Mountain Bike Volunteers Build New Bridges at Bloomer Park

Mountain bike volunteers have been working with the City of Rochester Hills for the past several weeks to build new wood bridges and improve trails throughout Bloomer park.  The trails are used by hikers, runners, geo-cachers and others.

The volunteers, mostly members of the Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA) and Clinton River Area Mountain Bike Association (CRAMBA), meet weekly to build and improve the trails and include local residents like Dustin Cheney and Derek Wrathell, but often include others from as far away as Plymouth, Ann Arbor, and Mount Clemens.

"We're really fortunate to have such great trails here.  Riders throughout the state have heard about them and they come here to ride" says Derek Wrathell, Bloomer Trail Coordinator with CRAMBA. "The City is very supportive, letting us build the new trails and challenges for riders, and local businesses and residents donate reclaimed and other wood for the projects.  We really couldn't do this without them" says Wrathell.  The volunteers contributed over 1500 hours building and maintaining trails in the park last year.

In addition to wide "rail trails", visitors will find about 8 miles of unique singletrack trail.  While some of the trails are designed for more-skilled riders, most are designed with families and kids in mind.  The park borders the Clinton River Trail, and intersects the Paint Creek Trail, so riders have easy access to downtown Rochester's restaurants and shops as well as the cider mill.

Riding tours of the Bloomer Park trails are being considered for the upcoming "Two Wheelin' it to Rochester" event coming to downtown Rochester on July 28th.  The City of Rochester and local businesses are hosting the event and encouraging residents to ride into downtown and enjoy a day of events along with restaurant and shopping specials for riders.  Check the Patch for information as the event nears.

Those seeking even more adventure could consider join the mountain bike races like the "Cold Weather Classic" held in the throughout the year.  For more information on the races or to help with the trails, visit the CRAMBA website at www.cramba.org or the MMBA website at www.mmba.org