Despite the colder weather, mountain bikers in Bellingham ride on through the winter, embracing the unique challenges that it brings.
Riders who may be busy during the day with work or school can gather weekly for Wednesday Night Lights rides, offered only in the winter. The rides offer a chance to find community and get on the trail after a work day.
Tighe Burke is the founder of Wednesday Night Lights. Burke moved to Bellingham three years ago and discovered that during the winter, long work days left him unable to ride in the sun.
“I wanted to ride but needed to do it more because I was going a bit crazy,” Burke said. “I started it because I wasn't getting out as much as I wanted to, and riding in the dark by yourself isn't the safest thing to do.”
Burke leads the group rides every Wednesday night at Galbraith Mountain in Bellingham.
“We ride mellower trails, going down a notch in terms of difficulty, but you can still have a lot of fun,” Burke said. “Everything is coming at you faster, and you can only see what your lights can show.”
The Pacific Northwest has wet winters, but that doesn't stop people from riding on Galbraith Mountain.
“We have sandy dirt, which makes it drain well,” Burke said. “A lot of places you can't ride if it's muddy or frozen; here, there's only a few weeks you can't ride.”
Eric Brown, executive director of the Whatcom Mountain Biking Coalition, organizes a lot of the work that keeps Galbraith running through the winter.
“We have paid trail builders that are working on the mountain five to seven days a week,” Brown said via email. “They are instrumental in coordinating efforts without volunteers.”
Volunteers lead work parties throughout the year on Galbraith’s trails.
Certain sections, such as old growth areas on the mountain, require less maintenance. However, the areas that have undergone tree regrowth require more maintenance.
“Those trails are prone to ‘frost heave’ during the winter due to freeze/thaw cycles,” Brown said. “That often makes them extremely muddy and prone to bike tires making ruts in the trails.”
Volunteers and trail crews are essential to keeping the trails maintained year round.
“We have a small army of folks that are out with tools clearing drains, saws cutting blowdown and brushing trails,” Brown said. “There's always been a lot of pride in our community to keep the trails cleared and running well.”
While the trails at Galbraith tend to hold up well into the winter, sometimes riding just isn’t possible.
“It rains a lot in the winter, and as a result, the trails get pretty soggy,” said Isaiah Goldstein, head of the Western Mountain Biking Club, via email. “Rain ruts tend to form.”
When the trails are dry — or dry enough — Goldstein has endured the elements to participate in Wednesday Night Lights.
“They’re pretty fun. When you ride at night and use lights, you're very focused on the trail,” Goldstein said. “It’s a unique way of riding familiar trails.”
Beck Hanson (he/him) is a junior at WWU working towards his journalism (public relations) degree. He is a sports reporter for The Front. In his free time, he enjoys skiing at Mt. Baker. You can reach him at beckhanson.thefront@gmail.com
