Westchester, NY comp What do you think?

[Fergie]

For years now, I've been thinking of holding a trials comp in Westchester.

We have parks with killer trails, great natural, a cool parks dept and mtb access club. Main problem would be lawyers/ insurance but if we keep it low key, we might be able to avoid trouble. I’m thinking of a very informal contest with the emphasis on riding with others. Minimum entry fees, probably no insurance, and prizes will be whatever I can weasel form the local shops, if anything at all. Unicyclists welcome. Real rain or snow would cancel. Probably in March, but if it gets big, it might take more time to organize.


It is possible that we could get over a dozen from NYC alone. North Jersey is another half dozen at least, and another half dozen from CT. Add a dozen Westchester locals, a few road trippers, and we got a good event going!

SprainRidgePark in Yonkers/Greenburg.
Easy access from major highways, but not train
5 minutes north of the Bronx
Great natural, and lots of space to set up
Near hotels
Nathan’s Famous and lots of other eats 10 minute drive away.

BlueMountain Reservation in Peekskill.
Easy access from a major highway, 10 minutes from train station
1 hour north of Manhattan
Possible accommodations at trail lodge (Maybe?), near hotels.
Pizza & Deli within riding distance

How important are mtb trails? (Note, these are amazing singletrack)

How important is camping?

How important is lodging?

How important is being near stores, food, etc.?

How important is the trip from NYC?

Would you want the comp as part of a mtb festival, or as it’s own event?

What do you think?

[Noel]

since it's close to the city that would be great.

but we don't have a dozen riders in teh city. more than a dozen mtber not trials riders.

i haven't been to any of those places yet but i'm down for watever

[brian_E]

i'd go..

[tybikes]

Id be down too. It'd be nice to have contests that aren't 12 hours away.

[3rd Degree]

I can't stress how much I want this to go down. I try to get back to NY once or twice a year to see family, and if there was a comp going down, I'd schedule it around that. I haven't ridden any trials in NY, since I got my bike after I moved to CO. This has got to happen.

[Fergie]

Right now I'm leaning towards a real chill event at the Sprain Ridge Park. It might be possible to get it going for what would have been Motorama (the 17 or 18th.) but I don’t want to set a date until I make sure it will happen.

Basically, my plan was to have a bunch of taped sections all within a few hundred feet of the upper parking lot/ picnic area (Near Otter Ramble on the map). Folks can park, BBQ, eat, drink and be merry. I think I can get permission from the county to have a small bonfire there. They may even unlock the bathrooms for us.

There are also several miles of damn fine singletrack in the park, so friends and family can enjoy a ride and watch some trials

There will not be any sound system, computerized score keeping, or any of that other crap. In fact, unless folks want it, I may not keep score at all. I don’t plan on having much in the way of the prizes, so any entrance fees will go towards food, and perhaps something for the checkers.

Here is an article about the park from a couple of years ago:
http://www.63xc.com/erikf/sprain.htm [Note: Hans Rey photo near end]


Again, let me know what YOU want...

[KeepRollin]

17th/18th of Feb? That seems kinda early to me. Asking a little too much from the weather gods. I'd probably push it back till at least march..... But I'd definitely be up for going!

[music_maj_34]

17th/18th of Feb? That seems kinda early to me. Asking a little too much from the weather gods. I'd probably push it back till at least march..... But I'd definitely be up for going!

No... if I read it right, he was looking to have it either March 17th or 18th.

Anyway... I'd be there!

[Fergie]

I had been thinking of Feb 17-18, but the boys at Weather Control had other plans. Mid March seems like a better option at this point then trying to rush a Feb date.

Anyone have any input on what they would like to see (or not see) at the contest?

Are people bummed out by no prizes?
Would you be disappointed if it was 90% natural obstacles?
Do people want food on site, or is a 5-10 minute car trip fine?
How serious do people take scoring?
How important is comp vs. group ride?
Any ideas for getting people to help check?

[Noel]

I had been thinking of Feb 17-18, but the boys at Weather Control had other plans. Mid March seems like a better option at this point then trying to rush a Feb date.

Anyone have any input on what they would like to see (or not see) at the contest?

Are people bummed out by no prizes?
Would you be disappointed if it was 90% natural obstacles?
Do people want food on site, or is a 5-10 minute car trip fine?
How serious do people take scoring?
How important is comp vs. group ride?
Any ideas for getting people to help check?


don't care about prizes.
natural is fine with me.
wat u wanna do about the food is cool.
if it's gonna be a comp, we should have scoring.
comp would be better.
if we can't find checkers. we should break into small groups and check ourself within the group.

[KeepRollin]

I don't care about prizes.
Natural is ALWAYS better.
I'm cool with a comp. There aren't very many though group rides are fun too. But if you decide to run a comp, being strict with the rules generally keeps people happy.

[3rd Degree]

Any updates on this comp? Is it still going down? and is everyone sold on mid march? I am dying to go, but I doubt I'll be able to get my shit together by mid march.

[giventofly]

I think you'll have better luck if you hook up with a mountain bike festival. Odds are, if it's a large festival, there will be food vendors, better prizes, and cheep insurance.

As for going sans insurance....I HIGHLY recommend against running any trials events without protecting your self. there are tons and tons of things that can go wrong for you as an event organizer. Are you willing to be personally liable for anyone who gets hurt, any property that gets damaged, or any spectator hurt by a rider? What if a picnic table breaks? someone's mother steps on glass? all of these things are real possiblilties, and doing an event without insurance, in our litigious (sp?) society is a very very dangerous proposition.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[va_tick]

Talk to mikeyr89 he put on the comp down here in VA last summer. He got insurance for $300 or less. So if you can get 15 riders you can cover the insurance....also if you get 15 or more riders and charge $25 to ride you can cover ins. and medals for top 3 in sport,expert,pro.....its nice to be able to have somthing to show for effort even if its a dinky $2 medal.........If you get it straight I'll prob go too, so thats one more!

[Fergie]

Doing it during the Fat Tire festival is very tempting, but has pros and cons. The most important rule would be that all sections would be totally off limits to anyone not competing in the contest. Also, sections would be more spread out at Blue Mountain then Sprain Ridge Park. It would also involve the local MTB club, which is a great group, but adds a lot more cooks to the kitchen, and means that it would have to be totally official and legit.
http://www.wmba.org/

The option of doing it without insurance is tempting because I'm broke and worthless. I don't own anything worth suing for, at all, so no money for a lawyer. It would basically be everyone kicks in $5 - $10, there would be some BBQ, and the winners would get an old bash guard spray painted gold, silver, etc.. We would have most of the park to ourselves, and could set up what ever we wanted.

If we do the official route, it would probably be about $20, there would be food venders, and some real prizes. We would be sharing the park with a few hundred other rides (spectators) and sections would be more official.

There is also going to be a big opening party for the first legal mtb trails in NYC in the middle of May. There are options for getting trials involved with this, but that is another can of worms.
www.nycmtb.com (http://www.nycmtb.com/)

[tybikes]

Fergie, I just got a job in Greenwich and I'm gonna be moving to the Stamford area in the coming weeks. I have a fair amount of experience in putting events on since I used to help out with a lot of EFTA events years ago and I'd definitely be willing to help out with this event. Maybe we could get Tim at TrialsinUSA to send us some supplies as well (scorecards, stopwatches, section tape, etc).

[big nd]

im down. :bigthumb:

[MikeTheBike]

Fergie, email me. I might be able to help you with cheaper insurance and some other money saving options.

[giventofly]

The option of doing it without insurance is tempting because I'm broke and worthless. I don't own anything worth suing for, at all, so no money for a lawyer. It would basically be everyone kicks in $5 - $10, there would be some BBQ, and the winners would get an old bash guard spray painted gold, silver, etc.. We would have most of the park to ourselves, and could set up what ever we wanted.


Again. As an event promoter...You are putting yourself at serious risk. you may think you are doing a service to the community, but in the eyes of the law, you are charging admission for an amusement....therefore if someone is injured, you are persoinallly liable.

Also, you may think you have nothing of value, but Judges can garnish your wages for your entire life, if it will pay a debt owed due to a judgment. Imagine 12% of everything you ever earn going to someone else, for the next 25 years. I'm not trying to piss in your campfire, but trust me...one trials comp is not worth the risk. Get insurance.

[eastside]

Or you can do what "we" do. Instead of doing a comp where you charge people, just do a pot luck lunch or dinner group ride. Everyone brings food and beverages. This way you aren't liable for anything. A comp is a good thing to have, especially if lots of people show up. But if you can't cover your self or offer any thing to the riders than some people won't show up. Dan is the one to listen to IMO on this. He has thrown many comp's in the past and things ran smoothly. I was just there to help a fraction of what he put in on the phone, sleepless nights and miles on his vehicle. I vote group ride and a friendly comp amongst friends. Just my .02
Good Luck.

[mikeyr89]

I'd go if I can find more info on the place? And is the date set yet?

[justtysen]

Fergie,
I'd like to put in that I'd definitely come and could volunteer too. I live in Hartsdale so I'm able to get to Sprain on short notice. I might also be able to help with pre-event work. Email me about it (check profile).

More info on Sprian Ridge Park: http://www.westchestergov.com/Parks/brochures/Trailways/SprainRidgeMain.htm

[I_LOVE_ECHO]

Im game i live in Maine and ive never been to a bicycle event. Many many motorcycle events but no bicycle ones. Sounds like fun.

[biketrials25]

I'm down too,,,
April sometime?