#5. Never Scare Animals. All animals are startled by an unannounced approach, a sudden movement, or a loud noise. This can be dangerous for you, others, and the animals. Give animals extra room and time to adjust to you. When passing horses use special care and follow directions from the horseback riders (ask if uncertain). Running cattle and disturbing wildlife is a serious offense. Leave gates as you found them, or as marked.
Brilliant fall colors accented the "Do the Rock" mountain bike race, Sunday, October 18 at Rock Cut State Park. The annual bike race hosted by the Rock Cut Trail Crew drew 130 riders from around Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.
The race course took mountain bikers on a challenging 10 mile loop of off-road trails through the woods and meadows around Pierce Lake in Rock Cut State Park.
Jake Petre of Machesney Park was the overall winner of the 10-mile "Warm-Up" class, completing the course in 43 minutes, 55 seconds. Patryk Limanowicz from Chicago completed the 20-mile "Burn" class with the best time of 1 hour, 36 minutes, 7 seconds. Ron Stawicki of Waukesha, WI won the "OUCH!" class, finishing the 30-mile course in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 41 seconds.
Established in 1989, the Rock Cut Trail Crew has successfully developed miles of eco-friendly trails in and around Rockford, Illinois. We are a dedicated and responsible group of bicycling enthusiasts who stand as leaders for mountain bike access, and educate and connect mountain bikers of all skill levels.
The Trail Crew's mission is to promote responsible trail use, to prevent trail closings, and to maintain unpaved trails for cycling in the Rockford area. We also seek to promote trail cycling opportunities through stewardship, environmental and social responsibility, education, and a spirit of cooperation among all trail users, the conservation community, and governing bodies.
Our members have donated thousands of work hours to build and improve area trails. We are a member club of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), the Midwest Mountain Bike Coalition, and the League of Illinois Bicyclists.
We work closely with area bike shops, government agencies, and land managers to ensure that mountain bikers have diverse and challenging local opportunities to enjoy their sport.
Simply put, no other group has done so much to protect the interests of Rockford area mountain bikers. It is only through our continued efforts to repair and maintain unpaved trails that we can counter objections to the presence of mountain bikers on area trails.
Brilliant fall colors accented the "Do the Rock" mountain bike race, Sunday, October 18 at Rock Cut State Park. The annual bike race hosted by the Rock Cut Trail Crew drew 130 riders from around Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.
