Nathan Burrell is the kind of man who wants to see things done right. For the rapidly growing number of Richmond trail users, that's a good thing.
Burrell is the man responsible for overseeing the design and maintenance of the city's trails. Officially he is the trail manager for the Richmond Department of Parks and Recreation. Unofficially he is the go-to guy for the startling level of work done on our trails, most of which is done under his supervision by groups of local volunteers affiliated with the Richmond Area Mid-Atlantic Off-road Enthusiasts (RAMORE) and the James River Outdoor Coalition (JROC).
The RAMORE crew are mountain bikers, some more hardcore than others. The JROC volunteers are a mix of hikers, kayakers, mountain bikers and others. Neither group is terribly large, but the quality and industriousness of their work has made Richmond's urban trail network world-class. No less than the globetrotting professional XTERRA trail runners and mountain bikers rave about them.
"It has been done not just right," says Burrell, who is consulted by urban trail developers around the country, "It has been done the way experienced pros say it should be done."
"Our trails are multi-use trails," he adds. "The mountain bikers do the yeoman's work of it all, but they are not the only users. It's a community-owned system."
Burrell estimates there are currently 30 miles of connected or closely connected trails available for recreational purposes in Richmond's city parks including the James River Park, Bryan Park, Pony Pasture Park, Dorey Park and others. His goal is to double that number -- with some road connections -- to 60 miles of trails in the near future. He envisions a connection out to the trail system by Powhite Creek that would offer users a huge variety of environments and scenery. "The unique thing about us being in this urban environment is you can mix it up he says."
Helmet Give-Away
RAMORE will be teaming up with the Virginia Department of Health to give away free bike helmets at the Crocs Lifestyle Village that will be created on Brown's Island on June 14th at the James River Adventure Games presented by Dominion.
"Last year in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health, Division of Injury and Violence Prevention we fitted 426 helmets," said Malissa Hundley, who is coordinating the helmet giveaway for Richmond-MORE. "This year they have donated more, and we are hoping to fit 500 helmets for kids and adults."
Tunes for Trails
GREEN GIANT is playing a benefit show at Capital Alehouse (Downtown at 7th & Main) to raise money for materials and equipment for building/maintaining the James River Trails on Friday, July 25th. Tickets are $5 and all money raised will be donated to RAMORE.
Mike McCormick, the communications director for the Sports Backers, moved to Richmond a year ago from Washington, D.C., where he spent four years working for the White House Press Office. He is a former national champion whitewater kayaker and father of two.