HENLAWSON - Mountain biking is becoming a very popular sport in West Virginia, especially in Logan County. A group of mountain bike enthusiasts recently formed the Logan Mountain Bike Association and arranged for the first ever West Virginia Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) sanctioned mountain bike race at Chief Logan State Park. The Wilderness Challenge was organized by Dennis Butcher of Chapmanville who also founded the local association and arranged for the first race of the season to be held in Logan.

Local businesses supported the race and volunteers from the community and members of Tire on the Mountain/Bike the Parks organization helped with the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 5, 2009. IPlayOutside provided web coverage and a photographer. Mother Nature cooperated and provided a beautiful day, perfect for mountain biking.

Members of Logan Mountain Bike Association (www.loganmountainbike.com) and Tire on the Mountain/Bike the Park Day (www.wvmountainbike.com) are responsible for the recent addition of new trail signs, kiosks, and trail improvements that can be seen in the park this summer. Butcher, Steve Thorn, Chris Reed, Josh Workman and William Baisden were instrumental this winter in building two new trails at Chief Logan. The new 1.2 mile Black Bear Trail connects Lake Shore and Wilderness Trails. The new Rattlesnake trail is a challenging trek between Coal Mine Trail and Woodpecker Trail. With the addition of these two new trails, one can now navigate the entire park on hiking/biking trails, beginning with Cliffside trail and ending on Woodpecker trail.

Members of Logan Mountain Bike Association would like to thank the following race sponsors: Logan Regional Medical Center, Thornhill Superstore, Pepsi, Mine Lifeline, Thrifty Threads, Giovanni’s of Logan, Cook and Cook Law Office, Apex Coal, DAK Accessories, Pro Auto Body, John’s Cyclery, Charleston Bike Center, The Gym, Kenda, SixSixOne, Nite Rider, Xpedo, Zerogoo, and Hammer Nutrition. We also want to thank Lowes, Eldridge Steam Cleaning, Badger Lumber and Chief Logan State Park for the donations for the new informational kiosk and trail tools. A special thank you goes to DAK Accessories for the donation of the signs for the two new trails.

The Logan Mountain Bike Association also sponsored the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) Trail Care School at Chief Logan State Park on May 1-3, 2009. Classes were free and was about working with land managers, sustainable trail design, building sustainable trails and maintenance. A portion of the workshop was devoted to an actual on the trail work clinic.

If you are interested in mountain biking, from learning how to ride trails to racing, there is a mountain biking opportunity for you. To learn more about local mountain bike rides and clinics, visit the web pages of Tire on the Mountain/Bike the Park Day at www.wvmountainbike.com, or see the Logan Mountain Bike Associations web page at www.loganmountainbike.com.

The April 5th race consisted of three categories - Expert, Sport, and Beginner. Each category has classes based on gender, age, type of ride, or weight. The expert category required completion a 20-mile section of trails. The Sport race consisted of a 15-mile trail ride and beginner was a 10-mile trek. Prizes were awarded for the top time completers in each category. Local winners included First Place Men's Beginner: William Baisden of Holden; Second Place in Men's Youth age 12 to 14 was Alex Baisden of Holden; Jesse Stevens was the top winner with an impressive time of 1:59:12; Steve Hill finished second place in Men's Expert, with Ryan Hobbs taking third. Chris Aldridge made a successful transition up from Sport Vet to Expert Vet, taking first place followed by, Steve Svoboda. Matt Marcus took first place, with Ron Cantley following in second for Men's Expert Masters. Tyler Minor, Dave Brown, Steve Thorne and J.R. Petsko all won their categories on the Sport Course. Twelve beginner riders took on their first race.

Congratulations to the following first place beginners: William Baisden, Mariah Hibarger and Forrest Roberts.

A full listing of participants, race details, times and additional photographs can be seen at www.IPlayOutside.com