Volunteers and financial assistance still needed to complete enhanced bike park design, which envisions first-of-its-kind amenities for a Colorado State Park
BELLVUE, CO (February 15, 2021) – Friends of Lory State Park (FoLSP) and partners TREK North in Fort Collins, J2 Contracting, Drake Cycles, Overland Mountain Bike Association (OMBA), and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) will break ground on a revitalized Corral Center Bike Park at Lory State Park (LSP) this spring. Once completed, the updated bike park will be the first of its kind at any Colorado State Park. Thanks to a successful raffle that featured a donated TREK Roscoe 7 Mountain Bike and raised almost $10,000, the project partners will have enough funds to jump start Phase 1 of the project. However, more support will be needed to complete the total $50,000 bike park revitalization.
“Improving the former horse corral to a bike skills arena has been on our drawing board for several years,” explained FoLSP Board President, Patricia Miller. “We are excited to continue working with Debbie Posewitz of TREK, Eric Drake of Drake Cycles, Kenny Bearden from OMBA, Chance Brown of J2 Contracting, CPW, and many others in realizing a new upscale park, adapted for beginners and experienced mountain bikers to hone their skills.”
Roy McBride, Park Manager for Lory State Park, added, “We are excited to start phase 1 of the bike park project. The construction will begin when the ground thaws and crews can begin moving the dirt jumps. In the meantime, we are working with our partners to secure additional funding to complete phase 2. If the additional funding is raised, we hope to complete phase 2 by the end of the 2021 summer season.”
Chance Brown, owner of J2 Contracting, is lending his expertise to the project as the lead designer. Many other individuals and groups are supporting the design and construction efforts as well, including Cameron Landis and other Lory State Park staff, Send Town Bike Club, OMBA, TREK, and Drake Cycles. Phase 1 will cost around $7,500, which means that the proceeds from the October 2020 TREK Bicycle Raffle (which raised $9,905) will cover the initial construction.
The plan is to use existing on-site dirt to improve and enlarge the start hill and construct a pump track and small/medium dirt jump lines. It was determined that these three areas would cater to nearly the entire Lory State Park bike rider population. Phase 1 will also include updated signage with maps, rules, and safety information. Additionally, enhanced landscaping will make the area more suitable for spectators at future events. (See attached design map.) The group hopes to break ground on Phase 1 by the end of February, weather dependent.
Phase 2, which will require an influx of an additional $40,000, will include the construction of a large dirt jump line using steel framed wooden jump lips and a curved wall ride. The park designers plan to add five of these structures and their associated landings. Brown emphasized that more clean fill dirt is critical for Phase 2 of the project: “Free dirt for rough grading the large dirt jump landings translates into more trail surfacing that can be purchased or imported. Having additional surfacing for future maintenance is critical to the success of the park.” Landscaping donations to help with shade and general park aesthetics will also be gladly accepted.
FoLSP is extremely grateful for the nearly 300 donors who participated in the October raffle, thereby jump-starting Phase 1 of the project. The Friends group is already pursuing additional funding sources for Phase 2 as well, including a Partners in the Outdoors Grant, Colorado Gives initiatives, business sponsorships, and potentially another bike raffle in Summer/Fall 2021.
Sara Abernathy, the winner of the TREK Roscoe 7 raffle, is very appreciative of the Lory State Park staff and community partners for their efforts: “We love Lory because of the fun features, well-built trails with different difficulties, and the ability to get away from town to recreate. It’s so gorgeous.”
To support the Friends of Lory State Park and the Corral Center Bike Park, please visit https://www.loryfriends.org/support-your-friends-and-support-your-park/. For more information about the project, please contact FoLSP at 970-235-2045 or email loryspfriends@gmail.com
