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Written by Dan Luebke
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Tuesday, 12 August 2008 06:34 |
The second annual Blufflands Epic Enduro Race is this Saturday, Aug 16th.
The course is in prime shape thanks to the volunteers that have put in a lot of time and effort into making the trails at HPT some of the best in the midwest!
  We'll be having the legendary "Monkey Count" again this year!
As well as the "Double Log Prime" during the 12 and 6 hour race.
We also have plenty of additional prizes again this year; but we'll be doing something a little different by having a raffle. Every racer and volunteer will recieve a free ticket. Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the race.
We need your help!!!
If you can volunteer please fill out THIS FORM.
It's a long day and any amount of help is greatly appreciated! (Free Food and Drinks for all volunteers.)
See you Saturday!
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Written by Dan Luebke
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Sunday, 24 June 2007 17:06 |
 We hope that everyone had a great time at the event! If there is anything you would like to see improved/changed for next year please let us know! If you really enjoyed something (or everything) about the event, please let us know.
Thanks again, and hope to see you next year!
Dan Luebke, Erik Pueschner, The La Crosse Velo Club & Human Powered Trails, Inc.
RESULTS ARE POSTED HERE
12/6/3 HOUR RACES
WI STATE SS CHAMPIONSHIP
PHOTOS
768 photos of the event!!!
Thanks to Carlos I and Mark K!
Logfile Slideshow
Flickr Site
Thanks to Paul B for these pics!
SS State Championship
Enduro Race
BLOG ENTRIES
(See what others had to say about the race.)
12HR Solo Male 1st - JO MAMA
12HR SS 1st- LEE UNWIN PRE RACE / POST RACE
WI SS CHAMP - CREEPY
WI SS 2nd - DARKNESS
6HR Solo Male 1st - MATT MUYRES
Other Racers... DEVIN CAFFEINE
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Written by Dan Luebke
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Friday, 22 June 2007 17:04 |
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LAST UPDATE RODE THE TRAILS TONIGHT AFTER THE RAIN TODAY. EVERYTHING IS A GO!
THE ROOTS AND ROCKS WERE SLIPPERY, BUT THE TRAIL IS GOOD TO GO, JUST A COUPLE SOFT PATCHES, BUT 95% OF IT IS HARD, NO MUD TIRES NEEDED! - Just like Bob said! See you Saturday! --Dan
It looks like there is a little rain still on the way for Friday but Saturday should be good. Keep your fingers crossed!
One of the beautiful things about this trail system is that once the trail firms up after the Spring thaw it is remarkably resilient. Although it may rain today it should be good in most spots tomorrow. Keep your eyes on the websites and we will let you know what is up.
Thanks |
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Written by Bob M
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Monday, 18 June 2007 16:55 |
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Wondering what to expect here at HPT?
The best thing I can say is expect everything and nothing... People usually go away from HPT saying that there is nothing else like this in the state or the region. We have trails that will physically challenge you going up hill and down, we have single track so tight at times that if you are not focused you will be in a tree. Yes, there are logs to cross and rocks to jump over, but most if not all have either been modified to make it easier or given an alternate line where possible. Most of them are in places that are designed to slow riders down as they approach intersections or corners. Some are there just for fun and to challenge you. We even have some open areas that are straight and fast.  If you don't know what a Coluee is, you may want to find out because the trail system is built into two of them. If you don't know what IMBA uses as a trail guide, you may want to download this LINK to know what you are getting into. We try to use their guidelines as closely as possible. Remember they are only "guidelines."
If you don't know what the trail system looks like you can download maps of the entire system with trail ratings in the Maps area of the site. There is also a link for the TT course that uses almost all of the trails. One very nice thing about the trail system is that if you are coming here as a spectator, you can access several points of the trail easily and watch your rider go by many times.
We have worked extremely hard the last several weeks (and years) to make the course as well prepared for this event as possible. Fixing sections, clearing logs, weed whacking, moving dirt, are only part of what we do. Because like every event, it is a matter of pride to invite people in and say, "this is what we ride," and...well, this is what we ride! Thanks. We hope you like it. |
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Written by Denis Downey | La Crosse Tribune
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Sunday, 17 June 2007 17:45 |
 The Human Powered Trails on Grandad Bluff have seen increasing popularity in their seven years of existence, but it likely has never seen the population it will experience Saturday when it hosts the Bluffland Enduro Races and the Wisconsin Singlespeed championship.
“We expect to have about 100 to 150 riders,” Dan Luebke, one of the event organizers, said. “Most of the races overlap at one time or another. We expect the peak time to be around 4 p.m., when we will have about 80 or so riders on the trails at the same time.”
The Bluffland Enduro Races will include 12-, 6- and 3-hour events, while the singlespeed race will cover an 18-mile loop.
Saturday’s races are this year’s major fundraiser for the Human Powered Trails, a 7-mile loop of shared-use — biking, hiking and running — trails near the observation point on Grandad Bluff.
The trails are a joint effort between the La Crosse Park and Recreation Department, the Hixon Forest Nature Center and Human Powered Trails, Inc., a non-profit organization that maintains the trails.
“This is a big day for us,” Luebke said. “Not only is it our major fundraiser, but it gives us a chance to show off all the work that has gone into building the trail system.”
In the beginning
The birth of the Human Power Trails came from a group of mountain bikers who were tired of trying to find a place to ride.
“The idea really came from a bunch of cyclists who were looking to ride legally and safely and not have to worry about being on private property,” said Bob Marhefke, chief operating officer of Human Powered Trails, Inc. “We approached the city and got their blessing to use parts of the area (where the trails are located).
“From that point on, we got busy forming a working group to develop the multi-use trails.”
‘Our volunteers are our biggest resource’
But there’s a big step between planning the trails and using them.
“It takes a lot of physical effort to create the trails,” Luebke said. “It is almost all done by hand tools, doing everything from clearing brush to clearing topsoil to get to the harder ground to clearing dead trees out of the way and building up the trails so water will run off them and hopefully they won’t erode.”
And just how do you build such a trail system when you are just starting out and have limited funding? Why, you rely on what over the years has become HPT’s greatest commodity — its volunteers.
“Our volunteers are our biggest resource,”said Luebke, an HPT volunteer who helps oversee the group’s volunteer efforts. “It (HPT) would not be where it is without the volunteers. None of us gets paid. Without the help of those people there would be about a half mile of trail out there and we probably would have petered out by now.”
Each week the group puts out a call for help grooming the trails at 5:30 p.m. Mondays. And each week the call gets answered by individuals willing to take part in what seems like a never-ending effort.
“It ranges from three guys to a few dozen (volunteers each week),” Marhefke said. “Of late, we have been getting 18 to 20 people at a time. I’m always amazed at how the work is and how many of these people keep coming back.”
And by Marhefke’s calculations, the contributions of the group’s volunteers are invaluable.
“It takes one person an hour to build 10 feet of trail. And we have seven miles of trails out there, so you do the math,” Marhefke said. “We figured out somewhere that if we put a dollar value on the man hours we have spent out there, it is well over $1 million.”
Cooperation is the key
The key to the success thus far for the Human Powered Trails is cooperation. It’s also the key for the trail system’s future plans and success.
“It takes a lot of cooperation. The city, Hixon (Forest) and now even the MVC (Mississippi Valley Conservancy) has gotten involved in helping plan for future trails,” Marhefke said. “We are always looking to expand the trails, but it will take a group effort.”
It’s a group effort that so far has been beneficial to the parties involved.
“It has worked out pretty well so far,” said Stephanie Hana, naturalist educator at Hixon Nature Center. “I think it is a neat addition to the recreation we have a Hixon.
“We have a really good relationship. They help us promote the forest and we help them promote what they are doing.”
“It’s taken some time, but it has really worked with the bikers, horse and hiking groups,” added Andy Reshel of the La Crosse Park Department. “It’s really a unique situation where we have this kind of a large pristine area for all of these groups to enjoy together.” |
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uman Powered Trails, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is: “To develop and maintain first class sustainable and environmentally correct, human-powered, shared use trails for the La Crosse, WI region."
