Read the Forest Supervisor’s attached decision to believe the amazing “logic” justifying the bike ban.  Paraphrasing, “I won’t allow bicycling because I don’t think anyone is riding there now.”  Did they ask anyone?  How about the only bicycle club within 100 miles?

Want to get an idea what biking in some of these areas was like?  Join us Saturday, July 12, 7:00 am, Gt Falls Marketplace McDonalds.  We’ll caravan to Rogers Pass and ride north toward the closed areas (but not into them) and enjoy the view of this proposed wilderness.  Sorry, you can look but you can’t touch, you evil “mechanized use” bicyclist. If MWA has their way, we will be kicked off of this segment and all of the Continental Divide Trail soon as well.  Better come see it while you can.

Just hope that the horsemen that MWA are in bed with on this issue haven’t roto-tilled the trail recently.  The surface was perfect last month.  Most horsemen I know are okay with sharing the trails with cyclists as long as the cyclist knows what to do.  If you encounter a horseman on a trail, take the following steps.  Start talking as soon as you see the horses so the animals know you are human and not to be feared.  Dismount and move well off the trail on the low side, allowing the horse to pass.  Enjoy the encounter like the guys in the attached Lionhead area photo near Bozeman.  Oh yeah, bikes are about to be kicked out of there.

Here’s my proposed solution to the growing MTB access problem.  A LOT OF WILDERNESSES may soon be added to the system throughout the US.  Tell your Senators and Reps to fight the wilderness bill unless a provision is added to further define “mechanized use” in ALL wilderness areas as specifically NOT including bicycles.  Bicycling in Wilderness wasn’t envisioned when the original bill was written. 

MWA is likely howling with laughter at that idea, but hey, we are a growing bunch of energetic trail users with increasingly good political connections and they are a shrinking group of well connected yet overly dogmatic trail users.  Let’s take em’ on in Congress.