If the new leaders of SORBA Chattanooga have their way in the coming months and years, mountain biking in this area will be heading downhill – in the best possible way.
The local chapter of SORBA, which stands for Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, elected a new slate of younger leadership at the first of the year, and the group hopes to bring new types of trails and a new generation of riders to the sport.
New President Les Warnock is quick to credit the work by previous leaders of the group, founded in 2003, but he hopes to help diversify the local trail system through new projects and initiatives.
“We’re sitting on top of the shoulders of a bunch of people who have already done a bunch of amazing work, first and foremost,” he says. “We’re coming in as a new group and a group of younger guys. We as a group kind of have a different mindset as some previous SORBA boards have had. Typically, in the past SORBA has been more cross country-oriented, whereas most of the guys on the board now are into some more advanced-level riding, and we want to try and bring a spectrum of different riding to Chattanooga.”
Warnock will be joined by Vice President Lee Friedlander, Secretary Brenna Kelly, Treasurer Will Boulware, Advocacy Director Charlie Mix and Membership Director Gaston Farmer in this new effort. The group of younger riders, most of whom are in their 30s, sees an opportunity for growth in the addition of more gravity-oriented riding, with one-way downhill trail systems that allow for more speed and jumps.