Trails are currently in great shape for riding!

I took my new 1x1 Rat Ride with 3.0 Knobbies on it out on the trails. The north loop is fabulous right now. The south loop needs more packing. We could use some snowshoers out there and some big tired bikes too.

Enjoy the winter riding season!

Snow is here!

The trails tend to stay open all winter long. It's best if they are packed using snowshoes and a bit of Pugsley (Surly fat tired bike) traffic. This will get and keep the trails packed well.

Studs do okay, but are not really needed unless we have a wetter and more icy winter. But a wider tire does tend to work best and 29ers really do well too.

A few things to keep in mind while enjoying Theo in the winter. Please stop and all trail crossings. It's XC Ski season and skiers have the right of way at all crossings. So be aware that a skier can be crossing at any moment and they don't have the same control a cyclist does. Also, cross all XC Ski trails at a 90 degree angle.....and please do not ride on any XC Ski trails at any time. Not even to leave the singletrack to get out of the woods.

Enjoy a great winter season of biking at Theo!

2009 Updates!

Well, the mountain biking season has wound down to a close, at least until the snow flies and we open the trails back up for winter riding.

Last meeting we had the MOCA board elections. The results of these elections where as follows.

Elected roles:

- President: Matt Moore
- Vice President: Charles Chenvert
- Secretary: Steef Mansfield
- Trail Stewards: mara larson and Shad Holland
- Chapter Representatives: mara larson and Shad Holland

Appointed Roles:

- Minister of Propaganda: Justin Kalemkiarian
- Captain Huck: Jake Wittenberg
- Master of Acquisitions: Chuck Chenvert
- RockStar!: Dave Jones

Amanda Scholz has become a regular at trailwork and has also been getting involved in a lot of administrative work, including making it to all of the MOCA board meetings, so she was appointed to the board a bit later in the summer.

Section 6 has come along way since the crew was able to get back on track after the Luce Line went in. The downhill rock armor is complete and the climbing turn is almost completed.

On Oct 22nd the MOCA crew raked the entire trail before the winter sets in. Also, the orange fencing was put up to close the trail during this wet period before the temps drop and the ground freezes. The fences will come down once the ground is frozen solid and the temps stay low enough to keep the trails frozen. Once we get significant snowcover, the trails are usually good to go for some snowshoeing and mountain biking.

We look forward to a great 2010 season! Thanks to all who support MOCA and those who take the extra time getting involved in making the organization a great success!

Trails are officially open!

The Luce Line construction is done and the MPRB and Three Rivers Park District have notified us that we can officially open the north loop to mountain biking.

We added a new reroute that reflects Theo's tradition of being tight and twisty. Enjoy and have a great summer!

Luce Line Paving to begin.

It is important that all riders (and other trail users) stay out of the North Loop area during the paving and clean up process.

Because of this, the Minneapolis Park Police will be stepping up enforcement. Please be aware that going into any area of the North Loop is considered trespassing and tickets may be given if you are found in this area.

We should be fairly close to opening the trail for the summer, but it's going to be a few more weeks yet. Please be patient and do not ride the North Loop until we officially open the trail.

Thank you for your understanding.

Grading of Luce Line and paving begins April 20th

The cooridor for the Luce Line has been cleared out. The actual grading and paving of the Luce Line will begin on April 20th. They will not tolerate any cyclists on the trail during the construction. The MPRB along with Three Rivers will be enforcing this, not MOCA.

During this time, MOCA has to plan a reroute in the southwest area of the trails. We will also be doing maintenance to get the trail ready for when the Luce Line is finished. Trailwork is every Wednesday at 5pm. Come later if you need to, just find us on the trail. Today is the first day of trailwork. After today, we will only be allowed to enter through the north entrance, by the sleep center. The main roadway entrance from Theodore Wirth Pkwy will be closed.

Thanks again for you help, patience, and understanding.

UPDATE: Trails Closed for Luce Line construction and Spring Thaw

The Luce Line trail clearing and construction begins this week, likely Thursday. The trails are already closed for spring thaw, but now they will be closed for two reasons.

Depending on how long it takes for them to put in the Luce Line will depend on when the trails open. We will keep you updated on what is happening with the Luce Line. The mountain bike trail will be affected and need some rerouting in some areas....so please do not ride the trail. There will be heavy machinery and other activity that could be dangerous to riders. It is a construction zone and rumor has it, 3 Rivers Park District will be enforcing the closure since they are the ones putting in the Luce Line.

Thank you for your patience this spring.

Orange fencing is up and other developments

It is unusual for us to have to close the trails for spring thaw this early in the season. There are a few other factors that are going to effect trail riding this spring. 3 Rivers Park District is putting the Luce Line trail right down the existing ski trail that is in the north loop. The is the ski trail that runs parallel to the RR tracks on the southern most side of the north section of trail. If you take a look at the map on our home page at www.mocatrails.org, you will see a ski trail running along the "Conundrum" section and the "Snake Trail" section. This is where the Luce line will be coming through.

The construction project is a major one since they will be grading and paving a trail through the park. Due to the construction, the mountain bike trails will be closed. The majority of this construction should happen while we typically don't ride anyway (during spring thaw). We know there will be a few minor reroutes of the mountain bike trail because of the new Luce Line. As soon as the construction is done on the Luce Line, we will be laying out some new trail to do these reroutes.....it's going to take a lot of work and we could use all the trailwork help we can get.

This may delay riding a bit in the spring, but it's all for the good of the trails. We will have some more official signage and trail crossings than we have had in the past. 3 Rivers has 1 mountain bike trail (Murphy) with another on the way........so they understand the importance of the mountain bike trail and are working with us every step of the way. Wow!.....a lot better than how things used to be....:-).

So please be patient during the trail closings and construction of the Luce Line. Theo will be up and rideable as soon as we can get everything dialed and ready to ride.

Thank you for your understanding!

Late Winter and Spring thaw.....please don't ride the trails.

It's getting to be that time of year again. Yeah, I know it's only February and I am making this announcement. The reason is that today it's supposed to get up to 31 degrees, maybe higher. As far as the forecast goes it's showing highs in the low, mid, and upper 30's for a week. Starting in about mid February, the temps tend to start rising and spring warm up starts to happen. That's not to say we won't have any more freezing cold days or a stretch of cold, but in general, the warm up is on it's way. Because of this I have to get our annual reminder out. So here it goes.....

Please do not ride the trails during these warmer periods. I know, it's not fun and you want to ride. But riding during these late winter and early spring warm ups, especially as the snow thins and dirt gets exposed, is when the most damage is done to our trails, the trails we all love and enjoy riding. The last few years we have had people ride during spring thaw quite a bit, even after we put up orange fence to close the main entrances. This has caused us to do months of extra trailwork to repair all the damage. We have to repair it or drainage will not work properly during the rainfalls in the summer months. This is about 1 1/2 months of other work our trailworkers could be doing to improve the trail and this year we would like our trailworkers to be working on our new advanced section (section 6) in the North East part of the trails. If we can get an early start on section 6 this year, we can possibly open the 1st half of the advanced section by mid summer. But if our crews are having to fix the existing trail due to damage caused by riders riding wet and muddy trail.....we may not get section 6 open this year or at least not until late in the season.

So please....please keep an eye on the MORC forums trail conditions thread and on our home page trail conditions in the upper left corner before you go ride. We provide these tools for you to use and to give you the latest updates on Theodore Wirth.

Expect that the trails could be closed from now until late April or Early May....unless we have a dry and warm spring. Also, please educate fellow bikers. These trails belong to all of us who ride them and it is up to all of us to educate others on proper trail etiquette. The MOCA trail crew is spread too thin to be able to do it all on their own. So please help us spread the word and keep our trails in great shape for the warmer spring and summer months!

Thank you!

Trails closed this Saturday until 1pm Sunday!

Trails closed from Saturday, January 31st until 1pm on Sunday, February 1st.

Due to preparations for the City of Lakes Loppet ski race this weekend, the trails will be closed all day Saturday and until 1pm on Sunday. Please be respectful of this premier ski race event and avoid using the mountain bike trails while they are preparing the ski race course and holding the races early Sunday.

It looks like this warmer weather will be going on next week, so please be patient......there will be plenty of good weather riding after the race is done.