Join Participate Donate
All off-highway vehicle users should be aware of the many threats against our rights and privileges to ride on public lands. Perhaps you are wondering what YOU can do to help protect your rights? It boils down to three simple things that WE must all do if we are to protect our access to public lands.
#1. JOIN:
Join a local club and get involved with issues in your “own backyard”.
Join state level organizations such as USA-ALL, UTMA and U4WDA.
Join national level organizations such as BRC, UFWDA and AMA.
#2. PARTICIPATE:
Now that you are a member it is not good enough to just be a number.
Volunteer your time and enthusiasm to the groups that you have joined.
Introduce yourself to the local land managers at the BLM and Forest Service.
Ask to be added to their mailing list and stay informed as to what decisions are being made that you can help influence. Show them that you care and that you are willing to help them make wise-use decisions.
#3. DONATE:
Now that you are an ACTIVE member of clubs and organizations it is up to YOU to help fund the fight. You already have thousands of dollars invested in machines, equipment, apparel and accessories, so it’s time to invest some money into the most important part of the whole equation..... ROADS, TRAILS AND LAND to ride on. Without funding from individuals and clubs the organizations can not fight this expensive battle. So each one of us must budget as much as possible to fund the battle. How much is it worth to you to insure that your children will be able to access the public lands?
#1. JOIN:
Join a local club and get involved with issues in your “own backyard”.
Join state level organizations such as USA-ALL, UTMA and U4WDA.
Join national level organizations such as BRC, UFWDA and AMA.
#2. PARTICIPATE:
Now that you are a member it is not good enough to just be a number.
Volunteer your time and enthusiasm to the groups that you have joined.
Introduce yourself to the local land managers at the BLM and Forest Service.
Ask to be added to their mailing list and stay informed as to what decisions are being made that you can help influence. Show them that you care and that you are willing to help them make wise-use decisions.
#3. DONATE:
Now that you are an ACTIVE member of clubs and organizations it is up to YOU to help fund the fight. You already have thousands of dollars invested in machines, equipment, apparel and accessories, so it’s time to invest some money into the most important part of the whole equation..... ROADS, TRAILS AND LAND to ride on. Without funding from individuals and clubs the organizations can not fight this expensive battle. So each one of us must budget as much as possible to fund the battle. How much is it worth to you to insure that your children will be able to access the public lands?
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    Watch "Wilderness: The Great Debate" |
Why Join a Club
“Wow, that was a fun race, I really enjoyed loop 2.” “That was a tough race!” These are the comments you hear as you bench race on the way home after enjoying a weekend in the desert doing what you love most. Spending time with family and friends is the best.
We all love a great race that challenges us mentally and physically. The 2-5 hours spent racing on race day seems like a lot. Behind the scenes the race continues long after the checkered flag is waved for the finishers. In fact the work to put on a desert race is 24-7-365. Permits, course finding-mapping, setup, take down, results, info before and after a race.
Every club welcomes volunteers on race day to help with the logistics of putting on a race, THANK YOU! However, a club needs club members to put on their races. USRA meetings, BLM meetings, Club meetings, boring!!!! Necessary evils. If the same person or people put on the races year after year they WILL get burned out and walk away from racing. It’s too much work and very little reward sometimes, especially when the complaints roll in. When that person/people walk away, who takes their place, did that knowledge get passed down? How do you set up course, how does the finish board work, who will spend all their vacation time to setup and take down course? Who will find race course and gps it, and get it turned in to the BLM? Why are the entry fees so high? Can you answer that, why can’t we just race the same trails we ride? Can you answer those questions?
When I first started racing I would show up and race, then go home, wow that was about all I could handle, it was a lot of work. Never thought about the course setup and club work that went into it. Most questions I ever needed an answer to were usually answered by someone who had done this most of their life. Now racing is a 2nd full time job. I have shown up at other clubs races and helped out in some small way (marking mini fenders, answering general race questions about rules, tech inspection, pitting rules, before I raced later on that day. You can never have enough people with the knowledge of how a desert race works.
I encourage everyone one to join a club and get involved for at least 5 years. Then you will truly understand what it takes and you can help the sport be passed on to the next generation. My kids started out as pee-wee racers and now race big bikes, they know how to mark course and now help pee-wee and mini racers as sweepers. My wife races and can answer almost any question you have about signups, finish, results, etc.
If you are worried about not being able to race your favorite race by joining that club I’m here to tell you at the end of “race week” you don’t want to get on a bike for at least a day or so, Last year I rode loop 2 of our national at least 5 complete times, marking and pulling course. I know it’s not the same but I got to stop and enjoy the view and the trail rather than racing by the cool parts. Every club puts in a ton of effort to make sure their racers have a great time and look forward to racing another clubs events hoping the same enthusiasm was put into the course as they put into their race.
Please sacrifice a couple of your races by joining a club to put on a race or two. The reward is immeasurable and your group of riding friends triples. If you can’t answer what the BLM fees are, why you can’t just race wherever, and how much ribbon and lathe it takes to mark a 35 mile loop, you NEED to get involved OR THERE WILL BE NO MORE DESERT RACING.
Mike Woodall
13s
Sage Riders M/C
“Wow, that was a fun race, I really enjoyed loop 2.” “That was a tough race!” These are the comments you hear as you bench race on the way home after enjoying a weekend in the desert doing what you love most. Spending time with family and friends is the best.
We all love a great race that challenges us mentally and physically. The 2-5 hours spent racing on race day seems like a lot. Behind the scenes the race continues long after the checkered flag is waved for the finishers. In fact the work to put on a desert race is 24-7-365. Permits, course finding-mapping, setup, take down, results, info before and after a race.
Every club welcomes volunteers on race day to help with the logistics of putting on a race, THANK YOU! However, a club needs club members to put on their races. USRA meetings, BLM meetings, Club meetings, boring!!!! Necessary evils. If the same person or people put on the races year after year they WILL get burned out and walk away from racing. It’s too much work and very little reward sometimes, especially when the complaints roll in. When that person/people walk away, who takes their place, did that knowledge get passed down? How do you set up course, how does the finish board work, who will spend all their vacation time to setup and take down course? Who will find race course and gps it, and get it turned in to the BLM? Why are the entry fees so high? Can you answer that, why can’t we just race the same trails we ride? Can you answer those questions?
When I first started racing I would show up and race, then go home, wow that was about all I could handle, it was a lot of work. Never thought about the course setup and club work that went into it. Most questions I ever needed an answer to were usually answered by someone who had done this most of their life. Now racing is a 2nd full time job. I have shown up at other clubs races and helped out in some small way (marking mini fenders, answering general race questions about rules, tech inspection, pitting rules, before I raced later on that day. You can never have enough people with the knowledge of how a desert race works.
I encourage everyone one to join a club and get involved for at least 5 years. Then you will truly understand what it takes and you can help the sport be passed on to the next generation. My kids started out as pee-wee racers and now race big bikes, they know how to mark course and now help pee-wee and mini racers as sweepers. My wife races and can answer almost any question you have about signups, finish, results, etc.
If you are worried about not being able to race your favorite race by joining that club I’m here to tell you at the end of “race week” you don’t want to get on a bike for at least a day or so, Last year I rode loop 2 of our national at least 5 complete times, marking and pulling course. I know it’s not the same but I got to stop and enjoy the view and the trail rather than racing by the cool parts. Every club puts in a ton of effort to make sure their racers have a great time and look forward to racing another clubs events hoping the same enthusiasm was put into the course as they put into their race.
Please sacrifice a couple of your races by joining a club to put on a race or two. The reward is immeasurable and your group of riding friends triples. If you can’t answer what the BLM fees are, why you can’t just race wherever, and how much ribbon and lathe it takes to mark a 35 mile loop, you NEED to get involved OR THERE WILL BE NO MORE DESERT RACING.
Mike Woodall
13s
Sage Riders M/C
