Growing up, Ansel Schimpff's mother took him and his siblings to a park to get their energy out. "We took our bikes down there and a couple weeks later we were building jumps in the woods; we had the city parks department on our case pretty quick," says Schimpff.
Now a year into his role as Executive Director of COGGS (Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores), Ansel Schimpff's early history with building trails for biking has reached a pinnacle of sorts. The master plan for the Duluth Traverse is nearing completion. With nearly 100 miles of mountain bike trails in and across the city, volunteer work through COGGS will shift gears to making some trails more accessible for adaptive riding.
COGGS is also workshopping on a small skills park that will give new riders a safe space to learn how to use the trails safely and learn the skills to enjoy their ride.
For more information about the trails and to stay updated about closures and construction, visit the COGGS website.
You can hear Community Connection every Tuesday and Thursday at 8am on Northland Morning. This edition of Community Connection is made possible in part by Lakewalk Surgery Center.
