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Cdcc

fly rider

Chimp
Mar 31, 2005
30
0
broomfield
So it’s probably time someone who knows should address all the questions people have been having about the CDCC. The board members of the CDCC took everyone’s money and moved to Paraguay where they have a secret DH sanctuary.
All right, how about everyone became overwhelmed with what they had taken on, and the reality of real life and real work set in. Anyone who paid money to join, as far as I know that money is still in a bank account. I never had access to it. So this is what I know as a board member and please, if I’m wrong about any of my information please let me know. It is not my attention to call anyone out, so to speak, but I do hope that other board members will respond to this thread. The following people of were on the board of the CDCC.

My name is Kent Setsma and many of you know me. I suppose I’m as much to blame as anyone else on the board for letting things fall apart as they did. Just real life responsibilities and a lack of interest from other board members. I think having a functioning web-site would have helped but there was more to it than that. Different board members wanted to see different things happen.

Shane Meyer was the chairman of the board. He was also the team captain for Rocky Mountain Descent. In retrospect this may have cause a conflict of interest for him. In the spring of ’03 Shane had committed RMD to put on the gravity portion of Battle of the Bear, MSC race. In the early stages of the CDCC I think too much focus was put on the trail in Downieville, but there did seem to be a chance that the land owners there were going to let us build more trails there. One course was built there and the race happened there for two years. For some reason however, the landowners never permitted anymore trails to be built there and the location died out. Shane is also a business owner and I would guess that his work responsibilities also played a part.

CB Dushane had been unemployed during the initial stages of starting the CDCC but eventually took a job at Bicycle Village, which limited the amount of time he could devote.

Josh McGukin was helping to coordinate our web-site.

Jeremiah Huske was helping to coordinate members.

Matt Thompson said that he would help with what he could and provided a lot of swag from Santa Cruz. But it was understood that Matt would not be able not be able to help as much during race season. Still I think Matt could have been a powerful motivator to help us maintain momentum.

Rob Sears was also not going to be able to help as much during the racing season but like Matt I think his voice carries a lot of weight in our community and I think that he could have also helped motivate a lot of people.

Like I said if I’m off base with any of this some one let me know.

Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, and in hindsight the seven board members listed above were not enough people to deal with the things we were dealing with.

This may get complicated so let me know if you have questions. As many of you know, there have been some mtb meetings lately in JeffCo. From these meetings riders have resurrected an old local club called Trails Conservation Services (TCS). On the Board of the TCS is a rider named Dave Cohen and he is an mtb representative who sits on the Trail Use Task Force (TUTF). The TUTF is the official body that makes recommendations to the Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC) and is made up of 5 reps from each of the user groups (mtb, hiker, and equestrian) and JeffCo Open Space employees. As an mtb representative Dave Cohen not only represents TCS members, he also represents all mountain bikers who use JeffCo trails including downhillers.

First Dave asked me to attend a TCS core group meeting, which I did last Thursday night. It was interesting to see how they were organized. They have about six board members and each board member was the head of a sub-committee with about 5 people on each sub-committee. In all there were about 30 people at the meeting and it seemed to by a very effective way to delegate all the responsibilities. Perhaps if the CDCC had used a similar format they could have been more effective.

Now, onto some good stuff. After the meeting I met with Dave and we discussed what was going on with the dh scene. He told me that there was a TUTF meeting coming up on April 21st and he wanted me to attend on behalf of the CDCC to report on the state of the situation. This meeting will be primarily to outline a new action plan among all user groups and all the reps are currently working on putting it together in preparation of this meeting. A major concern for all user groups is overcrowding on popular trails. Hikers in particular are concerned with the traffic on Apex. It also appears, despite constant efforts to let people know it is inappropriate, that shuttling continues there as well. The hikers are willing to endorse separate trails for dh if we can voluntarily stop shuttling multi-use trails.

Also, Dave has told me that the challenge park that Open Space had been planning for north table mountain, has been put on the shelf and that Ralph Schell the director of Open Space has indicated that he is looking for a more feasible solution from the user groups. Dave has also given Ralph a copy of the recent Bootleg Canyon article in MBA and Ralph said he would be interested in seeing something similar in JeffCo. Ralph should also be in attendance at the TUFT meeting.

Personally, I’m taking all of this with a grain of salt, but I’m glad for the chance we have to be heard.

Sorry for the long post but these issues need to be addressed.

Comments?
 

The Lazian

Chimp
Mar 26, 2004
44
0
Arvada CO the "(303)"
i think that the scene has grown soo much that a legit(sp?) dh spot in jefco would explode in popularity and grow the sport immensly. something deffinitly needs to be done about the huge amount of frontrange gravity riders looking to ride in acceptable places.

if there was at least one spot, i think that the unacceptable shuttling of trails such as Apex would cease. the number of riders and the will to do anything in order to ride is so strong that this should be a no-brainer. get one shuttleable DH-only trail and riders will be all over it like stink on poo
 
May 24, 2002
889
0
Boulder CO
Sounds like too many chiefs for one small group, but that's just may opinion.

CDCC is a good idea, but maybe having one guy that represents the whole community would be a good idea. After all, we're a growing community but not that big by comparison.

I think everybody knows that Matt Thomson could be the one voice for all DHers if he'd want to be. He's good, and been in the game for a long time. He rides XC, understand the purpose of multiuse trails etc. His only problem is I think he's burnt on the whole cycle. Heck, I'm 19 and sick of this.

However, having somebody who crosses over and can bridge the gap between DH guy, XC guy, hiker etc would really help. Somebody that can see the needs of all groups and make it work.

Jeffco Open space is known to have some of the best multi use trails in the country. This is one of the places that bikes, hikers and horses all go together virtually seemlessly.

They are pretty open and progressive for a beurocratic orginization. They have plenty of land and I think if enough groups agree that a DH shuttle is neccissary, we'll get it.

Kind of strange how shuttling Apex may lead to the recognizable demand for DH trails...

In the end, I can still be happy with a trail bike where I can go ride all over and still work on my descending skills, just need that trial bike...haha
 

ballr

Monkey
Apr 7, 2002
165
0
colorado
Kent, call me if you need anything. I'm still totally down for helping and feel strongly that I would be an asset at any meeting.

Thanks for the endorsement Jeff. I'm not cooked on the whole thing, it all just makes me sad. We are a viable user group with special needs that state and local parks people will have to recognize sooner or later. As I see it, our job is to help them see it as quickly as possible. Our sport is growing fast and needs appropriate leadership to help steer things in the right direction. If I'm called on in this fashion, I will gladly serve.

For those of you who don't know me, here's a little resume:

My name is Matt Thompson and I have been a professional downhill racer for the past five years. I was a one of the very few individuals who developed, built, and maintained the dh trail network at Gold Hill. This place was my home away from home for a long time but was shut down due to overcrowding and people telling the landowner that they were down with the team I ride for (even though they weren't). Also, I have been one of the main trail rats at Lake Arbor dirt jumps for the last seven or so years. I have built and ridden a lot of trails (dh, xc, dirt jumps, stunts, etc) in a lot of different locations (east coast, west coast, Whistler, etc) and have been hurt more than a little while doing what I love. Oh, I also have an Ivy League education, own my own business, and run Team Big Crank Racing.

If anyone needs help getting this thing going, I'll give all I can.

MT

303-477-0931
 

dcamp29

Monkey
Feb 14, 2004
589
63
Colorado
a dh specific trail on apex would be a huge plus for everyone i think. a legal shuttle trail near denver would awesome. who knows maybe all the shuttle-able parks(mt falcon?) could do something like this? whoever goes to the meeting should really push for it imo.
 

fly rider

Chimp
Mar 31, 2005
30
0
broomfield
I'm glad to see that there is still interest in the CDCC. If we are going to get legal dh trails in JeffCo I think it's important that we represent our user group. Dave Cohen also mentioned to me that if we do get trails some where that it would be nice to have the CDCC as a volunteer group to keep the trails in good condition. I think that 2 years ago if we had had an opportunity to volunteer in this capcity things would be much different today.

I will be meeting with Dave Cohen again before the April 21st Trails Use Task Force meeting. Would it be benificial to call a CDCC meeting and have Dave attend and tell us what has been happening with JeffCo?
 

TheInedibleHulk

Turbo Monkey
May 26, 2004
1,886
0
Colorado
Since we're all sharing names I'm Phil Wheeler, semipro Dher and wannabe dirt jumper. Sadly I will be absent from CO for the summer once again, so I wont be able to help much with the situation after may until I return in september. It's good to know that something is being done and I will gladly volunteer my time at any point for trail building, ect. Matt Thompson would be my choice to lead any kind of effort, the man knows whats up and people respect his authoritay. Matt and others have managed to keep a large dirt jump spot that see's tons of use on public land up and running for years, and theres no reason why the same could not be accomplished with a shuttle trail or trails. I never got to ride Gold Hill or the other trail that was recently closed, and I hope to help as much as possible with building the next generation of trails.
 

mtbdirteater

Chimp
Oct 19, 2003
79
0
over the rear tire
Hey guys,

If we all want to meet together anytime, let's do it. Anything I can do to help, please let me know and I'll do my best.

Post, email or Kirt knows how to reach me.

Cheers,

Dave
 

snowskilz

xblue attacked piggy won
May 15, 2004
612
0
rado
my name is todd wilson, i am not fast but i like to have fun and ride dh and build fun stuff
 

fly rider

Chimp
Mar 31, 2005
30
0
broomfield
It's time to put the past behind us and move ahead.
I talked with Dave today and he is free this coming friday to meet with us.
I know that a lot of people out there were disappointed that this didn't work the first time but I would encourage everyone to please come out in support of getting new dh trails in JeffCo Open Space. Old members, and fresh blood alike, we as much help as we can get.
Again, Dave is an official mountain bike rep on the JeffCo Trails Use Task Force. He will be able to update us with what JeffCo is thinking concerning dh mtb and he would like to listen to our concerns and recommendations in preperation for an important JeffCo meeting on April 21st.
I think other things that would be important to discuss would be the restructuring of the CDCC board and having more people involved in the core group. I would like everyone to feel like they are doing something to help.
Does anyone have a suggestion on a place we could meet?
 

jhusktrials

Monkey
Dec 29, 2001
223
0
Denver
Hey Kent, whats up?

Well, I can report on the last days of the CDCC. Myself and Shane Meyer were the final two board members.

First off, I have no problem with any of the board members that pulled out, the responsibilites and work required overwhelmed us all.

I stuck in until the end, but I do not know what happened to the money, the Fox Fork, the tent, or any of the other stuff donated or purchased with member money. I would appreciate it if Shane chimed in with this info.

I met with Shane a few times right at the end, and each time his enthusiasm towards the club decreased. I tried to contact Shane after those meeting and I never heard nor saw of him again. I am not throwing Shane under the bus here... but he did head the club, and should have contacted myself and the former members. So that we knew what happened with what. I will try to contact Shane.

On my part and Shane's, almost overnight the burden of the entire club was placed on our shoulders... something 9 board members obviously could not handle. We did what we could but the communication was lost between us, at that point the club was dead.

As I said above, I will try to contact Shane and see where the money went. It may still be in the bank account. I would love involvement with any new efforts. I feel what we set out to achieve was forgotten last year... we can easily start fresh.


Call me 303-832-4079

Jeremiah Hueske

 

fly rider

Chimp
Mar 31, 2005
30
0
broomfield
The Denver Spoke has offered us the use of their shop on Friday night at 7:00PM.
Dave Cohen, our mountain bike rep on the JeffCo Trail Use Task Force, will be there to update us on what is happening with getting us public downhill trails at Open Space Parks. He has a meeting earlier that day with other user groups and Open Space officials so this will be fresh information for everyone.
We will also discuss the reforming of the CDCC.
This meeting is for all riders.
Feel free to byob.
Thanks everyone who posted on this thread. I hope to see you at the Spoke Friday night.
 
Apr 10, 2005
7
0
Colorado
Hi, I'm Reven Swanson, member of TCS's Stewardship Committee.

We are interested in following the re-development of CDCC and working with the group to explore opportunites and support CDCC's efforts to create a DH park in Jeffco. I met some of you guys at the Denver Spoke last Friday night.

One of the many current TCS activities is to encourage positive improvements to reduce user conflicts by addressing the issue of a speed differential among the various user groups. Banning or limiting access is completely unacceptable.

There's a meeting scheduled on April 19 for a DH Focus Group Gathering. I hope you all will consider attending and spread the word.

HEY! Downhill Riders
Let's talk about building a Downhill Course in the Front Range
April 19 at 6:00pm
Attend a Downhill Focus Group Gathering.
It's your chance to give your opinion and what's important to build a "dream course" in the Front Range.
Hosted by The Pedal Pushers with Steve Shelp and TCS (Trail Conservation Services).
We're serious about building a course! This gathering is to bring more ideas and opinions into the planning.
Refreshments and treats too.
Located at The Pedal Pushers:
200 Quebec St., Building 300, Suite 109 (see mapquest link below)


Contact:

TCS Stewardship Committee
Reven Swanson, yellogirl@earthlink.net
303-322-4034
www.tcscolorado.org <http://www.tcscolorado.org>

The Pedal Pushers is located at 200 Quebec St., Building 300, Suite 109
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&searchtab=home&address=200+Quebec+St+building+300+Suite+10G&city=Denver&state=CO&zipcode <http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&amp;country=US&amp;addtohistory=&amp;searchtab=home&amp;address=200+Quebec+St+building+300+Suite+10G&amp;city=Denver&amp;state=CO&amp;zipcode> =

Steve Shelp & Jason Coble
303-365-2453
www.pedalpusherscyclery.com <http://www.pedalpusherscyclery.com>


Join US! More trails, More Fun, More Tricks!
 

fly rider

Chimp
Mar 31, 2005
30
0
broomfield
Thanks Reven. This TCS meeting will be a good opportunity for those who did not make it to the CDCC meeting on Friday night to have their oppinions heard. Whether your part of one of these groups or not your opinion and input are an important part of this process. We have already started to compile a list of criteria for land suitable for dh trails and shuttle access on Friday night and will have that preliminary list up on our yahoo CDCC group site soon. This list along with other recommendations from TCS's meeting on April 19 will help JeffCo find an appropriate piece of land. It's nice that so many people and different groups have taken an interest in seeing this happen and if we all work together we can make this a reality.
 

rhythmcycles

Chimp
Apr 20, 2004
20
0
Glad to hear the CDCC's still kicking and getting things going in Jeff Co again. My name's Alex Clark and I run The Fix and RhythmCycles.com with Shawnee up in Boulder. We obviously have a vested interest in seeing legal DH trails on the front range, so our crew will be willing to help and contribute in any way possible. Hell will freeze over before it ever happens in Boulder Co, so we'll be more than happy to make the commute and dig in Jeff. We've missed the meetings in the past, but I plan on making it down to Pedal Pushers on Tuesday... and to anything else that comes up in the future.

-Alex 303.910.5591