The Town of Wellesley is cracking down on the recent proliferation of unapproved mountain bike trails in town. We recently saw a group of bikers making use of one of the newly created bandit trails adjacent to the Brook Path. Although the set-up was undeniably gnarly, the town points out that informal trails cause compacted soil erosion, dangerous trail conditions, and expensive restoration and repair costs.
The town is in the process of dismantling jumps on town-owned land and clearing associated debris.
We wonder if the interest is widespread enough for passionate parties to approach town officials about carving out a dedicated and legal mountain biking trail.
Or it could be that could be this was a short-lived trend, its illicit nature half the fun, and now everyone’s ready to bail?
@RoyalHartigan, your rant is baseless and without facts. I am 47 years young and yes I am a mountain bike rider. I have found that it brings me closer to nature than any other physical activity. I ride the trails where I live (Spokane Washington) and I have trails in my neighborhood which are equestrian trails. Before cars existed, Spokane embraced bicycling and you can ride a trail which continues into Idaho. I ride daily and use Strava and AllTrails to document my rides. I had a sedentary life and was headed for heart attack central and now I get 20-45 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 days a week. No gym membership or 4 walls to look at while I workout, just the great outdoors. Oh btw, mountain biking is a recognized activity just as cross country skiing. It has a measurable amount of applied science and physics to which you don’t see and my bike started out as a $500 bike a 16yr old boy wrecked. I bought it used for $140 and bought almost all parts secondhand. I have spent close to $300 total investment and it’s custom, worth about $1000 to replace. My neighbor works at a bike shop and has volunteered her time on a few occasions while Covid had her furloughed. Her and her husband ride road bikes, hers is probably around $6000 and his is closer to $8000-$9000. She is the mechanic when it comes to the bikes and just assembled and tuned many new bikes for their friends, many of which are professionals. Last week she went on a 600 mile ride with her friends and to be fair, she has trued both my wheels and tuned up my bike, refusing payment for any work. Is that the behavior of an unscrupulous person who seeks to destroy the natural scenery of our planet?
A little dirt on the Brook Path won’t do any harm.
I am strongly opposed to any project that allows mountain biking in natural areas.
They can ride the roads where bikes won’t destroy anything, or do like everyone else and walk through nature to fully appreciate its uniqueness and beauty. But mountain biking, a new form of wreckreation, isn’t really about those positive things, it is only about the bikers’ narcotic-like ego-addiction.
The truth is that mountain biking is an anti-environmental, destructive, industry supported, self-centered activity that creates destruction where it attempts to penetrate natural lands and the public trust. Unlike the misinformation from proponents of this invasion, it is clear to see this is an industry/bike association/single-minded advocate agenda to penetrate public programs, buildings, and natural areas for self-centered gain, whether it be corporate sales, association control, or self-centered thrills, all with undue pressure/influence on local officials and at the expense of unique treasures like local parks and natural venues. It is a strategy that plays out across the nation, poisoned by the mantra of the privatized radical individual as opposed to the common good and public trust. These spaces are meant for all of the people, not the minority of a few to pursue restricted single-use narcissist adventure. Open space parklands remain places of reflection and undisturbed connections with nature, among the diverse animal and plant life, terrain, and peace those things create. Research nationally documents the destruction that mountain biking wreaks on the environment as well as people who want to pursue passive recreation.
Despite their false P.R. promotional distortions, mountain bikers are only interested in their constant self-indulgent thrills at the expense of nature and people. It is only about themselves and their addiction, not about others, animals, birds, plant life, the environment, nature or anything beyond their myopia. It is a pathetic mutation of what makes us truly human.
Our problems are caused mostly due the fact that the wildlife can’t speak for themselves or vote. We need to do that for them, shamelessly. It’s not that hard to know what they think, since they vote with their feet: they run away whenever we get close to them! That’s the first thing that every child learns about wild animals. But then we “forget” this “inconvenient truth”.
You must confront this intrusion and deny any use of the park for mountain biking or similar restricted-use disruptive activity. Do you as a city want to turn every park into yet another industry-lobbied sports complex? Parks and natural environments are not gymnasiums, race tracks, sports complexes, or circus adventure rides, despite the propaganda from the industry and imba bike association partners, replete with their websites, consulting, and talking points, a 21st century snake-oil medicine show. Do you really want the invasion of this destructive, dangerous, and restricted self-centered activity for a few with its consequent documented national history of future expansion, destruction, and danger to people (with permanent injuries and lawsuits against the city), or do you value something more: a place of reflection and connection with nature, others, and oneself, giving us our full humanity, nature’s gift to us all for generations past, present, and future.
Mountain bikes are made for off road. .. and trails can be built with the environment in mind. You clearly are a keyboard hero
Wow! What an ignorant and uneducated post. Yes – there are a minority of bikers that do not respect the environment – just like there are minorities of hikers and horse riders that leave trash or destroy the trails. Labeling the majority based on the acts of the minority pushes mountain biking underground leading to illegal trail building. Weston, Needham, Sherborn, Dover and other surrounding towns have created places for mountain bikers and nature to co-exist and maybe Wellesley.needs to learn from them.
Dude, chill. What rant, yikes! Maybe go for a relaxing ride?
Guys, Royal Hartigan is an anti-mountain biker attempting to stop a small skills park in Pittsfield. This diatribe (largely cribbed from other anti-mountain bikers) was submitted to the local paper.
He knows its a load of bunk, he knows the State of Massachusetts DCR and the EPA consider trail access for mountain bikes to be passive use. He knows these types of illegal trail building/riding are due to a lack of local access. And he knows about places that allow that opportunities for that access don’t have illegal trails.
These types of posts are a siren song to the anti-mountain bikers.
I grew up in Wellesley. and started riding mini bikes in’68, in what is now Centennial park. Had the best time riding with my friends and getting chased by the cops! Kids need a place to ride two wheels. Hopefully the town will allow trails to be maintained to be used responsibly.
Ever since I saw these trails, I thought these were so cool. The kids their put in hours of work, and I talked to them one time, and this was their dream. Their dream was to be able to make mountain bike jump trails, and now their dream is wrecked, destroyed, their heart broken. I’m looking forward to see the town put into consideration as to have mountain bike trails where people can build jumps, and have the best time of there life. These trails were the most gnarliest trails in Wellesley, as well as one of the gnarliest jumps in Wellesley. That jump was names by the kids as “big mama.” Please put a designated trail into consideration, #savethekidsbikejumps
What parents would allow their children to play in the dirt and create MUD? Can you imagine what these little anarchists might do when they grow up? We simply cannot tolerate this type of hooliganism. We could actually be allowing the cultivation of true Americans. We could be creating the type of people who might throw tea into Boston Harbor.
Imagine if everyone did whatever they wanted on whatever public land they wanted.
The town isn’t cracking down on bike riding, and while there are other issues we can deal with more than one at a time. These trails are destructive. Ride on the foot trails or the streets.
It is interesting how people think it is ok to go on public property and destroy and change it. The trails are there for all to connect to nature. It clearly was not just young kids doing this as in some cases lumber was brought in and trees were cleared. Parents should be ashamed of themselves for doing this on public property. Destroy your own backyard, not the town green spaces!
Too bad. In an age where parents are desperate to fight screen time, it’s a shame to “crack down” on bike riding. Seems like the demand is there for increasing the number of approved trails. How does one find out where the approved trail are?
http://Www.wellesleyma.gov trails link is here. Plenty of places to ride without destroying natural trails.
Bigger things to worry about.
Exactly.
This was kids 12 and under who used their time away from computer schooling(!) to have some wholesome fun while in the process experiencing real life civil engineering! It certainly brought a smile to my face every time I biked by and saw how industrious they were! Perhaps the town could have approached them and reached a compromise where they could conduct their experiments in an acceptable location……….
We sincerely wish the town would crack down as much on ubiquitous yard waste/leaves blown into the trails and on dog waste left behind!
Completely agree- this was such a joy to watch. So much cooperation, teamwork and bonding among kids all ages. And It was a welcome break from the kids constant screen time. Talk about kicking kids while they’re already down! Let’s fix the roads and the schools first…how are the little dirt piles an actual concern in an unkempt portion of the Brook path? Uggh.