Pedaling the Human Powered Trails in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

A happy group poses for the camera before the hard work begins.
As part of "Step 9: Developing a Construction Plan" (from IMBA's 10 steps of design) Mark made a sketch of the proposed turn. Pictures often speak louder than words when trying to communicate ideas to your volunteers.
Dan and Mike work at shaping the steel drain to make it safe and easy to ride over.
While some volunteers worked at building the berm, others set to work bench cutting, and armoring sections with rock.
When finished, the bermed corner measured 24 feet in diameter and allowed riders to maintain their speed around the turn.
After your ride, take a short road trip to the nearby town of Sparta - "The Bicycling Capitol of America" - and visit the Space and Bicycle Museum. From wooden rims to the first set of clipless pedals, it will give you an appreciation for the advancement of the modern-day bike!

It's Wisconsin's best-kept secret. The Human Powered Trails, in the City of La Crosse, boast over 6 miles of brand new singletrack that will make even the most fit riders perspire. Though only 120 acres, the Human Powered Park is blessed with quad-burning, lung-searing topography, and tremendous views of 3 states from the top.

The trails were the vision of the La Crosse Velo Club. Over the last 2 years the club has built all of their trails by hand, using only the IMBA Building Better Trails book and the IMBA website as resources. Needless to say, they've done a fantastic job; but they still had some questions for Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders Mark Schmidt and Lora Woolner when they came to teach their Trailbuilding School in May. This was the basis for a fun and challenging project.

Unique terrain and limited resources required an innovative solution to a common problem: how to lose elevation over a short distance. A change in direction was required, but the hillside was too steep for a climbing turn and materials weren't available for a proper rolling-crown switchback. Since the trail was unidirectional, this presented the perfect opportunity for a bermed corner - full NASCAR style.

An existing steel drain, leftover from the days when the land was used for experimental spillways research, became the key to making the corner sustainable. Without proper drainage before and after the turn, a bermed corner would only direct water onto the trail where it would accelerate erosion. Though a natural drain would work just as well, with the help of Mark and Lora, members of the La Crosse Velo Club were able to use remnants of the old experimental drain to their advantage.

Using rock for the outer wall, and gravel for the inside drain, the final product was a porous dirt bank that was designed to shed water. Both functional and fun, a bermed corner is a terrific way to lose elevation on a mountain bike specific trail. Stay tuned to the IMBA website for information on how to build your own bermed corner that drains.

A special thanks to Smith's Cycling and Fitness for hosting the "Ride Around the World with IMBA slide show", and to Ovation for providing the facilities for the Trailbuilding School.