For Episode 191 we have Lars Romig of Sedona, AZ. Lars has been a long-time member of the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, along with being a Trail Builder and Mountain Bike Trail Access Advocate. Most Recently Lars led the charge on building the Hardline Trail. This conversation is one that I’ve wanted to have with a Sedona Local for a handful of years now as there is a ton of riding content that comes out of Sedona, but not a lot of content around how the Trails and Trail Access for mountain biking came to be in Sedona.

Topics Include:

• How Lars got into Mountain Biking
• What Lars does professionally for a career
• How Sedona Trails came to be for Mountain Biking
• The various trail zones in Sedona, and the order of when those riding zones opened up for mountain biking
• Pigtail Trail (within the Hogs network)
  • Started out as an IMBA Trail Day
  • Constant improvements to Pigtail
• Western Movies in Sedona / Broken Arrow Area
• Building a relationship with the U.S. Forest Service
• The growth of membership and engagement with the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition
• Singletrack Bypass Reroute
• The Hardline Trail backstory
  • The timeframe of building the Hardline Trail
• The Public Comment Period of the NEPA Process
• Recommended Direction Trails
• User Experience
• The user reception of the Hardline trail since it opened up
• Specialized and Soil Searching
• The Letter: H
• Trails that don’t start with the Letter H, that are still really great
• Canyon of Fools and lessons learned from that trail
• Monsoon Season and Riding Etiquette regarding wet trails
• Forest Service Trail Crew
• Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund
  • Funds Non-Motorized Trail Development and Maintenance
• What Lars looks for in a Trail Community
• Secrets to riding the Hardline Trail
  • The recommended route for a great ride that includes the classics and Hardline
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition: https://www.vvcc.us/

Specialized Soil Searching Hardline Trail: https://youtu.be/tJ06FMsIoy8?si=sBwZURjM5n-yFM3v

Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund: https://redrocktrailfund.org/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh

Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

For Episode 190 we have Chris Riley from Central Maine. Chris is the president of the Central Maine Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association, and a board member of the New England Mountain Bike Association. Chris and his organization have come up with some innovative ideas on how to handle both new trail construction as well as handling annual trail maintenance. Maine and the New England region has a ton of momentum with mountain biking and trails, and that is really showcased during this conversation.

Topics Include:

• How Chris got into Mountain Biking
• Chris’s early years in mountain biking
  • Including several trips to ride in the Austin Texas area
• How Chris got involved with Mountain Biking and Advocacy in Maine
• Volunteer Engagement and Community Engagement with CE ME NEMBA
• Bringing on paid staff for trail building and maintenance
• Trail Systems that fall under the CE ME organization
• Buying an excavator to accelerate trail building in the region
• Various ways for funding trails
• Maine Trails Bond initiative
• Road Tripping to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
  • Marquette Trails
  • Houghton Trails
  • Copper Harbor Trails
• Creating destination riding communities
• Gravity Bike Parks in Maine
• Partnering with a local land trust for a new trail system
• Trail Systems proximity to communities for riding in the region
• Hub and Spoke Trail Model
• NEMBA and the 3 Year Strategic Plan
• Maintenance Matters
• What Chris looks for in a Trail Community
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers: https://www.bump.org/

Oak Ass Endurance Race: https://bumpngrindraces.com/oak-ass-100/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh

Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

For Episode 189 we have Chase Draper the President of Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers otherwise known as BUMP. BUMP is another powerhouse volunteer driven trail organization that falls under the SORBA mothership in the South East region of the United States. Chase provides some exceltent stories about what can be accomplished when you are willing to outwork everyone else, and he’s got a pretty sarcastic personality as well.

Topics Include:

• How and why Chase got into Mountain Biking
• How Chase got involved with BUMP
• Becoming the President of BUMP
• The backstory of BUMP
• Gravity Project at Oak Mountain State Park
• Funding through Inovate Alabama
• What the new Gravity Trails will do for the Region and Oak Mountain State Park
• Tannehill Ironworks trail expansion and building the largest adaptive accessible mountain bike trail system in the Southeast.
• IMBA Ride Centers and how BUMP is pursuing the Silver Level Ride Center Status.
• Oak Ass Endurance Race – NUE Series Championships for 2025
• Bump-N-Grind Race
• Challenges that Chase has come across with leading the organization and managing volunteers
• What makes a great trail community in Chase’s opinion
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers: https://www.bump.org/

Oak Ass Endurance Race: https://bumpngrindraces.com/oak-ass-100/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh

Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

For Episode 188 we have Jarrod Harris and Josh Cohan back on from Jarrod’s Place Bike Park. We cover a handful of topics including what Josh & Jarrod have learned since opening Jarrod’s Place Bike Park and we went deep on All things Trail Armor – The first line of defense for protecting your Flow Trails, Jump Lines and Berms. There’s a lot of great things that Jarrod and Josh have been learning through their development of Trail Armor, but the most important aspect of all of this is that they are taking a chance and pushing innovation, and as we all know innovation breeds innovation and this is definitely a radical innovation!

Topics Include:

• Jarrod’s Place backstory on purchasing the land
• Lessons learned running the bike park since we last talked (Episode 91)
• The diversity of Trail Experiences at Jarrod’s Place
• The efficiency of operating shuttle trucks
• The Trail Armor Backstory
• Working with a carpet manufacturer
  • Testing different materials
• How Trail Armor is helping to reduce overall costs in maintenance and improving trail consistency.
• Riding through adverse weather conditions
• Where Trail Armor is used and not used
• The Evolution of Trail Armor
• How Trail Armor is reducing or eliminating erosion including dust erosion
• Trail Armor is available in various colors
• Customers using Trail Armor outside of Jarrod’s Place
• Installation and Repair of Trail Armor
• Cost of Trail Armor
• How Trail Armor helps to inspire confidence among newer riders
• Hauling Trail Armor into a job site
• 80’s Movies
• Art Installations at Jarrod’s Place
• Building a great community at and around Jarrod’s Place
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Jarrod’s Place Bike Park: https://jarrodsplacebikepark.com/

For more information about Trail Armor email: info@jarrodsplacebikepark.com

Original Jarrod’s Place Episode (91): https://www.traileaffectpodcast.com/jarrods-place-bike-park-with-josh-cohan-and-jarrod-harris-91/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh

Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

For Episode 187 we have Marty Caivano the Local Community Engagement Manager for IMBA and John Cox the Education Manager for IMBA. We discussed many topics including The IMBA Foundations (Formerly known as IMBA Trail Labs), along with a lot of the other community engagement and educational programs that IMBA is continuing to host in 2025… There is also the hint of the IMBA Epics Returning in 2025!

Topics Include:

• How Marty got her start at IMBA
• How John got his start at IMBA
• IMBA Foundations Backstory – Formerly Trail Labs
• Who IMBA Foundations is for
• Taking IMBA Foundations to Winona and Duluth, MN
• Bringing back the Trail Care School
  • Black Hills South Dakota
• Trail Accelerator Workshop
• Trail Management School
• IMBA Ride Centers
• What Marty looks for in Trail Communities
• What John looks for in Trail Communities
• The IMBA Epic’s is coming back…
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

International Mountain Bicycling Association: https://www.imba.com/

IMBA Foundations: https://www.imba.com/foundations

IMBA Trail Care School: https://www.imba.com/programs/trail-care-school

IMBA Trail Friendly Community Self-Assessment: https://https://www.imba.com/self-assessment/overviewwww.imba.com/assessment

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh

Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

For Episode 186 we have Jason Aric Jones. Jason recently announced that he was stepping away from 30+ years of working extremely hard for mountain bike trail access and advocacy, and I know that it would be important to have Jason on the show to recount some of the experiences he has had along the way. Jason definitely took a creative approach to getting the job done, which eventually parlayed itself into the DTE Energy Foundation Trails, and multiple roles in statewide advocacy, that are even helping to influence regions around the entire state of Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula.

Topics Include:

• How Jason got into mountain biking
• The reasons behind Jason getting into Mountain Bike Advocacy
• Some of the challenges associated with mountain bike access in the early days
• Early days of mountain bike advocacy
• Creative ways to get mountain bikers involved with advocacy in Michigan
• Getting access to the Waterloo Recreation Area for mountain biking (and how that started)
• The Hell Riders (Black Hat Advocacy / Civil Disobedience) – FTW!
• Getting appointed to the Michigan Trails Advisory Council
• The Michigan Mountain Bike Association – and the value of Statewide Mountain Bike Organizations.
• How the DTE Energy Foundation Trail came to be, and the details behind all of it.
• Black Trails…
• Actual Data behind trail use numbers and how mountain bikers are a huge part of that
• Equestrian use and Mountain Bike use
• Keweenaw Heartlands Parcels and the explanation behind that initiative at the MI Trails Advisory Council.
• The power of Resolutions at the State Committee / Council level.
• The Keweenaw Peninsula and why that region is important to Jason
• What Jason looks for in Trail Communities
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Potawatomi Mountain Biking Association: https://potomba.org/

DTE Energy Trail: https://dtetrail.org/

DTE Trail - Pure Michigan: https://youtu.be/LctSL056YfY?si=6-wpG32OltelA4jU

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

For Episode 185 we have Steve Kasacek back for his second appearance on Trail EAffect. Steve is the assistant Director of the Outdoor Sport Institute located in Maine. We covered a ton of various trail projects that Steve has been a part of in Maine, along with the value of building relationships.

Topics Include:

• Updates with the Outdoor Sport Institute
• The value of building relationships
• Steve’s first PTBA Conference (Spring 2024)
  • Presentations that Steve was involved with at the Conference
• Bike Optimized Trails and the value they provide to many user types
• The Maine Land Conservation Conference
  • When is Conservation not Conservation
• Seven Ponds Project in Monson, ME
• Loon Echo Land Trust
• Island Falls, ME
• Ragged Mountain, Camden ME
• Residents of Maine approving $30 million to help fund trails
• Maine Trails Coalition
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Outdoor Sport Institute: https://www.outdoorsi.org/

More Human Powered Trails in Monson, ME: https://youtu.be/OlLY2_Onxgk?si=Nc700oGGOTt21Uxo

Loon Echo Land Trust: https://www.lelt.org/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Loam Pass Affiliate Link: https://www.loampass.com?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=track&utm_campaign=traileaffect

Loam Pass – Free Pass Protection Code: TAPOD

Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

For Episode 184 we have Uriah Steber, the Owner of Benchmark Trails, Founding Member of the Oahe Wheelmen, and a driving force behind the rise of trails and mountain Biking across the State of South Datoka.

Topics Include:

• The creation of the Oahe Wheelmen and MT Biking in Pierre, SD
• The rise of trails and mountain biking in rural communities
• The start of Benchmark Trails
  • Unique Projects that Uriah and Benchmark Trails have been a part of
• Deer Mountain Village
• Western South Dakota and the Mountains in this region (Black Hills, SD)
• Remembering the Children Memorial
• The IMBA Trail Care School held in Spearfish & Rapid City, SD
• 2025 South Dakota Bicycle Summit
  • Engaging the Lawmakers in South Dakota and Trails
  • Patrick Lucas – Dirt Relations Documentary
  • How the summit is designed to function
• Setting Santa’s Test Track for Striders and Adults in a Mall…
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Oahe Wheelmen: https://oahewheelmen.wixsite.com/oahewheelmen

Benchmark Trails: https://www.benchmark-trails.com/

South Dakota Bicycle Summit 2025: https://www.sdbikesummit.com/

IMBA Trail Care School Spearfish / Rapid City, SD: https://youtu.be/20YY8FIudOU?si=vB0j9GT9jIJ7Yu4J

Patrick Lucas: https://patricklucaswriter.ca/

Dirt Relations Documentary: https://iymbp.ca/dirt-relations-documentary/

Berryfast Bicycles: https://berryfastbicycles.com/

Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/

Loam Pass Affiliate Link: https://www.loampass.com?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=track&utm_campaign=traileaffect

Loam Pass – Free Pass Protection Code: TAPOD

Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services