Club and Membership Information

Constituting Declaration of the Delaware Trail Spinners

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 non-profit mountain bike club incorporated in the State of Delaware. We are a member of IMBA, the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

Most members live in northern Delaware and nearby Pennsylvania, Maryland and 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.

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

Conditions of Becoming a Member

We are a non-profit organization where the members pay no dues. The club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at McGlynn's in the Polly Drummond Shopping Center off Polly Drummond Hill Road near Newark, Delaware. To become a member, one must:

-Be aligned with the clubs Constituting Declaration.
-Attend 4 out of 6 consecutive club monthly meetings, signing in on the candidate/newcomer sign-in sheet. These meetings are where you can find out about club activities that are an important part of your membership.
-Make yourself known to club members. A majority of club members must approve your nomination for membership.
-Volunteer at least 12 hours during the 6 month candidacy period in support of the club's efforts.

This may include any combination of: trail maintenance, race support, education and advocacy. Regular monthly meetings and trail riding are not part of this commitment. Candidates must keep a log of their volunteer activities and report their hours to the club at the monthly meetings or at a minimum have a record of participation in organized activities of copies of hour logs turned in to park officials.

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 Middlw 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 moutain 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 sucessful 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 th 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 envionmental 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.

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