Freeride Oklahoma




A little blast from the past...

August 16th 2008

Found this on my computer today. Some of you have seen it already, some have not. This is a video us Tulsa boys made a while back. Most of the riding was done in 2005 I believe. Just thought I would share, it about 40mins, so I don't suggest watching at work!


Born2Ride from Steve Mullen on Vimeo.

Good things happening in Oklahoma Freeride

August 14th 2008

It looks like the freeride movement is finally picking up speed here in Oklahoma, now there is not just an intrest but things are actually getting done. It all seemed to start with the small freeride movement at Turkey Mountain in Tulsa. Nate Nelson was a one man show building stunts simply because no one else had and he loved the sport. Over time a few more of us found Nate, built more stuff and started this website (formerly tulsafreeriders.com) Now there is a strong movement of riders in the OKC area that are setting the stage to what could become a very popular biking destination. Below I am listing a few of the new projects to keep an eye out on.

The Yukon Project

The Yukon project was a joint effort between Chad Mullen of Norman and Clifton Sisk of Mustang, OK. The proposal is to build mountain bike trails on the same land as the Yukon BMX Track. Phase one is planned to include, table top lines, a pump track, and a skills course. A grant has been given and work should start soon on that project. You can follow the progress of this project here: The Yukon Project

The New Draper

Draper is changing and so is the OEF. Now when you visit Draper you will have something besides your usual flat smooth ride. Here are comments from Ryan Delong, one of the members heading up this project.

Hey guys....been a while! Glad to see you guys are still at it and very cool that you've incorporated the entire state into your name! Very Happy

You're right, this has been talked about for a long time. By a stroke of luck, the OEF has the right people in place, doers instead of talkers, that are willing to pony up the funds and manpower to get this done. Thanks to a group of about 9 or 10 different people over the course of about 230 man hours (no shit), the playground area has been designated, cleared, and construction has begun.

So far, everything at Draper is going well and as planned. Our initial thoughts were to keep phase one pretty quiet until we were finished (just like Mart said, too many cooks can be problematic). Also, there are so many people that doubted it would ever be done, we felt we needed to prove our committment before we expected or wanted a bunch of people to jump on board. We were never trying to exclude anyone, more attempting to prove ourselves. To date, the OEF has never done anything of this magnitude, but I feel confident in saying that we've done our research and constructed them correctly...built to last.

The two rollers (that we'd like to turn into jumps) and berm were constructed out of the only dirt available in the area...which is more sand than actual dirt. We dug a 5 foot deep pond trying to locate better soil, but to no avail. We'll see how they hold up in the short-run, but are considering alternative armoring methods to increase sustainability. If anyone has any ideas, please forward them to my email address found below.

The future of the "playground area" looks bright and we have a lot of improvements planned...including a few jump lines for you. If you've seen video's or pics of Ray's Indoor MTB Park, check out their skills areas (like the MOEN deck); multiple lines, skinnies, teeters, obstacles, bridges, stunts and jump lines, for all capabilities of riders. My brothers and I went earlier in the year to scope this out, and I'd like to closely replicate the concept out at at Draper.

As for the club itself, the OEF is a new beast: new people, new attitude, and new focus: the trails and community. We're handing off the Tour De Dirt (xc racing) next year to focus on what the club was established to do which is , among other things, be advocates of the sport through the construction, maintainence, and improvement of the trails we manage. The OEF historically lost sight of that, but the new blood is absolutely committed to it.

As for finishing phase one, we have a few more things to do. One (and the most important in my opinion) is put up signage, which I'm currently working with IMBA on to figure out the correct wording of our warnings. Anyone have any pics or descriptions of the Slaughter Pen signs? Secondly, we need to deck the structure, which could happen this weekend...weather permitting. A few willing souls could go far, but it's not extremely difficult work...nothing like lifting those poles into place! If you're interested in helping or have some input regarding the signs or dirt-work, feel free to email me at the address below.

Good to see some positive reinforcement from knowledgable and reputable people! I look forward to working with some of you to bring some of these trails up to par and put our state on the map!

Ryan DeLong (yep...back from the dead)

For a few pics of the project, go here http://www.flickr.com/photos/29239393@N05/



FRO Calendar, Upcoming Events

August 13th 2008

Alright, we have some dates coming up to be aware of, first of all Joe F. (skin6061) is getting married this Saturday the 16th.

We are taking a day trip out to Slaughter Pen this Sunday the 17th to ride their all mountain trails and the bike park. check out http://progressivetraildesign.wordpress.com for some updated pics.

Lake jumping needs to happen soon. How about Saturday the 30th?

Devil's Den downhill is September 13th and 14th, mark that one down for sure, it would be great if we had a good OK showing.

Then It's gonna start cooling down before you know it, so Tulsa boys, it's time to get your build on again.

Forum is back up!

July 28th 2008

Sorry for the downtime! No go post away!

Forum down for the moment

July 23rd 2008

Changing some things around, should be back up soon.

A long ways off but.....

May 6th 2008

Haro's New DJ/Park Bikes

April 25th 2008

Haro is releasing two new DJ/Park bikes, basically cr-mo versions of the Threads with nicer parts spec, 20mm Marz DJ Fork, sun rims, bmx 3 piece cranks, syncros bar and stem... well, see for yourself... click an image for full view.

SCOTT ALLEN'S CHILDRENS EDUCATION FUND

Scott leaves his wife, 5 year old son, and unborn daughter in his passing. There has been a fund set up in their name, please help them out with anything you can in this time of need. Thank you.

The Children of Scott M. Allen Memorial Education Fund
Account #518001674273
Bank of America
P.O. Box 31900
Tampa, Fl 33631

Scott Allen Rememberence Gathering service

As many of you already know, Scott Allen passed away at 6am April 15th, there will be a remebering service for him saturday the 19th. Details below.

Saturday, the 19th of April
Amos Family Funeral Home
10901 S Johnson Dr
Shawnee Mission KS 66203
913-631-5566
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Here is the link to his obituary and bank information for donations...
http://www.amosfamily.com/scottallen.html

Rider Down

April 13th 2008

Scott Allen (SKA-T) was involved in a horrible accident after having a heart attack and flipping his Jeep. Scott is from Kansas but we consider him one of our own and is truly one of the nicest guys you will meet. Scott is in the hospital right now fighting for his life. Here is the story from Vanessa, Nate "Cooter Brown"'s wife:

Nate and I went to see Ska-T at the hospital and he was WAY WORSE than i ever expected, yet nate invisioned him worse and thought it was much better than he had expected.

He apparently was at the movie theater and became OVERWHELMINGLY sick, he left and went home, where he laid down... while laying down, he felt the same thing again, except this time it was a radiating pain that went down his neck also. This scared him so he called jen at work and she told him to wait there and she would be home to take him to the ER... He apparently got scared enough and decided to drive himself. While driving to the hospital, he must have experienced it again, but this time lost consciousness and lost control of his vehicle, flipping his jeep.

His chest must have hit his steering wheel hard enough to have caused both of his lungs to collapse and he has some bleeding behind his spleen. He has bilateral chest tubes, a nasogastric tube (down his nose), a feeding tube (down his nose), a ventilator (breathing for him down his throat), a central line (in his chest for medication administration / permanent IV) and a foley catheter... He was not conscious, but did open his eyes (possibly involuntarily) while we were visiting him. He has TONS AND TONS of tubes and lines pumping meds in him and mucus and other shit out of him... it is HORRIFIC. He is also running a fever and his blood sugars are running REALLY HIGH

Neurologically, it is hard to tell what kind of damage was done to the brain, but he was without oxygen for a LONG TIME... he was coding in the ER for over 2 hrs... that is BAD... most doctors would give up after 30-40 mins... THANK GOD, this doctor didnt give up! I want to hug his neck!

It is sooo hard to see someone who is sooo strong and amazing, laying there so helpless and weak. it breaks my heart!

His Wife Jen is due in June with their baby girl and Riley is son is 5-1/2...

Please keep them all in your prayers... esp Scott, as we are HONESTLY not sure he will make it thru this... Jen said it didnt look good at all... im praying and beleiving differently!

hug your wife and kids tonight

Venessa

New Old Feature at Turkey

March 10th 2008

This past Saturday we took down the un-safe "Monkey Bars" and turned it into a nice table top. Having a table is good for riders of all levels. It allows you to work up to jumping further if you are not used to jumping. It wont win any craftsmanship awards but its solid and fun.

New Website Sneak Preview

March 7th 2008

More on Turkey Mountain Re-Zoning!

By: Cycledichotomy

I would encourage anyone and everyone to send an e-mail to the following groups/people.

Write the letter anyway you want, but I would focus on five main themes:

Environmental Concerns: I would talk about destruction of green space and the increase in storm water runoff that could accelerate trail erosion.

Ecological Concerns: Displacement of wildlife. Animals would be left vulnerable as they would now have to migrate into the mountain biking/hiking/equestrian area.

Congestion Concerns: Increasing traffic into that area could lead to congestion and/or bicycle/pedestrian-auto collisions.

User Conflict Concerns: Will development interests and mountain biking/hiking/equestrian users be in conflict over land use in the adjacent properties (eventually this will likely happen)?

Aesthetics: At this moment you have a little paradise in a big city; do you want the trailhead or drive to the trail to be littered with Òbig boxÓ retail outlets?

Additionally, if you are not a citizen of Tulsa, let the groups now how often you make the trip to Turkey Mountain, and your economic impact (IE., I buy $30 worth of gas in Tulsa, spend $10 on food, etc.)

Turkey Mountain Re-Zoning!

The city is looking to re-zone a large section (50+) acres of the Turkey Mountain area from 61st and alongside Highway 75. Although this section does not directly affect our stunt area or most of the trails at Turkey, it is still a great threat. As development grows in that area popularity to the land will increase. The more popular the area and the more the land is worth will inevitably lead to the city selling out for mass economical growth. If we make our voices heard early we might still have time to put a stop to this. I will try to compile a list of contacts that you can call and let them know your concerns about this issue. Let's not let our one of a kind riding are go away! Click here to download a PDF that outlines the proposal for the land.

Progressive Trail Design Website up.

The guys that built Slaughter Pen Freeride Park have been busy guys. They have a new website and are planning phase two for Slaughter Pen. Check out there blog for more information about the second phase. It looks like it is going to be awesome. Below is an email I recieved from Woody or PTD.

Please take a brief moment to check out a new and unique trail building company created in the Fall of 2007. Progressive Trail Design, LLC is a trail building company that designs, installs, and maintains sustainable multi-use trails. Our diverse team of trailbuilders specialize in providing cutting-edge recreation opportunities; BMX tracks, freeride/dirt jump bike parks, ATV/Motocross trails, and downhill MTB courses. PTD is dedicated to providing people with an unparalleled riding experience that meets the demands of all genres of biking. Please check us out at www.progressivetraildesign.com (Be sure to check out our BLOG for project updates)

March 1st Downhill Update

Looks like we will be rolling out to Devils Den Saturday morning, March 1st. We will shuttle the downhill trail all afternoon and hopefully stop by Slaughter Pen in Bentonville on the way home. If you are interested in going let us know in the forum Here are a few visuals to get you pumped.




Seasons Trailer

The next film from the Collective has released a trailer, looks like it is going to be even better then the previous two!



Alright, it's ON! March 1st Downhillin

Don't know the where yet, but the when is Saturday March 1st. We will be heading somewhere for some "extreme" bike riding. If you have never tried out some good ol' shuttle runs with us, now is your chance to come out and shred. We have giving you plenty of notice, no excuses. Don't have a DH bike? Come anyway, drive the shuttle, and we might just let you ride one of our bikes if your cool.

Wall Ride Finally Complete!

Holy crap! That only took a few years. The wall ride has been our longest ongoing project ever! It's not completely finished as we plan to make an easy line around the bottom, but it is indeed ridable, just don't go slow! Read More