Bent

Last weekend a lot of Bend mountain bike riders heeded the call of the Bent blog and headed to Peterson Ridge where they were greeted with some incredible mud-free riding. Except for a few short, and not that muddy, spots the trails were firm and fast.
The recent spate of muddy trails has yet again raised the question of when and when not to ride a trail that’s muddy and what riders can all do to make sure trails don’t get damaged too badly.
COTA trail maintenance and construction mavan Chris Kratsch weights in the subject below.
“The first thought most people have is ‘Mud in Central Oregon.’ While it true we live in a desert and for most of the year our trails are bone dry and if we do receive rain in the summertime it only improves trail conditions.  However, in the winter and spring that situation is different, as our soils become saturated and frozen. Along comes a warm front or the spring thaw and we’re all psyched to head out to ride our bikes or go for a run. The trouble is as the top layers of trail start to thaw out it becomes muddy as there is nowhere for the water to go but to the surface. While other parts of our state laugh at what we call mud, the fact is the same issues arise on both sides of the Cascades. For some trails mud riding is acceptable for others it is not because of their sensitivity to lasting damage.