ACTION ALERT: SAVE $1.7M worth of pathway funding!

ACTION ALERT: We need you to act THIS WEEK to save $1.7M pathway funding!

Here at Fitzgerald’s Bicycles nothing is more important to us than Building our Community and Growing Cycling. Right now we have a wonderful opportunity to do both, or to have both disappear at a final hurdle.

How the funding is threatened: The City of Victor was awarded $1.7 million dollars through the Federal Lands Access Program to build a paved pathway from Moose Creek to the Idaho/Wyoming border on the north/east side of Hwy 33 east of Victor. The award came with the condition that the City of Victor matches just over $120,000 in cash. The City along with Teton County Idaho, private individuals and a grant from the Community Foundation of Teton Valley were able to raise all but $100,000. To make up the remainder, the City of Victor was encouraged to apply for a $100,000 matching grant from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Commission (LHTAC). They were encouraged to do so from LHTAC as they have a program that is geared specifically for matching federal grants.

That application is now in Jeopardy of not being funded.

The application is being presented to the LHTAC commissioners this week and a majority of the staff does not want to use the funds on a pathway project vs. a road project. Needless to say, we are very concerned about losing this grant and the $1.7 Million Dollars for our community.

In addition, Teton County Wyoming is applying for a grant to build the following pathway section from State Line to Coal Creek. However, they will not apply for the funding if the Idaho section is unfunded.

How you can ACT: There are several actions you can take to contact the commissioners before they meet this week, we have bulleted them below, please take a few minutes to act on whichever feels most comfortable to you.

• Email JFlatz@lhtac.org Jerry Flatz, Federal-Aid Area Manager
• Email lhtac@lhtac.org Dan Shaeffer, Chairman, LHTAC

• Call 208-344-0565 Dan Shaeffer, Chairman, LHTAC

Please feel free to copy and paste this form letter into any emails you send, and add your own personal touches.

Thank you for your support on this issue and we look forward to seeing you on our new pathway.

Fat Bike Events: Build Community / Advance Advocacy

We take it for granted sometimes. You get on your Mountain Bike and go for a ride. Simple. Well it wasn’t always that way. In the late 80′s / early 90′s Mountain Bikers gathered for grass routes events that brought the tribe together and showed land managers that this new user group was important and needed to be recognized. Over time the sport grew and these “races” lost their vibe and became athletic hammer fest events. Old school MTBers look back longingly at those early days and say… man, those were the days!

Well here we are again, a new sport, a new set of access issues, same great vibe! Fat biking has emerged from obscurity and is now being paid attention to by the population at large. But access issues persist and the need for community building, grass routes events is greater than ever. Over the next two weekends the Greater Teton Region will be hosting two amazing examples of events created for the rider. not the event promoter. No matter if you are a racer or not, an advanced rider or a someone new to Fat Biking, come out and show your support for cycling, for community building, and for the Fat tire revolution!

Below are the event details and please email back directly if you have any questions at all.

Cheers,
Scott<at>FitzgeraldsBicycles.com

JayP’s Fat Pursuit

Togwotee Winter Classic

‘Tis the Season to Keep It Local, Yokels!

Is this a motley crew or what?!? It’s an image of the Fitzgerald’s staff (minus Michael and me) taken by one of our customers, local photographer, Jonathan Selkowitz. We are gearing up for Black Friday and the upcoming Holiday Buying Season. Teton County, ID and Teton County, WY are devoid of any Walmarts or Targets or Best Buys, but it is a given that there will be lots of sales starting Friday in both valleys. What does this mean? This means that we all have a great opportunity, right here and now, to spend our money locally.

What does “Keep It Local” really mean? It means (more…)

Spring is here!!

Salsa Tech Talk: Fat Bike Drivetrain Rear Tire Capacity

2014 Mukluk Ti

With the fat bike season fully in swing, there’s been a lot of chatter about rear end spacing and what size tire can fit into these big rigs. Well, thankfully, the folks at Salsa have written up a tidy little piece about how to determine what fits each bike best. (Their explanation is well written and quite easy to follow, even for those of us who are less technically inclined.) Read here to get yourself fully up to speed!

Great Pathway news in Jackson!

Thanks to Friend’s of Pathways for this IMPRESSIVE updates on Game Creek, North Pathway 89, and Path22!

Game Creek Bridge Project Underway  During the month of September, the trail crew has been hard at work replacing bridges and restoring trail in the Game Creek Drainage. Many of the bridges in this area were showing signs of their age by rotting and flexing. Additionally, some of the portions of Middle Game Creek Trail were aligned too close to the creek, resulting in washout and flooding in the early spring. Last year, Friends of Pathways was awarded a grant for this project from the Recreational Trails Program through the Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources. This summer, the trail crew set to work pre-cutting lumber and transporting tools and lumber to the site. Once the boards were in Game Creek, the real fun could begin. Each board, weighing over 20 lbs, was transported from the top of the Game Creek Road to the bridge site. The crew had two fantastic volunteer groups to help with the project: Jackson Hole Community School students and the BTNF Fire Crew. The amount of lumber they transported for each of the bridges was impressive! During the second week, the crew had the help of mini-x to move fill dirt for turnpikes and to carve a new trail out of the hill adjacent to the road. The higher placement of this new trail, will help to keep it dry and erosion free.

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Fitzy’s Bike Team News: P2P Race Report from Gabe

Gabe’s Race Report for the Point to Point, Park City, August 2013

This was my fourth time competing in this race and the fifth year for the race. Each year the course changes just enough to keep you on your toes. This years course was advertised to “flow” better than ever. Often in these endurance races I find myself underpacing and leaving a little gas in the tank at the finish. As an experiment I wanted to make sure the tank was empty before I crossed the finish line. The early pace I held likely caused me to miss a turn about 30 miles into the ride.

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