Mountain Bike Trails Are Devastated by Hurricanes and We Need Your Help!

Late summer is hurricane season in Florida, and everyone knows that the state, along with many others, has been damaged recently by torrential rains and high winds. Hurricanes wreak havoc everywhere they go, and the bike trails in Florida are no exception. Hurricane Irma caused severe damage to public lands across the state, closing many campgrounds and hiking and biking trails within them.

We at Bicycle Doctor Inc. – House Calls, your local mobile bicycle repair service in Boca Raton, FL, are requesting your help to restore these bike trails so that you and your friends and family can hit the trails and enjoy riding your bike in the warm weather once again! To lend a hand, volunteer to conduct damage assessments and to clean up debris in your local county or state parks that have been affected.

What hurricane damage has been caused?

In addition to damaging and flooding countless homes and businesses across the state and beyond, Hurricane Irma has caused major damage to the local, state and national public lands that so many of us enjoy. While some areas have mostly recovered from storm damage already, others are expected to be closed for months. Check with your local bicycle repair service in Boca Raton, FL or online for an up-to-date report on which areas and bike trails are closed near you. Here is some of the damage posing dangers to bike trails:

• Flooding: Because much of Florida is built around rivers and on swampland, flooding has been a major issue on public land bike trails. Many trails are underwater or still too muddy to be traversed.
• Downed trees: Hurricane Irma’s high winds caused many trees to break or uproot, leaving countless branches and tree trunks in the middle of bike trails or dangling precariously above them, leaving them too unsafe to ride. These trees need to be removed to clear the paths.
• Trail bridges destroyed: Due to a combination of flooding, winds and flying debris, many trails that have bridges or other wooden features have been badly damaged and are unusable due to safety concerns. These features need to be rebuilt for rider’s safety.

How you can help

In order to restore your local bike trails to their once-loved condition, consider donating or volunteering to the cause! Many volunteer parties are beginning to assemble in October 2017 to conduct damage assessments and begin clearing debris along the bike trails and in other areas of the parks to begin to allow visitors again.

If you can’t donate your time, please consider donating money to a local mountain biking club or shop that does bike repairs in Boca Raton, FL, which will likely be assembling their own volunteer groups to begin bike trail restoration.

Check social media and elsewhere online to see what kinds of volunteers are needed and where; not all areas are as badly damaged as others, and volunteers may be needed more in certain parts of the state.

Bicycle Doctor Inc. – House Calls cares about our bike trails—and so should you!

Bicycle Doctor Inc. – House Calls has 45 years of experience servicing all types and brands of bikes. Not only do we offer bike repairs in Boca Raton, FL, but we also work on wheelchairs, electric scooter repairs and electric bicycle conversions. If you’re in need of bike repairs, tune-ups, sales and rentals, give us a call today!

Categorised in: Bike Repair

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