MCMBA: Settlers Park (Hartland)

[Hermannator]

Loop 2 is officially open. It is real bumpy in the field sections but will wear in. Loop 1 is roughly a year old and has smoothed out real well so we hope the same for loop 2. If not then we will do some shovel work this fall. It is 3,1 miles in length and much more hilly than Loop 1 with more technical features. Now the total mileage for the park is about 5.2 miles. Hoping to get Loop 3 done by next year to bring the mileage up to over 6 miles. Feel free to ride it and wear it in!

[joemel08]

Rode loop two yesterday, ouch...LOL Fun in the wooded section of loop 2. Loop one is broken in very nicely

[Citori_cx]

Doesn't seem hunting would be legal there but there is a tree stand?? Loop 1 was fun [emoji16]. May try loop 2 today.

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[Hermannator]

The tree stand on loop 1 has been abandoned for a few years now. That wooded section was isolated from the rest of the park until we built the trail (it was really thick back there) so I think one of the the locals who lived accessed it from the nearby subdivision and poached there. There are two more tree stands along the edge of loop 2 along the edge of the park land. One is obviously abandoned and the other belongs to an neighbor who apparently used that part of the park as a personal hunting area. The tree stand is on his property by a few feet. Again it was in a area that was not accessible until we cut the trail there. He expressed his displeasure to me about the trail being built there and all but admitted that he used to hunt there. But the trail is on township land with no hunting. If you do see evidence of hunting out there please report it to the township. Glad you enjoyed loop 1. Keep riding loop 2 and wear it in!

[Citori_cx]

The tree stand on loop 1 has been abandoned for a few years now. That wooded section was isolated from the rest of the park until we built the trail (it was really thick back there) so I think one of the the locals who lived accessed it from the nearby subdivision and poached there. There are two more tree stands along the edge of loop 2 along the edge of the park land. One is obviously abandoned and the other belongs to an neighbor who apparently used that part of the park as a personal hunting area. The tree stand is on his property by a few feet. Again it was in a area that was not accessible until we cut the trail there. He expressed his displeasure to me about the trail being built there and all but admitted that he used to hunt there. But the trail is on township land with no hunting. If you do see evidence of hunting out there please report it to the township. Glad you enjoyed loop 1. Keep riding loop 2 and wear it in!

I have road loop 2 twice now. It isn't too bad other than the last mile. When you come out of the woods into the swampy area it is pretty rough from there on. It's a good workout and close to home so I definitely plan to do my part riding it in [emoji16]

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[Hermannator]

Citori_cx Thanks. Rototilled a couple of the most abusive sections today including the tail end of that section you speak of. Going to rent a bigger rototiller for that swamp section and the area between the birches and the colorful bridge. We have a few more wood/rock features planned as well as an upcoming Loop 3 we want to start building when it gets frosty and the vegetation dies off. Loop 3 will make the system 6-6.5 miles long. PM me if you are local and want to help. Name is Tom.

[Hartland_MTB-er]

Hello, I've rode (and ran) the Settlers Park trail a few times. I appreciate that there is a nearby trail, and the effort that was put into the design and construction of the trail. I had a nasty fall three weeks ago. I'd like the elevated wood ramps to be more safe.

Three weeks ago I was riding the trail, and rode over the elevated wood ramp. My front tire went off the side of the wood ramp, I spun forward because my rear bike tire was still on the ramp, and fell directly onto my head. I broke two bones in my vertebrae in my neck, and two in my vertebrae in my upper back. On that day I was at the hospital for 6 hours, and am currently in the neck/back brace for about three more weeks. The hospital bill (before insurance) was $13,000.

Obviously mountain biking is a risky sport. But in my opinion these ramps were both poorly designed and there should be significant warning signs.

What can be done?

[WICCMB]

Hello, I've rode (and ran) the Settlers Park trail a few times. I appreciate that there is a nearby trail, and the effort that was put into the design and construction of the trail. I had a nasty fall three weeks ago. I'd like the elevated wood ramps to be more safe.

Three weeks ago I was riding the trail, and rode over the elevated wood ramp. My front tire went off the side of the wood ramp, I spun forward because my rear bike tire was still on the ramp, and fell directly onto my head. I broke two bones in my vertebrae in my neck, and two in my vertebrae in my upper back. On that day I was at the hospital for 6 hours, and am currently in the neck/back brace for about three more weeks. The hospital bill (before insurance) was $13,000.

Obviously mountain biking is a risky sport. But in my opinion these ramps were both poorly designed and there should be significant warning signs.

What can be done?

I'm sorry that you hurt yourself....but these features were NOT poorly designed. You need to ride within your ability level, and when attempting something you haven't done before you need to exercise judgement and caution. Did you look the feature over before trying to ride it? Was the feature wet when you rode it (did you slide off)?

[Rider]

Ouch... sorry to hear this as well. It's always hard to hear about such injuries as we all put ourselves in danger while riding, and it could very well be one of us in the hospital. I was just out at Settlers 2 days ago. First time I have been able to ride the new features and actually get a good look at them. Having said that, they appear to be very well constructed. A couple of the features are somewhat advanced, and it's the cyclists responsibility to actually get off his or her bike and assess if they are capable of riding them or not. Take the time to stop and actually get off bikes to walk around and look for viable lines and areas to bail if *beep* goes south. As harsh or not caring as it sounds, it's one of the rules of the trail. I don't think the wood ramp has any design flaws, as I spent some time playing on it. The large rock pile by the playground was probably my favorite feature and took a couple runs to actually get over safely. There are go-arounds for all of the features and skill areas at Settlers for those who choose to not to take any risks. Island Lake is another great local trail that is a bit more tame and more developed. Hopefully you have a speedy recovery and can back on two wheels soon.

Rider

[Loren]

Sorry about your injuries, and glad you got great care and are on the mend!

Each time I hear of an injury, I stop and reflect about why I ride and why I build trail. There are great risks and rewards in mountain biking. On the risk side, I've had several injuries. Sometimes they come from taking chances, but my most significant injury (a shattered wrist stitched back together with plates and screws) came from a fall during a moment of inattention at Lakeshore Park on a corner I'd taken 1,000 times before. You just never know. On the reward side, mountain biking has saved me. After decades of being a potato writing software at a desk, I'm in the best shape of my life. I compare how I feel after a 40 mile ride to my neighbors and friends who get winded just mowing their lawns, and it feels like life and adventure has opened up to me and anything is possible. Stir in the friendships I've made mountain biking and vacations I've taken to epic trails, and I get teary eyed just thinking about it. That's why I build trail. I'd like everyone to have the opportunity to discover this sport, to conquer their fears, to progress building new skills and abilities, to have adventure, to build lasting friendships. Still, the risks are real, and we have to use our wits and skill to make every ride a safe one.

We've talked about this incident with the Settlers Park trail coordinator and within the MCMBA board. While we are not entirely sure which particular feature was involved, we have reviewed all the features and confirmed that features are solid and appropriate to a trail like this. There are bypasses to everything, and every line is a rider choice. "Look before you ride" signs are at the entrance to each feature (next to the split between the ride-around line and the feature entrance). As Hartland Township completes trail maps, we will work with them to ensure that the features are identified and their difficulty levels noted.

If you would like to discuss this further, or have ideas about how to improve Settlers, feel free to email the MCMBA board at board@mcmba.org. You can also reach out to me if you'd like to talk. PM for a phone number.

Glad to hear you are on the road to recovery and hope you continue to make good progress! Looking forward to meeting you on the trails.

[Hartland_MTB-er]

Hello, everyone, I appreciate the kind words, and the wishes for a fast recovery. The date of my fall was on May 2nd. I walked back to the wooden ramps on Thursday June 4, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the safety of the wooden ramp had already been improved. Some specific observations on the second wooden "hill" were that the incline and decline angles were more gradual (less steep), that the overall height appeared to be slightly lowered, and that the wooden boards near the top of these ramps were wider. A nearby trail rider had also thought the ramp conditions were dangerous on May 2nd, and that there had been safety improvements since then. To whomever had made these changes to improve rider safety: I appreciate it!

Just like you, I also love mountain biking, and glad that myself and sons are in the sport. I have rode thousands of miles on local roads and mountain bike trails (Milford, Island Lake, Lake Shore, Settlers Park, Poto, Highland, Brighton Rec) and thoroughly enjoy it.

My problem with this six foot tall feature is the significant spine injury that can occur from a fall: I think the most common mechanism for a fall is for the front wheel to roll off the ramp, the rear wheel to momentarily stay on, and for the rider to rotate forward landing on their head. In all of these trails that I've ridden I'm not aware of any features that are elevated off the ground to this height. Additionally any areas that are "expert areas" are appropriately marked, from my recent observations at Milford and Lake Shore.

To Loren, I will reach out to privately to you. Thank you for contacting me.