"My goal was to help just one person....and it would have been worth it. Well you all surpassed it again." Frank Harms

I pulled in to Allaire State Park’s Hospital Road lot at 9 a.m., a full hour before the scheduled start of the second Beginners Skill Clinic hosted by the Allaire Trail Users Group (ATUG), a chapter of JORBA, the Jersey Off-Road Bicycle Association. Not so much to my surprise, Frank Harms and Mike Flatley had already set up the event and were kicking back eating breakfast.

I unpacked, grabbed a bagel and coffee, and thought back to the first clinic early this summer. The weather that day was wet and dreary, where this morning was clear and crisp, almost too good to be true. Perfect riding weather. The first clinic was attended by 14 riders despite the weather, this clinic had 25.

The clinic began with a “classroom” style lecture by Wally Tunison. Wally is the owner of The Bicycle Hub of Marlboro and a long time cycling advocate and Allaire rider. Wally was instrumental in the creation of ATUG and is responsible in part for keeping the trails open at Allaire. Wally discussed topics such as proper bike safety and fit, trail etiquette, cycling advocacy and most importantly having fun while riding. Wally’s professional and enthusiastic style of teaching was appreciated by the participants and coaches alike.

Frank Harms was next to address the crowd. Frank has been with ATUG since the beginning, and shares with Wally responsibility for keeping the trails open and in great shape. Frank coordinates all of the trail building and maintenance at Allaire, and organized the clinics. Frank is an unsung hero of these trails. You would never know how much effort he puts into them by talking to him, but you would definitely walk away a bit more stoked about riding. He has a passion for riding I have seldom seen before.

Frank began with slow speed handling through cones set up in the lot. The riders were coached and offered suggestions by Frank and the crew, and the cones were gradually moved closer until they challenged even the most experienced of the bunch.

The riders were then split into small groups and assigned coaches. Mike Flatley, National Mountain Bike Patroller and Monmouth County Parks Volunteer Coordinator, took lead with a small group of students. Mike has also been around MTB advocacy in New Jersey since the early days, and is as passionate about advocacy as Frank is about riding.

The other coaches, all highly motivated and skilled riders from the local area, were Tony Caprio, Ferdie Araga, Dave Reinhold, Jessica Hoeverman, Jason Chamiak and Jon Abramou. They took the time to encourage, motivate and teach the students and are true ambassadors of our sport. More than one of them was overheard saying that they had more fun as instructors than the folks who attended.

The riders set out from the lot with their coaches and quickly tackled the first challenge, a short but deceivingly difficult climb strewn with roots. Riders were first given tips to clear it, and then the coaches demonstrated. All were given as many attempts as they needed to clean the climb. The look of concentration on their faces was priceless, and everyone walked away with some new skills and ideas for future climbs.

The group moved on to Allaire’s famous “Steps”. This short descent features small water bar drops that can be intimidating for the novice rider and on occasion surprise a seasoned rider with a trip over the bars. Once again the skill was explained and demonstrated, then the riders all had at it.

The group proceeded past the steps and up “Steelman”, named after its creator Rick Steelman. Here the riders put together the skills they learned through the day to work on the fun Allaire singletrack. From Steelman they passed by the pit and hit The Glass Trail. Here they were once again challenged by the singletrack while the coaches spread through the group offered advice and encouragement.

A short ride up the fire road from the Glass Trail and the riders were introduced to the “Logstacles”. Each log was firmly attached to the ground and had a coach spotting riders on each side. Riders were shown how to get over the logs and then given the opportunity to ride them until they felt comfortable.

Once everyone had their fill of logstacles, the group headed back to the lot. All attendee’s were presented with certificates of accomplishment from the National Mountain Bike Patrol by Mike Flatley. Lorraine McKay, Allaire State Park’s naturalist and ATUG volunteer was on hand to shake hands and congratulate the riders on a job well done.

The lot slowly cleared and another successful clinic was over. Riders came from as far away as Connecticut and as close as Point Pleasant to attend. I am confident that everyone left with a better understanding of trail riding and what Allaire State Park has to offer. They also left with a lasting appreciation for the efforts of the volunteers from JORBA-ATUG and for the Park Staff. Great job to all who attended, see you on the trails!