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Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill

Writings on Riding
This is the place for monthy content from a few of our local members. Here you may find articles about events in the Triangle, interviews with local mountain bike leaders, write ups and editorials. Check back here often for new "news" stories. Want to be a regular contributer? Contact the webmaster at [email protected].

A broken brother
by Wil Mikes, December 2002

"See! I told you it was dangerous!" was the email that greeted me one Tuesday morning at work. My friend Neal went for a ride and broke his collarbone. You see, I've been working on building a bike in order to do a little freeriding you know, a little hucking here, a little chucking there. Well-intentioned friends who don't ride have been warning me of the hazards and trying to dissuade me from building this bike. Maybe I shouldn't have let them watch those Kranked videos.

Back to Neal:

He decided on Monday to go for a ride after work. It was a different path on a trail he rode often, so he went by himself. He figured it shouldn't be a problem because everybody goes for a ride by themselves right? So down the trail he went. It was a good ride getting the blood flowing and that just right amount of sweat going. About a mile from the end of the ride, Neal finds a new log with a little dirt on the front, making a nice little ramp. Having taken a painful endo from not checking out a jump before, he checks the run out just to be sure. It looks good, so he backs up and takes it.

What happened, he's not really sure. He seemed to hit the jump just fine but ended up landing front wheel first, and not in a cool nose-wheelie way. He doesn't know if he tapped the brake or not, if the rear end got kicked up by the log, maybe the dirt ramp wasn't set solid enough, it doesn't really matter. He does remember seeing the hit coming and thinking about having to tuck and roll, clip out, etc, (remember, he's been here before)… and then he landed… hard, on his helmet-shod head and shoulder. Next thing you know, he's facing skyward, looking at all the cute little birdies circling his noggin and doing the familiar body check. Toes, check, feet, check, knees, check, sitting up, PAINFUL, NO CHECK!

Nobody with him, no cell phone and in at least a little shock, he gets himself up and heads for the truck. Walking itself was an adventure. Not happy, in pain, cussing the trail, himself, the bike, wondering whether to sell the bike or scrap it, he finally comes across some bikers headed into the trail. They made some comment about him not looking too good, but offered him use of their cell phone to call Kerry to pick him up. He even met a biker med student who had broken his own collarbone riding some other time and the med student accurately diagnosed Neal.

Let's just say that you don't want to hear your doc say, "Ewwww-ooowww" when they see you. The specialist that can reset the break can see Neal three weeks from his break! Meaning… Neal gets to have his collarbone partially heal out of place to be broken again to heal IN place.

The moral of this story: try not to ride by yourself. If you do, take a cell phone in case something bad happens so you can call for help. So you know, the bike isn't scrapped or for sale, just a little lonely with some dust building up, waiting patiently for Neal to get all better and go on that next ride.

Look for more from Wil Mikes next month. He enjoys freeriding and trials. Wil resides in Chapel Hill.


Sig's Trail? Who is Sig? An interview with Sig Hutchinson
By Tim Broyer, December 31, 2002

The New Light trails were recently voted the number one trail in the Raleigh area by TriangleMTB.com users. It may not be your favorite trail, but it would be hard to argue that you don't like it. How did the Triangle get 18 miles of great single track (not to mention the great trails at Beaver Dam)? The answer is in large part due to Sig Hutchinson, President of the North Raleigh Mountain Bike Association. I recently sat down with Sig for an interview. He is a vibrant character with a clear love for cycling and a pillar among our local cycling community. This is a compilation of the interview and not verbatim.

TMTB: Tell us a little about yourself please? What do you do for a living?

Sig: I'm 50 years old, married with one son and two wonderful grandchildren. I have lived in Raleigh for 20 years. I am a producer/owner for Success Today, a web based technology information show out of Research Triangle Park.

TMTB: How long have you been mountain biking?

Sig: My family has been bicycling my whole life and I grew up riding a bike. I started mountain biking long before it was considered cool, about 12 years ago. I consider myself a casual rider. I ride about once a week, usually for 2-4 hours. I am very cautious.

TMTB: So, you don' free ride or jump?

Sig: (laughing) No, I just get through the ride. I don't like to fall!

TMTB: What drove you to build the New Light Trails?

Sig: I used to ride the South Shore trail until it closed. One day when I was trying to ride it, a park ranger confronted me and stopped me from riding it. He said it was closed to mountain bikers. "You can't ride it and you will never be able to ride it". This was a defining moment for me and the start of my cycling advocacy. I wasn't going to let them stop me from riding and enjoying the lake.

I joined the Triangle Greenways Council, who built the South Shore trail. I was open and wanted them to know I was a cyclist and I'm here to open trails to bikes. The council was a group of old, nature lovers with little knowledge of cycling. I eventually became the president of the council. (Sig is also involved in numerous avocations concerning cycling in the area, including the Open Space Advisory Committee for Wake County and the Capitol Area Metro Planning Organization. He supports bike lanes and universal access for cyclists and pedestrians on all new roadway projects. One of the goals for the Triangle Greenways Council is a network of paths completely connecting the Triangle. For example, you would be able to ride from Apex to New Light on greenways.) I was not able to get South Shore open to cycling, so I started looking elsewhere.

The 800+ acres, where the New Light trails sit, are on US Army Corps of Engineers land, which in turn is leased out to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (WLC) and the NC Parks and Recreation Department (NC Parks). Over the course of many years, I established a relationship with both agencies. The WLC is a hunter's rights group funded in part by hunting licenses. They are an extremely strong lobby who take very little public pressure. On the other hand, the NC Parks department is your classic, government bureaucracy. I approached both agencies with the idea of mountain biking on their land. The WLC was flat out against it at first. NC Parks was open, but the bureaucracy effect slows everything down. On top of that, these two departments can't stand one another.

Learning that an association has much more clout in public forums than just one citizen, I formed the North Raleigh Mountain Bike Association with the goal to get trails in North Raleigh, specifically the Falls Lake area. By establishing a relationship with the land managers and working the system by making phone calls, meetings and lobbying, I was able to gain permission for trails on the WLC property known as New Light ( it took over 4 years!). The president of WLC said I could use the land but under certain restrictions. Don' bother hunters, stay off it until hunting season is closed and don't bring a lot of publicity to the area.

TMTB: Sig secured a gentlemen's agreement to use New Light. It is important to know that we are guests on the land and not to abuse the privilege. Yes, privilege, not a right. There is no written agreement for us to use the land. We could be kicked off at any moment. To our credit we have been using it, basically un-managed, for several years with no major issues or run-ins. There have been a couple riders who ran into hunters on days they shouldn't have been there and someone actually vandalized some logging equipment. For the most part, we are a clean, respectful bunch who wants to have fun.

Sig: I didn't build the trails. Bill Haste and Richard King did most of the building, along with the Cooper group. They are a great bunch of folks and did a wonderful job. In my opinion, they are some of the best trails in the state. My role is to maintain the relationship with WLC. I stay in contact with them a couple times a year. They just want us to keep a low profile and cause no problems for the hunters and loggers. They gave us the opportunity to use the land on their terms and I respect that. I produce the maps and signs you see out there now. It is my way of helping to build the trails. One of the biggest honors in my life was having a trail named after me. Bill and Richard took me out on some trails after finishing a large part and asked me which one I liked the most. I said that last one and they instantly dubbed it 'Sig's Trail'.

One day, I chanced upon an Army Corps engineer who was there to take a look at their property. I don't think he was prepared to see all the cars and mountain bikers. I volunteered to show him around and gave him a short tour of the trails. I indicated to him that there was no litter and all the bikers had helmets. They (the bikers) didn't run us off the trail and were respectful. In fact, I showed him that everyone in the parking lot was full of smiles. I love seeing everyone there smiling. He was thoroughly impressed and I suspect he filed a good report with his superiors.

TMTB: And Beaver Dam?

Sig: Well, that's another story. NC Parks got pretty jealous of us using WLC land without an agreement. Suffice to say, we eventually got permission and funding to build the first ever trails in a state park at Beaver Dam Recreation Area. It's a wonderful success. We now have over 30 miles of trail (New light and Beaver dam). I don't get discouraged (by bureaucracy). I just keep calling and move the process along.

TMTB: That is a wonderful story and I for one was not aware of the land agreement for New Light. I certainly will do my part not to screw it up. What' going on with NRMBA now? Any new trails in the future?

Sig: New light is full. We have maximized our usage there and I plan on maintaining the relationship with WLC so we can continue using it. NRMBA is not really a club, but an advocacy for getting trails. There is nothing really going on with it. We have a good relationship with the folks at Beaver Dam and hope to add more trails over the years. I'm still trying to connect the Triangle with greenways. We are trying to get the IMBA trail crew to come out to Beaver Dam and New light this coming year.

TMTB: What are some things that you see riders doing that piss you off?

Sig: I don't get pissed off really. I hate to see litter and people not wearing a helmet. It is stupid to violate the riding times at New Light because the relationship is fragile. Oh yeah, and people rip down the maps I put up at New Light.

TMTB: The current state of trail advocacy and people building legal trails seems low in the Triangle these days. Why is that?

Sig: A lot of people have made mistakes when dealing with land managers. For some reason I am good at it. They focus on their organization (electing officers, getting money) and not the mission at hand which is securing access and building trails. Some are down right horrible at maintaining a relationship with the land managers and have actually worsened the situation. Also, you need patience and persistence. It took four years to get Beaver Dam approved and now the NC Parks guys rave about it. I try to look at things strategically and politically.

TMTB: What do you think of New Light being voted #1 in the Triangle? (He was not aware of the poll and quickly cast his own vote.)

Sig: I love it. It's such a gas. I love seeing people (out there) riding with smiles on their face. Just look at everyone out there, they are all smiling!

TMTB: What kind of bike are you riding?

Sig: A Rocky Mountain full suspension. I love it.

TMTB: What would you say to everyone out there?

Sig: I enjoy seeing you ride. Have fun. Miles of smiles.

TMTB: On behalf of all the mountain bikers in the Triangle, thanks man. We absolutely love the trails and appreciate the hard work you are doing. We need more Sig's in the world.

Sig: I do it for the locals. I don't do it for state wide exposure or magazine coverage. I don't look for exposure on the trail. This is our trail. We need to take care of it.