Separation of Bike and State?
November 7, 2008 by Jordan McCormick
Filed under Uncategorized
With all this talk about reaching across the isle to the opposing political party President George W. Bush is trying to do just that for mountain bikers who are both red and blue. The Biker-in-Chief is trying to open up more trails in national parks across the nation to mountain bikers. President Bush, who actually is an avid mountain biker himself, wants to put the trail making of trail regulations to the managers of the pubic lands instead of those that sit behind a desk in DC. The process of opening up trails to bikers is a long and tedious one; in which the public has to be formally notified a process that currently takes years.
What the President wants to do is streamline the process so he can legally take “Mountain-Bike-One” out for a spin in what was once forbidden backcountry. This new regulation is not without opposition. In an article written by the Associated Press the author cites Environmental advocate Jeff Ruch, “Mountain bikers are blamed for erosion of trails and trampling native plants. They also disturb other park users, such as hikers, birders and horseback riders.”
After doing some research for this article it turns out that many sources agree that President Bush is quite an avid mountain biker, and quite good as well. He took up biking as a lower impact form of exercise after suffering a knee injury. “Mountain-Bike-One,” as the President has nicknamed his steed, is a Trek Top Fuel 98 with a custom paint job. Bush frequently rides around both his ranch in Crawford, Texas and in and around the DC area.
I am not one to mix biking and politics, but this is one political move that most bikers should agree on regardless how much you like or dislike the “Biker-in-Chief.”
Associated Press article below:
This just in from the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration plans to make it easier for mountain bikers to gain access to national parks and other public lands before the president — an avid cyclist himself — leaves office.
The National Park Service confirmed Tuesday that it is preparing a rule that will allow decisions about some mountain bike trails to be made by park managers instead of federal regulators in Washington, a process that can take years.
A park service spokesman said the rule would be proposed no later than Nov. 15 so it could be final before Bush leaves office. If adopted, the proposal would likely result in more mountain biking opportunities on public lands.
Currently, the Park Service has to adopt a special regulation to open up trails to mountain bikes, which requires the public to be formally notified. The same process is required for all-terrain vehicles and other motorized recreation on park lands.
“We are trying to give superintendents a little bit of latitude especially for non-controversial proposals for bicycling in parks,” said Jeffrey Olson, a spokesman for the service. “We are responding to public demand.”
Environmental advocate Jeff Ruch called the rule a lame-duck gift for the mountain biking lobby from the “Mountain-Biker-in-Chief,” referring to Bush.
Ruch, executive director of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said the proposal would open up backcountry trails to mountain bikers. Mountain bikers are blamed for erosion of trails and trampling native plants. They also disturb other park users, such as hikers, birders and horseback riders.
During his tenure as president, Bush has embraced mountain biking as a low-impact alternative to running, which is hard on his knees. The president — who has a blue and white Trek bicycle dubbed Mountain Bike One — often rides on his ranch in Crawford, Tex. and in the Washington, D.C. area. He also has received several mountain bikes from companies like Cannondale and Trek.
The International Mountain Biking Association, which is supported by some of the same companies that gave Bush bikes, said Tuesday it didn’t believe the timing of the rule had anything to do with the president’s penchant for pedaling.
“It is extraneous to this (rule) that the president has interest in mountain biking. I don’t think that has been an influencer in this case,” said Mark Eller, communications director for the group, which has been lobbying to change the rules since the early 1990s.
About 30 properties managed by the National Park Service include trails approved for mountain bikes now, he said.
A calendar for Lyle Laverty, the Interior Department’s Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks also shows that the mountain bike rule is one the administration’s remaining priorities.
In April 2006, after a 65-minute ride through Napa County wine country on Earth Day, the president told an AP reporter: “We’re able to enjoy the beauty without really disrupting pristine nature of the place. It’s a classic way for mankind to enjoy God’s gift.”
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This post was written by:
Jordan McCormick - who has written 7 posts on Mountain bike product reviews, bike builds, trail reviews, forum, and tips – MTOBikes.com.
Jordan is 26 years of age, born and raised in Las Vegas. After high school he moved to Utah to attend BYU where he graduated with a Bachelors in Sociology. After graduation he met who is now his lovely wife Brooke on a biking trip in Moab with mutual friends. They hit it off right from the start and mountain bike together regularly. They currently reside in Provo, Utah and ride the trails in Provo Canyon, Sundance, and Brian Head regularly. They also make a trip every spring to Moab to go ride the trails there. The bio photo is of Jordan towards the end of the Klodike Bluffs trail in Moab.
Thanks for sharing that. I didn’t realize his contributions to imrpoving trails for us. I hope the presidency will continue a path like that. Arizona has been transformed drastically by housing developments and business, it is sad but progress I guess. There has to be a better solution out there. We only have soo much space and populations growing fast.