a trail in place that opens up the system to broader appeal, then start implementing advanced challenges much like we lost at the Ag Center Trail.

This is the basic plan in a nutshell. There’s been much discussion about the plan. Why do we need a beginner trail? Why wasn’t the advanced loop built first? The plan was implemented in this way to try to address specific issues first.

There’s still much to do and no doubt it will please some and upset others. We encourage your participation, however. You’re welcome to come to the monthly meetings, voice your opinions, and hopefully you will come out and help on the trail. We are going to need input on the advanced section. What type of features would you like to see? In order to build a trail system that you want to ride we need you’re input.

I hope this gives you some understanding of what is happening at Chicopee. We want to make the trail system a destination trail system. When completed, some 21 miles of trail will be open for riders of all skill levels. I hope you enjoy the trails and get involved. We can’t do it without you!

Joe Polk
President – Gainesville-SORBA

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