Photograph courtesy of Dave Burdette
Volunteers with a neighborhood nonprofit are working to take care of Sugar Land’s greater than 15 miles of mountain bike trails.
The Fort Bend Mountain Bike Association was began in 2019 as a neighborhood chapter of the Worldwide Mountain Biking Affiliation. Residents entered an settlement with town to create official trails, after unauthorized ones began popping up across the space.
The totally volunteer-based affiliation is liable for constructing and sustaining town’s mountain bike trails. It consists of 36 devoted “path captains” who’re assigned parts of the routes to take care of.
Although town does often assist with extra heavy-duty path cleanup, nearly all of the work is finished by the nonprofit. It is no small process — after Hurricane Beryl, the group spent 900 volunteer hours restoring the paths.
The affiliation spends between $40,000 and $45,000 per yr to construct and preserve the bike routes. It has roughly 400 dues-paying members who financially assist the paths, in addition to various companies that donate. Particular person memberships price $50 per yr.
“That is all funded via our efforts,” mentioned Dave Burdette, chair of the group’s board of administrators. “We elevate all the cash to pay for insurance coverage, fuel, instruments, something we have to construct these trails.”
Courtesy of Dave Burdette
Burdette first grew to become concerned with the group as a volunteer. He used to run on the paths, as a part of his coaching for ultramarathons.
Burdette additionally participated in triathlons. He started using on the mountain bike routes after two of his coaching companions had been hit on the highway by distracted drivers.
“I made a decision that I did not need to experience on the highway anymore, that it was getting too unsafe, however I beloved the bike and I beloved being within the woods and the paths,” he mentioned. “So, I switched to using my bike on the paths and simply completely fell in love with our trails.”
The town lately renewed its settlement with the affiliation to permit them to proceed constructing and sustaining trails on metropolis property.
“These trails are a number of the hottest trails within the space, if not the preferred,” Burdette mentioned. “The explanation they’re so in style is there’s one thing for everyone.”
