Club Member Bios; Austin Ridge Riders

Austin Ridge Riders Website

Who We Are

The Austin Ridge Riders is Austin’s largest and most active mountain bike club. We are a non-profit, membership organization that promotes awareness of safe and environmentally conscientious off-road bicycling. The Ridge Riders is an affiliated club of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), the National Off-Road Bicycling Association (NORBA), the Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association, and a member of BikeTexas / Texas Bicycle Coalition. Membership Form

What We Do

Community Service: The organization actively participates in community trail development, trail maintenance, and cleanup projects. Recent activities include projects at The Goodwater Trail on Lake Georgetown, Slaugheter Creek, Lone Man Mountain, and McKinney Falls State Park. We have also made financial donations to non-profit organizations in the Austin area such as Child, Incorporated and Travis County Helmets for Kids Program.

Fun Rides: We organize fun rides for all levels of riders, form beginners to advanced. These rides allow participants to develop their riding skills and become familiar with new trails while enjoying the company of fellow riders. At least twice a year we conduct beginner clinics and demonstrate bike handling skills, basic bike maintenance, and proper trail etiquette while riding.

Races: The club sponsors and promotes NORBA – sanctioned races, including the Austin races of the Texas State Championship Series. Many members race as Austin Ridge Riders and our representation in all events is strong.

Trail Access: We are committed to working with land managers, state and local government entities, and the public to promote responsible utilization of appropriate public and private lands for multi-use trails. Currently, we are working with the Lower Colorado River Authority to develop mountain bike trails on one of the L.C.R.A. parks on Lake Travis.

Meetings: Club meetings are held on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 9:00 a.m. at various trails around the area and feature rides, trailwork and opportunites to socialize and network with other riders.

Website: This web site was redesigned by Joe Burkhart with programming support from James Buratti and is maintained by Michael Castaneda, webmaster. It will be updated regularly for event schedule information. Reschedules, cancellations and other quick notice updates will be posted as soon as possible, but please confirm with the event coordinator. All event announcements, comments, ideas for the site, links or praise should be submitted by E-Mail.

Advantages of Membership

Information Resources: Every member receives by mail a monthly issue of the Austin Cycling News which contains Austin Ridge Riders news, articles, and Ride Schedule. Also, many club members have considerable riding and racing experience and are always willing to share their knowledge with others.

Private Land Access: Although club membership is not required to attend club rides and meetings, club members have special privileges and access to private lands not normally available to the public.

Community Networking: Membership in the Austin Ridge Riders offers the opportunity to meet new people with similar interests while enjoying the outdoors, assisting your community, and having a great time doing it. As with most organizations, these activities are accomplished solely by volunteers. While members aren’t required to volunteer, your special talents are essential to contributing to the overall growth and success of this organization. Volunteers are needed for a variety of activities including trail building and maintenance, organizing and assisting with races, and facilitating discussions with land managers and public entities on land access issues. We are also interested in hearing from you. Sharing your experiences as a cyclist and providing input into the organization will strengthen and enhance our association. Please complete the membership form. To help us assess and meet the needs of our members, please indicate your specific areas of interest. See you on the trails!

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