by Judy Valachovic, GROC Bike Patrol | Oct 14, 2024 | Program News, Region News
The Genesee Valley Region held its third annual Women’s Mountain Bike Enhancement Seminar at Dryer Road Park, a mountain biking trail network outside of Rochester, NY. This joint event between the Women’s Program and the Bike Program kicked-off with a comprehensive bike safety check, ensuring that all participants were properly equipped and ready to ride. Judy Valachovic organized the day.
The three instructors—Anne Schweighardt and Alexa Harding, part of the local racing and mountain biking scene, as well as Case Morrill, a local rider, instructor, GROC bike patroller, and Bristol Mountain patroller led several team-building exercises to foster a sense of camaraderie and trust among the group. This foundation of safety and teamwork set the tone for an engaging and supportive atmosphere throughout the mountain bike event.
The highlight of the day was two hours of mountain biking instruction and riding led by the three instructors. They carefully designed the instruction to accommodate all experience levels, from beginners to more advanced riders. Each participant had the opportunity to learn new skills, refine their technique, and build confidence on the trails.
After an invigorating ride, they enjoyed a calming yoga session to stretch and relax. The event concluded with a shared lunch, providing a perfect moment for reflection and connection, where participants exchanged stories, celebrated accomplishments, and strengthened the bonds they formed that day.
by Tim Franz, Bike Supervisor | Oct 14, 2024 | Division News, Spotlight Articles
In late September, the Thunder Mountain Bike Patrol hosted the first annual Eastern Division Bike Program Weekend. It was an exciting two days of downhill riding, getting to know other bike patrollers, and learning, including taking the NSP Bike 1 training class.
The weekend opened on Saturday morning with optional non-NSP activities. Thunder Mountain offered participants some great discounts. We, of course, took full advantage of these opportunities by spending the day on the mountain. There was even an NSP-specific lesson where I learned how to ride a sweet jump line (pretty good for a 60-yr old, long-time XC rider!). We met up with other NSP members, assisted the patrol with sweep, and then ended the day with an Eastern Division bike program meeting with the regional advisors who were able to attend.
As you might expect after a great day of riding, the meeting quickly progressed into social time at Thunder Mountain’s Crazy Horse Bar & Grill. Participants and non-participants alike arrived and joined in on the conversation. Some attendees camped out that night and two of us glamped at Patrol Hilltop. More participants arrived on Sunday morning in time for that day’s NSP education programming.
Sunday started with a morning session covering the five modules of the Bike 1 Skills Session. I taught Module 1 which demonstrates the ABCDE-Quick Check and helmet fitting. Kevin Brody of Thunder Mountain taught Module 2 which is about knowing your bike, tools for trailside repair, liability issues, and discussing how e-bikes fit into the bike community. Marc Burdick, the Thunder Mountain PD, taught Module 3 which includes lifting, carrying, and transporting bike patients. Dave Voelxen of GROC Mountain Bike Patrol taught Module 4 giving us an intro to the various different types of patrols and land managers as well as providing a refresher about conducting a scene size up.
Finally, Jason Tamulen of Thunder Mountain led a session about Module 5 where we discussed adaptive cyclists and working with those with diverse abilities. Kevin, a former pro rider and bike mechanic, incorporated a bike maintenance clinic into his session and Marc added a clinic about how to use a one-wheeled litter into Module 3. This clinic was absolutely necessary before we took our afternoon session.
After lunch we rode again! Then, thanks to the incredible support of the entire Thunder Mountain Bike Patrol, we ran two complete scenarios from start to finish which were timed by patrol dispatch. Special thanks go to Jason, Marc, and Kevin who created our afternoon session complete with moulage. Our clock started ticking when Hilltop received a phone call from an injured person on a trail. Dispatch radioed to the bike patrol, and we sent two people to ride to and then size up the scene. The two leads completed their initial assessment and then made their radio call for support. Dispatch released the rest of us and we rode the trail to the scene. They also dispatched two of the patrol’s UTVs (utility terrain vehicle) which could only get close to the scene when using the nearest access road.
The team immediately split, some working on patient care and stabilization while others working to get the necessary equipment from the UTV. We then transported the stabilized patent to the UTV using some tools we learned about that morning, including the one-wheeled litter and vacuum mattress. Both of these were new to everyone outside of TMBP. Finally, we loaded the patient on the UTV. One team member rode in the back to keep the patient stabilized. The rest of us took care of the scene, sent the bikes and helmets down with the other UTV, and rode down to meet the UTV at base first aid. We removed the patient and brought them into the medical center, which is when the dispatcher stopped the clock. The times showed that the team clearly improved when using the one-wheeled litter after the second scenario, which was a much more difficult one.
Overall, it was an exciting weekend filled with excellent learning opportunities mixed with making new friends and spending lots of time on the bike. There will definitely be a second annual Eastern Division Bike Program Weekend next summer, so watch the Eastern Division website and Trail Sweep for information about it.
by Tim Franz, Bike Supervisor | May 1, 2024 | Division News, Program News
Interested in starting a bike patrol in your area? Here’s a list of 10 easy steps to get started.
- Determine what type of patrol your area needs and why.
a. Resort- or park-based, public lands, multi-land manager systems,
b. Paved routes, mountain bike trails, or some combination,
c. Host unit or patrol unit or a hybrid of both.
- Meet with your region director, your region bike advisor, and possibly the National Bike Program advisor.
- Meet with the land manager(s) to discuss the agreement/memorandum of understanding.
- Consider liability issues (such as insurance, etc.).
- From a core group of interested bike patrol members, determine the initial leadership team.
- Complete the NSP patrol application.
- Get signatures (region director, division director, national).
- Write unit bylaws and unit member handbook.
- Create and/or fine tune the leadership structure.
- And finally, recruit and train members.
Reach out to your region advisor or to Tim Franz, the Eastern Division Bike Program Advisor if you have questions.
by Tim Franz, Bike Supervisor | Mar 24, 2024 | Division News, Program News
The NSP Bike Program Committee has been hard at work for the past year on creating education programming for bike patrols.
What Are the Current Classes for Bike Patrols?
Bike Fundamentals Course This course is for people considering joining a bike patrol or those who have just joined. It will help patrol members learn the fundamentals all bike patrollers and bike hosts need to effectively assist others while patrolling. Some of the topics include the types of units, duties and responsibilities of bike patrol units, and how to help others while you are patrolling. You’ll learn the different bike types, basics about extrication, some of the methods of transportation, and finally, by the end of this training you will be able to describe the responsibility of bike areas, venues, and land managers to their patrollers. It’s a brief course and fully online.
Bike 1 Course This course is designed for the entry-level bike patroller or bike host. The content prepares patrollers and hosts for their potential duties and provides a broad knowledge base to start with and build upon with their patrol. Not all topics and information in this course will apply to every patrol or patroller; instead, it will provide a shared foundation for all patrollers or hosts working within the biking context. This course is hybrid; it contains an online course that comes first and then an in-person component.
What’s Coming Next?
Bike 2 Course We’re starting on this one next. It will be for the seasoned bike patroller or host who is seeking to expend their knowledge and skills to advance their capabilities and improve their value to their patrol.
Instructors Needed!
We’re rolling out the Bike 1 course this summer. We’re looking for instructors in each region to get certified to teach Bike 1. For those attending Powderfall, there are several bike patrolling sessions at Powderfall this year, one of which comes from the Eastern Division. Come see us at the bike program sessions if you’re there.
Reach out to your region advisor or to Tim Franz, the Eastern Division Bike Program Advisor if you have questions.
by Tim Franz, Bike Supervisor | Dec 16, 2023 | Division News
As of the fall of 2023, the Eastern Division is working to develop other opportunities for our members, including working on developing its bike program. With bike patrollers and bike hosts serving their community in other areas, this brings considerable visibility to what we do as part of NSP. This provides an opportunity to get more individuals involved in patrolling, renewing the organization, and providing a service to a developing sport.
What is the bike program?
There are different types of bike programs in the division. Some are bike-only units that work in the summer, which is typically the NSP off-season. Some serve alpine patrols that have biking in the summer. Some are stand-alone, lift-served alpine bike patrols that aren’t affiliated with a winter patrol unit. These patrols are proliferating.
The NSP Bike Program aims to identify, implement, and share best practices, develop and expand bike patrolling skills, assist bike patrol and host units with recruitment and retention, and continuously provide value to the NSP organization and its membership.
Who is the new bike program supervisor?
The board appointed Tim Franz, from Genesee Valley to the Bike Program Supervisor position. He comes to the division with 12 years of NSP experience, including positions as patrol director for a bike patrol, an alpine patroller at Bristol Mountain, bike patroller for GROC Mountain Bike Patrol (an International Mountain Bike Association patrol that Tim helped transition to NSP), and OEC instructor.
What’s going to be happening with the bike program?
The bike program is rolling out quite a few new educational programs. If you’re interested in bike patrolling, watch closely for these programs. Only one, bike fundamentals, is available in the LMS so far, but two more hybrid classes should be coming soon. There are several bike patrolling sessions at Powderfall this year, one of which comes from the Eastern Division.
What’s next for the bike program?
You’ll be hearing more about the bike program in the coming months. We’re working to get the program organized and up and running. If you’re interested in more information, please reach out to Tim Franz.
