A mountain-bike summit to keep those trails open

Protecting desert trails, boosting the profile of knob-tired cycles in the Olympics, and building a common plan to keep the world's trails open to mountain bikes are some of the issues being addressed Thursday (Sept. 21) during an international mountain bicycling conference.

More than 100 representatives of the cycling industry, race organizations, and government discussed effective educational programs for mountain bicyclists with the hope of reducing conflicts between users and land owners.

Other topics addressed included trail-construction techniques that minimize degradation, and a review of environmental impact studies on the effects of mountain bikes on trails.

Efforts to expand the booming mountain-bike phenomenon also were reviewed: increasing cycling options at ski areas and other tourist sites, elevating the profile of the sport during the `96 Olympics, and developing a standard training program for riders and tour operators.

In the days ahead, we'll provide details about these global efforts to limit hassles on the trail.