Attn Tmba ridez:"Do you want some land or not...."

[MrPlow]

I have edited this and added a poll, I really would like your feedback, am I really just wasting my time :?
Ok, I have got your attention. Here is the deal....
a) I have not found the property owners of the "Lefty".... yet, but I am on it :wink: The difficulty is (as mentioned in the Tmba DJ thread) is finding out w/out them finding the Lefty first 8)
b) I do know who owns land prob not more than 600mtrs from lefty :wink: (along the range).
c) There is HEAPS of land "available" if you just ask.... including around Gorman's Gap and Preston...(it's not what you know......)

So here is the deal put forward, if you don't like it you can go jump off the Prince Henry quarry cause I have busted my gut the entire day lining this up!


In 2 to 3 weeks I propose all the Farkiners join a social ride (date to be confirmed), social meaning Dh, FR, XC and roadies with mountain bikes; hell bring yer Huffy along (although I would make plans for a ride home if you do :wink: )
The main initiative of this gathering will be to gauge 'interest' in mountain biking in our region. From all aspects of the sport.
the plan will be a very social ride utilising the Tmba motoX clubs property in Murphy's creek I think....(don't stress this aint the land, I know it sux for DH etc).
The main reason we gather hear 'cause it is the only mtb area we 'legally' can....For now.
After the ride (prob on a Sat 3 wks from now?) we will have a few beers (or soft drinks for the grasshoppers) and a talk about the future.....
The plan is to attain a piece (or pieces) of land, which are suitable for all aspects of MTBing. And this is to be private land

I imagine this land will more likely require some sort of 'club' membership, "OH DAMN IT, CLUBS!!!" I here you say, but patience grasshopper...
The intention would be purely social, too many 'clubs' have been and gone because of the "politics" aspect (president, secretary etc).
This 'club' is purely the attitude, you ride, you don't have 'meetings' and all that.
Lets face it, we juz wanna ride right?? More along the "gatherings with some beer and "NWDO" vids " Also not intended for elites, or beginners alone.. So don't be scared to rock up :?
finally, I know that some of us are old/young, some are DH/XC. Some drink beer, others that 'cruiser' crap... :wink:
But there is 1 thing we must realise...we all love to ride, and we are running outta spots to (legally) do it
So lets support this idea and it should pay off...
Lets not snob it, or say "XC sucks, I don't want anything to do with it" or vise versa.
And same with the roadie brigade (who are also taking interest in MTB by the way :shock: ). Why don't we encorage them to cross over from the dark side, as it will only make our sport stronger.
BTW, it is not the intention of this initiative to 'split up' any existing clubs, just to unite all, you may still do what you like :wink:
Please support this and leave a post or PM me and I will keep you updated on the happenings, thanks guys. Imagine having a place to race, build "real" permanent trails, North shore, killer DJ's, Cross country races that make you spew... 8)

 

[glassjaw]

damn man, u got it all sorted dont ya. it sounds all good to me.

 

[josh]

Can you explain this 'club' idea? Almost all of us belong to a club...whether it be the toowoomba one...NRG..ashgrove etc

And is the land actually suitable to build a good dh track? The land really has to be perfect!

Keep up the good work

 

[MrPlow]

Can you explain this 'club' idea? Almost all of us belong to a club...whether it be the toowoomba one...NRG..ashgrove etc

And is the land actually suitable to build a good dh track? The land really has to be perfect!

Keep up the good work

Nah Josh I cannot really explain the 'club' idea, because we (you, me and everybody else) have not discussed it yet. Which is going to be the purpose of this first gathering at Murphy's creek. As for the land, like I said, there is plenty around, but lets just say, the lefty is about on it, and so is preston. As well as Gormans gap...This is just 3 options.... Are you in or not? Hope you are :wink:

As far as this club idea goes, I will be putting forward that there is no set structure to it, it's main purpose is to sindicate all riders on a social level simply to use the land. You, for instance may invite your NRG club up for a ride on this land perhaps?? I am really not sure, as I said , it is all hinged around this meeting. If either you or I, or anybody else, puts forward a "this is how we are going to do it" approach, the first thing it will do is fail! :? So we must listen to all riders, and try to please as many as we can... The first step is the meeting to do this though. Anybody else interested? or have questions? Fire away, just don't right of this opportunity whether you are a local pro, or a casual rider.

 

[glassjaw]

i think mr plow u have it all worked out, watever is needed i will contribute. we can start a farkin club, lol.

 

[bassmonkey]

You forgot the "I really couldn't give half a shit about Toowoomba" option in the poll :mrgreen:








heh just j/k... good luck with it all.

 

[duncan^kona]

i dont live around there but i would be keen, just worried about commitment

 

[MrPlow]

You forgot the "I really couldn't give half a shit about Toowoomba" option in the poll :mrgreen:








heh just j/k... good luck with it all.

:lol: :lol: :lol: Well you obviously have not ridden the awesome trails we have here so far.... And more to come. :wink: Thanks for your support fellas!

 

[jhonybravo788]

yer i'm sure all the tmba riders would be interested and definetly me and another person so tell us when and were should we meet and i'll be there to help in every way that i can!!!!!

 

[Shane J]

Sounds like a great idea for you guys and gals up there. Is it going to be a user pays thing?

 

[MrPlow]

Thanks ffor the responses so far guys. I will keep you all posted on the exact date when I know more. I am not sure of the user pays setup, but I would think there may be some sort of arangement, perhaps an annual payment. I am not sure, thats what the meeting is for.
Thanks again guys, get your mates to join Farkin and support this poll too :wink:

 

[stewyg]

yeah ill go on ya ride!! i'm all for gettin the land

 

[Damo]

definately in. Good idea. It was only Today I was talking about how screwed up the land/legalities issues are in Twmba. This would definately be a step in the right direction.

 

[BlueFuzz]

Mr Plow, you certainly do have it sorted.

Would love to tag along and have a gander... let us know how you go with details.

 

[Road Rage Ryan]

Mr PLow,

While I admire your enthuisiasm and passion for land acquisition I believe you may have missed a few key points. Before you start swearing and start labelling me as a pessimist I would like to introduce myself. I have nothing to hide behind a pseudonym. My name is Ryan Myler. I was the mountain bike representative for the local cycling club for two years until late last year. I have gained a great deal of experience from this position and believe I have good understanding of the local conditions. Now Mr Plow If I have already made your acquantence please feel free to liberate your identity. Some areas I think you need to consider.
* You mentioned the use of private land, the land holder is legally responsible for our activites. What this means is that if you or I eat dirt then we can sue the land owner. Furthermore to cover this liability insurance must be paid. Who pays for this insurance? The land owner? The riders?? The newly formed club??
* Secondly mountain bikers are less entuisast about lobbying for land acquisition than riding on them. During my tenure as the club's rep I found it hard to generate any interest either acquiring or developing land.
* Thirdly if we do get a parcel of land who is responisble for it's upkeep. Trail maintence is a big issue these days.
* Fourthly from my experience Toowoomba mountain bikers have been spoiled in that they have always had tracks very close to their homes. This has created a "we can't travel mentality". Continued next post

 

[Road Rage Ryan]

Now that I have aired some concerns that you may not have thought about I do agree with what you are trying to achieve. I believe you have made a fair assumption about the state of trail development in Toowomba. Soon, like the building industry, there will be no land for us to ride on in the local area. Regarding the owner of Lefty if you really wanted to find out who owns the property look-up the lot number from the billboard on the road into lefty and take this number to the department of natural resources and mines. For a fee they will supply you with the details relating to the lands ownership. To be perfectly honest, people that can afford to buy land in the Kara estate will probably want their privacy respected. When a house is built near left which will happen sooner than later, unless the owners are mountain biking freaks, I would hedge my bets that a complaint would be made faster than Jared can do a run of Lefty. Now I know it sounds all doom and gloom so why bother. I think you are on the right track but what needs to be done is that someone should speak with the people who organise events at the mountain bike park in Brisbane. Someone should ask them how they get around the legal issues. Ideally what would be nice is that the council provided us with a parcel of land to develop some tracks on. I tried pursuing this issue several times and several letters to the council later I had no response. Thats not to say the council may not come around on the issue. The mayor is all for sport. The problem is that one voice can never be heard. If you want land to ride on get peoples opinions going to the people that count. Anyway having said all of this I believe what you are trying to do is what I have already had a go at. However one fundamental difference now exists. The Farkin forum can unite mountain bikers much more efficiently than I ever could. I believe Mr Plow, this is your ticket to land access.

I look forward to the social ride keep us posted.
Ryan

 

[Road Rage Ryan]

Mr Plow

One final point you suggested the motto track for the meet. How about Preston. From our past discussions with the Gatton council they seem keen for us to utilise this land. I believe this would be a suitable alternative as it is more reflective of our mountain biking needs. Most of us are already familiar with the area.

Ryan

 

[MrPlow]

I will be posting a response for you all in a few moments :wink:

 

[MrPlow]

Ok, here I go.
Firstly I will introduce myself for anybody who wants to run a background check :lol: (except the ATO :lol: ).
My name is Greg Geldard.
Iam 25 years old.
I am married,(no kids, thank God!) and have lived in Toowoomba almost all my life.
I went to Concordia College (snr 94) And was part of the elite concordia mountain bike club
I have my own drafting consulting business.
I have been racing bikes since the early 90's. My first club was DDCC. Still have my jersey (waay too small now :lol
So there you go... see next post.....

 

[MrPlow]

My involvement with clubs ceased because of all the politics, (bike shops, pesamists, show offs who would sooner leave you in their dust than guide you etc, etc...)

The first thing I must make clear to you all is that I am neither the only instigator of this project, nor am I the main man.

This all came about last Friday after I approached Kerry Cosgrove (I obviously know the olsens, cosgroves and pagie, being involved in riding for this long). My intention was to ask permission to place a petition for land at his shop on behalf of all mountain bikers, with intention to deliver this to council...

Conversation with Kerry quickly changed, as he had been considering aquiring private land for the purpose of mountain biking. His intentions were to get all interested parties together to talk about this subject.

I told him about the Farkin website (which he already knew about), and about how much interest it stirred.. (good on ya Josh and Ty @ Farkin :wink: ) I then placed this poll so WE, the Farkin members could get a group together to represent ouselves at this meeting.

I had (have) some concerns myself about the entire "politics" regarding clubs and bikestores, etc. "Been there, done that". However, after voicing these concerns with Kerry I feel reasonably satisfied. To put it simply, Kerry has told me straight, he does not want to split existing clubs, nor amalgamate them. The intention of this club would simply be to cover running costs, insurance etc, more likely a yearly fee?. This seems to have worked reasonably succesfully in the road riding scene, the rides Bikeline organise on a weekend attract members of other clubs, as well as family and social riders, there seems to be a lack of political crap such as board meetings, presidents etc. These guys just ride and socialise, which sounds good to me, and I have every intention of turning up to one soon :wink:

Please note that while I support Bikelines idea here, I am not trying to push people into buying there, I couldn't care less where you buy, I got my last bike in Bris, and my tyres and kit as well :?

I do believe that this is a good opportunity for all mountain bikers, and we are stupid if we don't at least turn up to see what is going on!

The reason I have not given these details before is two fold...
The first reason is I simply did not have enough information.
The second is I did not want to 'put ppl off' because it was (basically) an initiative of Bikeline. I did not want people dissin the idea because of some lame arse reason like "Bikeline Sux"
Ultimately it really doesn't matter... We need land, thats worth a try to me....Incedently I did reveal bikeline's involvement to a few ppl via PM, including some local prominant riders.. And lets just say I was dissapointed with the response (from one person in particular. You know who you are!!! :roll And Ryan, you can probably relate to the total deflating feeling this gave me

Now, as for this ride, I went and saw Kerry today, he asked me if the 9th of August sounded Ok. I know there is a race on the 10th (I believe??). So please post here if it doesn't suit you. I will also suggest the Preston location, as I believe this would be better as well :wink:
I am going to spurr all the DH/FR guys up and say that I believe the XC guys will outnumber us! Simply because the Road club riders will probably dust of their bikes to support it. Please realise that this land must cater for all people, so if you DH guys are not there, then you only have yourself to blame. :?

Kerry has a fair few contacts with land already, including areas such as Preston, Gormans Gap, as well as land so close to the lefty it Aint funny :wink: (which I checked out a little today). He himself said that the cross country riders are going to be more prominant, as well as easier to satisfy, but he also believes all riders need a place (places) to ride, and wants to see that through...

Finally, I will be asking Kerry to post a reply/thread as well, so you can ask him any questions you want. And please realise, I am not paid by him, nor am I particularly loyal to Bikeline (just ask him ) I just want land. To all you who have expressed support, I am with you guys and gals all the way :wink: And to all you pesimistic people out there who have made this a bit disheartening and filled me with rage at times. I hope you come to your senses and support this too (I am being polite, and refraining from what I really think of you )
Ultimetely, I am just a messenger, it is up to you guys, I don't mind if you don't support this, and don't want to cause a stir either. Basically I just thought you all should know about it. :wink: