Electric Bikes Cleared For Trails
Well, it finally happened, and I’m not talking about my wife’s she-shed catching on fire. On August 29, 2019 the Secretary of the Interior signed order #3376 into effect, making it law. If your name’s not Siri, you’ll probably need a little help with what exactly order #3376 is. Well, lucky for you I know a guy who just slogged through it and is ready to summarize (spoiler: it’s me).
Order #3376 in a nutshell: electric bicycles (all classes) are now allowed on public lands.
Yes, those electric bicycles. Remember when last year BLM sent out a frantic clarification “reminder” stating that electric bicycles were only allowed on motorized vehicle paths and not public lands designated for non-motorized ones? Yeah, I do too. So, what changed?
Well, the bicycle industry as a whole is in a three-year 13 percent sales slump. Obesity, particularly among America’s youth, is climbing faster than a squirrel being chased by a dachshund, and electric bikes saw an 89 percent sales increase in 2018.
I imagine the Secretary of the Interior (Mr. David Bernhardt) looked at the writing on the wall and thought that something had to be done (and maybe the writing on the wall literally said, “David, you have to do something!”). His decision was met with immediate fanfare, holding of hands, celebratory and completely-free-of-awkwardness hugs, and an impromptu parade, the star of which was a dachshund named Mimi who rode a purple unicycle.
I wish.
Outrage. The decision was met with outrage!
“The electric bicycle will destroy our trails!”
“The decision will flood our trails with inexperienced riders!”
“You have to earn the downhill!”
“Flying up-hill at 28mph is dangerous!”
Okay, so some of that is completely valid. Adding more speed and people to trails will inevitably not make them safer.
But, is there anything to be gained by allowing these rolling fire-hazards on our peaceful paths?
More riders increases awareness of our sport which leads to more hands helping on trail workdays, and more voices urging our lawmakers to keep land allocated for our “use and enjoyment” (part of the BLM’s mission statement).
This order, coupled with the growing success of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association’s push to get youths to put their screens down and pick up handlebars, could prove to be a powerful combination. If your kid is riding a 30-pound bike up a hill and they weigh 45 pounds, they are pedaling 66 percent of their body weight. Yeah, you wouldn’t be screaming to hit the trails either if you had to schlep a 120-pound bike up every hill at 18 Road.
Electric bikes could empower kids to crave the outdoors, to fall in love with the adrenaline, endorphins, fresh air and bruises that come with mountain biking. Kids are the future and not just of the sport, they are THE FUTURE with a period. The future.
Also, your grandparents could join the family on a weekend ride without having to feel scared or ashamed of not being able to keep up. Perk!
Sure, as with all new decisions there’ll be some growing pains, but, let’s not blow the wings off this chicken before it has the chance to flap a few times. I love my sport and I want to infect as many people as I can with its challenges and joys. Electric bicycles might be the magic key that opens the “No, thank you,” door locked by many objectors. Then again … maybe I’m wrong and this is the beginning of the end. Sigh. Well, no matter the outcome, I’m in it for the ride and I’ll keep smiling and encouraging every single person I meet on trail… regardless of their kit.