Sick riders, closed trails, stolen bikes, and more

A few news items from the mountain bike scene last week:

Eight riders fall ill after mountain bike race in UK

The National Public Health Service for Wales is asking mountain bikers who fell ill after the Merida mountain bike event in Builth Wells to fill out a questionnaire to help them pinpoint the source of a nasty stomach bug. You may remember a similar case in Canada last year when hundreds of riders became ill after ingesting horse manure from the race course. Just remember – mountain bike racing is dangerous in more ways than one 😉

Mountain bikers barred from T-trail in Telluride

Mountain bikers are no longer allowed to ride the Telluride and Camel Garden Trails at Telluride due to a new forest service rule. Anyone caught riding the trails will be subject to up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine (chump change for some Teulluride residents 😉 ). Before the new rule went in effect mountain bikers could ride the free gondola from town to the top of the mountain and blast down the challenging course. Apparently the forest service felt like other trail users were being endangered by bikers screaming down the narrow singletrack.

High school MTB league seeing big growth in female participation

The Northern California High School Mountain Bike Racing League has seen a huge jump in female participation in the last year – up 50% compared to just 10% growth on the men’s side. The growth in women riders is attributed to the league’s emphasis on building a positive community and women’s only MTB clinics held during the year. It also helps that the league has been able to get some big name sponsors like Clif Bar, Camelbak, Gary Fisher, and Fox Racing.

UK politician has his mountain bike stolen after poor lock job

Tory leader David Cameron had his bike stolen outside a shop after locking the bike to a 2 foot high traffic bollard (a short pole). The thief needed just seconds to lift the bike off the pole, leaving Mr. Cameron frustrated and a bit embarassed. Note to urban riders: never lock your bike to a pole shorter than yourself 😉