No Dig No Ride. By BdJ

Mar 23, 2018

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 6010 times

If I would have nothing to do all day, no work, no family, I'm sure the Flame Trails would look a whole lot better. The dirt spot that is just around the corner practically has everything; a container to keep the tools, good dirt, electricity for music, a water pump and even a big light for evening sessions. Many of you would die for a spot like that and for good reason. It's heaven for a dirt rider to have a designated spot where you can create what you want with a shovel in your hand. The lines, the gaps, the rollers, the tables and the doubles, you can just build whatever you can dream up. And if you get bored, you just build something extra, go bigger, dig deeper or add an extra berm.

You'd expect local BMX-ers to take over a place like this and keep building but the die-hard dirt riders

are hard to find these days. After a long winter with kids using the jumps as ski hills and war-zones, the Flame Trails have become a mess. The sign that states it's for BMX riding only gets neglected. It's the same year in and year out but it also has to do with the lack of diggers taking care of the dirt spot. The solution is to throw an annual jam at the beginning of the year. That means the Flame Trails need to be fixed and riding can be done afterwards.

This past winter has been rougher than usual with snow coming down last weekend and temperatures low enough that you could not put a shovel in the ground. With the Flame Trails Jam on the schedule for Saturday afternoon 1pm - 5pm there is still a lot of work to do. The dirt is actually great to work with at the moment. The shovel slides right into it, something which is impossible in the summer months. It's time to build right now but first things first, fixing the damage that has been done by people walking their dogs, kids using the trails as their playground and people riding the trails when it's muddy leaving 2 inch deep tracks from start to finish.

I've been skipping the "Fit For Free" gym sessions this week because digging works just as well. 30 minutes in and I'm sweating like a pig. Not that I have all the time in the world so I'm trying to get work done while I'm there. Let's see how far we get getting the place ready to ride. If people want to help out, everyone is welcome. Saturday's jam might turn into a big digging session but that's part of riding dirt as well. Create what you want for your own fun afterwards. Don't worry, we've got extra shovels.