Constituting Declaration

We are mountain bicyclists of all abilities joining together to enjoy and promote the sport of mountain biking. Mountain biking is a privilege; therefore, we seek to balance our enjoyment of riding with responsible trail use. We are committed to preserving access to trails through education and advocacy. We volunteer significant time and effort to construct, preserve and improve trails for shared use.

The Delaware Trail Spinners is a nonprofit mountain bike club incorporated in the State of Delaware. We are a member of IMBA, the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

Most Trail Spinners live in northern Delaware and nearby Pennsylvania, Maryland, or New Jersey. We actively ride trails in all states. We are committed to environmentally and socially responsible mountain biking. We seek to maintain existing trail access and open new trails to mountain biking through advocacy and education. Most of our volunteer efforts impact trails at Middle Run/White Clay and Fair Hill.

Club Activities

Trail Maintenance
The Trail Spinners are very active in trail maintenance at the Fair Hill Natural Resource Area in Fair Hill, Maryland, in the Middle Run Valley Natural Area Park, a New Castle County park near Newark, Delaware, in the White Clay Creek State Park adjacent to Middle Run, and in Iron Hill Recreation Area. We construct new, environmentally sound, sustainable trails that showcase the scenic beauty of these areas. We also repair and improve trails damaged by weather and trail use. We perform all of these efforts in close partnership with and under the direction of the land managers. We strive to enhance the trail experience for bikers, equestrians, hikers and all other non-motorized trail users.

Our participation and leadership in trail stewardship is paramount to developing and maintaining our image as responsible trail users. Our sweat equity in the trails keeps mountain biking represented in decision making and cultivates relationships with all trail users.

Sponsor Races
The Trail Spinners sponsor an annual race at Fair Hill featuring miles of single track trails in a single loop course. The size of this event demands every resource of the club. All members are expected to participate in some manner. Organizing, Operating, and promotion are key to a successful event. A limited number of Club members are permitted to participate as racers. Club members who do race generally assist with pre-race activities and even obtain surrogates to help in their place.

This is the primary fundraising event for the organization. The funds raised are used to organize additional events, and are donated back to our local trail systems. Donations have taken the form of equipment, ranging from gloves to power mowers; materials, ranging from windows for park offices to trees and water management devices: monetary awards, ranging from small grants to local scout projects to thousands of dollars for worthy environmental preservation efforts.

Trail Rides
The trail Spinners organize numerous trail rides throughout the year. Typically, two or three groups of riders are formed at each of these rides so that everyone can be in a group of riders of similar ability. To protect the trails, we do not ride until at least 24 hours after significant rain. See a club member for the current ride schedule and follow their lead for when the trails are too wet to ride.

Other Activities
The club is also active in many other activities that in some way help support the club's purpose as stated in our Constituting Declaration. These include organizing trail maintenance education for public benefit, Playing active roles at public hearings regarding land use. Letter writing campaigns to legislators and public officials to ensure mountain biking representation. We have also written grant proposals and solicited funds for local organizations that have values aligned with our Constituting Declaration.

To learn more about the Club, come to one of our monthly meetings.