Trail Talk - Spring 2015

Tra-La! It's May! The bikey month of May! Officially, we won't pass the freeze/frost date until May 15th, but still the days are certainly warm enough now for folks to get out on the Miami Valley Trails. As you can see above, the cyclists are out even before the leaves! Nationally, May is "Bike Month" and there are plenty of ways you can make your May a bike month, too; there are events throughout the Miami Valley to encourage active transportation all month long. Check out this list from Five Rivers MetroParks. In this edition of Trail Talk, the MVBT quarterly newsletter, we'll have information on the big cycling event at the end of May - the Miami Valley Cycling Summit.. Also. look for a preview of hte Miami Valley Trails biggest annual on-trail event - the Greene Trails Cycling Classic hosted each July in Xenia. We've got little updates on some trail construction projects, and two new features on the Miami Valley Bike Trails web site. Read on!

Miami Valley Cycling Summit - May 29, 2015
Fort Piqua Plaza, Piqua, Ohio

The Miami Valley Cycling Summit - a FREE regional biennial forum dedicated to promoting, enabling and creating safe bicycling for recreation and transportation in the Miami Valley region - is coming to PIQUA, OHIO in May 2015!

The Summit is facilitated by Bike Miami Valley, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization, and is conducted as an interactive, conference-style program and includes presentations from nationally respected speakers and professionals in the field of bicycle advocacy.  The keynote speaker for 2015 Miami Valley Cycling Summit is Mayor Bill Peduto of Pittsburgh, PA.  Mayor Peduto is leading the way in transforming Pittsburgh into a pro walk, pro bike, livable city and we are excited to have him share with us his enthusiasm, insight, and encouragement for pro bicycling initiatives.  The full schedule for the 2015 Cycling Summit is available online.  You'll find speakers like Melida Huntley from the Ohio Tourism Association, and Tom Helbig from Tomfoolery Outdoors discussing building business around bike tourism in our region. Eric Oberg from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Amy Camp from Cycle Forward, and speakers from the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission discussing planning for the future of the trails network. Don't miss sessions from the Ohio Department of Transportation's Julie Walcoff, the state Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator.  Jessica Mathews from Consider Biking, and Katie Norris and Emmy Fabich from Bike Miami Valley will be providing the advocates' view of developing cycling in the Miami Valley. It's a full agenda and we're sure there's something in it for you!

The Cycling Summit typically attracts hundreds of elected and appointed state and local government officials, community leaders, and cycling and outdoor recreation advocates and enthusiasts from the Miami Valley and beyond.  The theme of the 2015 Cycling Summit will focus on the many community benefits that CYCLING CULTIVATES...business growth, community health, economic development, tourism, and more!   You can still register for this FREE event on the Cycling Summit web site.  

We welcome you to join us at the nationally recognized historic Fort Piqua Plaza on Friday, May 29, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and for the post event social immediately following the Summit.  Come discover all of the amazing community benefits that CYCLING CULTIVATES...in your community!

Greene Trails Cycling Classic
Brought to you by Kil-Kare Raceway
Xenia, Ohio - July 16-19, 2015

The Miami Valley's biggest, longest, annual event on the trails is coming upagain this July 16 through July 19. Based in Xenia, and venturing out in four directions is the Greene Trails Cycling Classic. Greene County Parks & Trails has managed this event for years and they have shaped it into an event that anyone - with any level of experience - can take part in. Choose your experience - one day, two days, three, or four. Each day features evening entertainment, and selected meals. The whole event is designed around this year's theme: "Saddle Up!"

Come be a part of this annual family-oriented biking event. Centered in Greene County, Ohio, the tour utilizes the nationally recognized, award-winning rail-to-trail system and their adjacent communities, with a different trail featured each day. The event is designed to raise vital funds to support the region's extensive system of nationally-recognized paved, multi-use trails. Registration forms and more information are available from the GCP&T web site. As in past years, this year's Cycling Classic features:

• A different trail to ride each day
• Routes supported for rider convenience and safety
• On-trail, out-and-back rides and extended rides on rural roads for designated days
• Optional Century Ride (100 miles)
• Entertainment options each evening
• Camping at the Fairgrounds Recreation Center in Xenia
• Geocache Ride on Thursday
• Self guided historical trip 

So join with 200 or so like-minded, bike-minded folks and get out and experience a lot of the nation's largest paved trail network at the 2015 Greene Trails Cycling Classic!

Trail Project Updates

What's done?

• Ash tree removal along the Iron Horse Trail in Centerville.  The Centerville Washington Park Distict managed a several month project to remove the ash trees along the Iron Horse Trail - that effort is now complete. The emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle species that is causing the deaths of thousands of ash trees in Ohio and other states in the US. Infected ash trees in public places, such as trails, pose a danger because they may fall over or drop large limbs. Completing this project helps insure your safety when out on the Iron Horse Trail.

Investments in the Miami Valley Trails are visible seemingly everywhere. These projects maintain and improve your Miami Valley Trails and make them the great assets they are. 

What's almost done?

• Glady Run bank stabilization. Greene County Parks & Trails got a "319" water quality improvement grant from the Ohio Enviroenmental Protection Agency to conduct a project to prevent erosion and restore some of the banks of Glady Run along the Little Miami Scenic Trail just south of Xenia Station. The project will shore up areas of the historic rail bed - which is now the trail bed - and preserve the structure of the trail for many years to come.  And of course, preventing erosion improves water quality in Glady Run as well.  What's left as of early May are a few final touches to be completed on the project.  Some of these "punch list" items may require temporary trail closures for the moving of heavy equipment, but the trail is generally open.  Call GCP&T for specifics on any potential closures at (937) 562-6440.
• Bikeway Bridge replacement in Eastwood MetroPark. Riders along the Mad River Trail may recall a former motor vehicle bridge that serves as a connection from one section of the park to the location where the Mad River Trail exist the park.  This bridge is being replaced and the work is scheduled to be complete in May 2015. The photo above shows the new bridge span, already in place. 

What's still in Progress?

• Soils Cleanup at Peters Cartridge Site. Along the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Warren County, a soils removal project is underway that results in trail closures on weekdays between the hours of 7 AM and 5 PM. The trail is open on weekends. Work on this project is expected to continue through May 22, 2015. There is a trail closure hotline available to get detailed information, updated more regularly.  Call 513-552-7030 to access the trail closure hotline. 
  
  UPDATE for May 18, 2015: The section of the Little Miami Trail next to the Peters Cartridge Factory (mile marker 35.0 to 35.5) that has been closed on weekdays over the last six weeks is now open for public use. Soil remediation work at the site will continue, however, through the summer, so the chain link fence will remain in place on each side of the trail at the site. Later in the summer, perhaps in July, there may be occasional closings on weekdays as needed. 
   
• I-75 Reconstruction. The Great Miami River Trail under Interstate 75 in downtown Dayton remain closed during the highway construction project, expected to be completed in December 2016.  There are posted detours through downtown using city streets with sharrow markings and striped bikelanes. Check out this map of the detours for more detail.

New Features on MiamiValleyTrails.org

Report a Problem

This feature has long existed on the mobile browser version of Miami Valley Bike Trails, but now we've included it under the "Support" tab on our desktop site as well. "Report a Problem" does just what it says.  It is a tool for users out on the Miami Valley Trails who come upon a maintenance or a safety issue to let the trail managing agencies know about it. After providing some contact information, the user can tell us about the specific location and description of the problem along the trail.  There are several common issues the user can choose from  and they can provide a narrative description of the problem, too.  The key information for this tool is to indicate on what trail the problem was found.  Choosing the right trail sends automatic e-mails to the agencies that manage that trail, alerting them of the issue and allowing them to decide how to approach solving the problem. 

Using "Report a Problem" is a great way to help keep your Miami Valley Trails safe and inviting for all users. Thanks for pitching in!

Tell Us Your Story

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people -- like you -- come from near and far to enjoy the Miami Valley Trails in southwest Ohio. Some of you ride the trails for pleasure and fitness while others use the trails for tourism and transportation. We're interested in hearing how you use the trails.

Tell us Your Story is a tool for users of the trails to tell us about your great experiences on the Miami Valley Trails. Families out riding an afternoon; scouting troops working on cycling badges; training for adventure travel or for marathons; commuters biking to work. We want to hear all about it!

Included on the page are check boxes to provide, if you wish, permission to Miami Valley Bike Trails to use your story to help promote the Miami Valley Trails to others who may enjoy coming to the trails for the same kinds of activities. Our goal with this tool is to raise awareness and usage of the nation's largest paved trail network.