Charges against Patrick McNamara were dropped on April 11. Supplied photo.
After almost three months, Charlottesville police have dropped charges against Patrick McNamara for the January 12 assault of a woman on the Rivanna Trail. The case against McNamara has been dismissed, but the arrest continues to affect his life.
On January 18, McNamara was taking a break outside while working from his apartment when he was approached by a CPD detective and placed under arrest. “It is not wise to talk to the police even if you’re innocent. I’m naive and thought, ‘this is a mistake,’” he says. “I didn’t know what I was being arrested for.”
Court filings indicate McNamara was arrested based on eyewitness identification by the victim, who was assaulted at approximately 9:39am on January 12 less than half a mile from the Rivanna Trail underpass at Free Bridge. The victim described the suspect as a “white male with short brown hair and an athletic build, approximately 6’2″, possibly 20-30 years old … wearing a white puffy jacket with a dark hooded sweatshirt underneath, which was pulled up over his head.”
When shown an image of McNamara by a friend on January 16, the victim identified him as her attacker. She later told law enforcement she was “100 percent positive” it was McNamara who assaulted her, according to court filings.
Following his arraignment and release on bond, McNamara was suspended from his job and given three days to vacate his apartment by his leasing company.
On January 22, investigators obtained surveillance footage from Cosner Brothers Body Shop. The video shows McNamara passing the victim without incident, and later a different individual in a puffy white coat can be seen in the area.
The person who collected the video initially told the case agent there was “nothing of value” on the recording, and “never prepared a supplement documenting its collection.”
The commonwealth’s attorney’s office was not aware of the surveillance footage or its content until April 9, following a letter submitted by McNamara’s attorney—Rhonda Quagliana—on April 8 requesting police obtain surveillance and video footage from 19 locations.
Charlottesville Police are currently conducting an internal investigation into the handling of the footage.
Both the commonwealth’s attorney’s office and Quagliana filed motions to dismiss the charges against McNamara on April 11. While Quagliana’s filing is a complete rebuke of law enforcement’s treatment of McNamara and its handling of the case, the commonwealth called for a dismissal on the grounds that “there is no longer proof beyond a reasonable doubt to support this prosecution.”
The charges against him have been dropped, but McNamara’s trying to piece his life back together: He still hasn’t heard from his job about reentry, he still doesn’t have a place to live, and he still feels isolated.
“The truth of the matter is that there’s permanent damage,” says McNamara. “I’m upset at the presumption of guilt that was levied upon me by all the institutions in my life.”
“I know I’m innocent. It’s hard for me to articulate to somebody what it feels like,” he says. “I have a lot of really good friends and I’m very thankful for that. I know that their assumption was, ‘Patrick couldn’t have done this, this is ridiculous.’ But to what degree of certainty I will never know.”
McNamara says the arrest has impacted all of his personal relationships.
“The commonwealth’s attorney made it sound like … ‘we don’t have enough to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt.’ The police chief has spoken publicly since then and said, ‘we didn’t have enough to go beyond reasonable doubt,’” says McNamara. “That’s embarrassing language. … It’s just, frankly, it’s bullshit. And because of that, people will always doubt maybe I did it.”
Charlottesville Police Department declined to answer questions from C-VILLE about the handling of the investigation and interactions with McNamara. “Chief Kochis has done numerous engagements on various media outlets regarding the case,” wrote Public Safety Information Officer Kyle Ervin in an email. “Please refer to any previous comments made on the matter.”
As he contemplates how to move forward, McNamara says he is speaking to lawyers about potential legal action, but what he wants most is change and a return to normalcy.
“I don’t think it’ll ever be the same as it was on January 17,” he says. “I think there’s gonna be difficulties until the arrest is completely expunged from my record.”
“What happened in the legal process was unacceptable,” McNamara says. “It is scary. It is dangerous. And I am just a random, nameless citizen of this town that was caught up in this system. And if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. And that, to me, is very scary until there’s change. What does change look like? I don’t know.”
At press time CPD has not issued a news release about McNamara’s charges being dropped, and has not updated the original release detailing his arrest.
The new bridge over Moores Creek plugs a gap in the Rivanna Trail. PC: Stephen Barling
Closing the loop
The Rivanna Trail has encircled Charlottesville for more than 20 years. Earlier this month, the trail became a little more complete, when a 140-foot-long pedestrian bridge was lowered into place over Moores Creek, closing one of the few remaining gaps in the trail’s 20-mile loop.
Local environmentalists expressed enthusiasm about the bridge, which was paid for by Albemarle County and the developers working on rehabbing the old woolen mill that overlooks the river.
“This is economic development that focuses on making the community a better place for all,” said Piedmont Environmental Council community organizer Peter Krebs in a press release praising the bridge. “By providing more places to walk and bike, and everyday access to nature, projects like this support residents’ health, productivity, and prosperity.”
PC: Stephen Barling
Photographs from the middle of the 20th century show that a wooden footbridge once crossed the creek near where the new bridge sits, but the woolen mill changed hands multiple times over the years, and the original bridge disappeared.
Because the pandemic has upended much of our regular forms of recreation, and made gathering indoors unsafe, the Rivanna Trail has had a significant increase in use in recent months. A trail counter from earlier in the spring noted that this year, the trail has seen around four times as much foot traffic as the same period last year.
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Quote of the week
“Nothing would be worse for the economy than UVA students coming back [and causing] a super spreader event.”
—City Councilor Michael Payne, on Charlottesville’s emergency ordinance
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In brief
Richmond arrests
Protests continue in Richmond, and police continue to arrest people willy-nilly. This week, journalists for VCU’s student paper The Commonwealth Times, as well as two activists with Charlottesville ties and large social media followings, Molly Conger and Kristopher Goad, were among those detained on dubious grounds. Conger was held overnight, and after her release, tweeted that the police “are trying to break our spirits, but they’re only proving our point.”
Travelers grounded
Charlottesville-based educational travel company WorldStrides, one of the larger employers in town, filed for bankruptcy last week. Meanwhile, some UVA students received mailers this week from the study abroad office, advertising future trips. That’s optimistic, as most nations have banned American travelers from entering.
Paul Harris PC: UVA
Tenure reversed
UVA made national news earlier in the spring when it unexpectedly denied two well-qualified Black faculty members tenure. Now, the school is eating crow: last week, Dr. Paul Harris, an assistant professor of education, announced that the decision had been overturned, and his tenure case had been approved by provost Liz Magill.
Mask mandate
As the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise, Charlottesville and Albemarle County both decided on Monday to revert to certain Phase Two guidelines. Beginning August 1, masks will be mandatory in public, indoor capacity for restaurants will be capped at 50 percent, and gatherings of more than 50, excluding spontaneous demonstrations, will be prohibited.
The coronavirus has changed so much in our lives. One thing is our relationship to nature, which for many has proven to be a source of coping and exercise during this anxious time. Our family has been frequenting places like the Rivanna Trail and Charlotte Yancey Humphris Park. Another favorite of ours—the path along the John Warner Parkway—saw a more than four-fold increase in the number of pedestrians and cyclists this March compared to the previous March, as C-VILLE reported recently. The pandemic has shown that we need more close-to-home outdoor spaces for people to safely enjoy. And I don’t just mean “safely” in terms of social distancing. In the wake of the horrific murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African American man who was shot multiple times while out for a jog, it’s clear that we as a country have work to do to make this a place where people of color can simply go outside without fearing for their lives—like I, as a white person, am privileged to do.
At this time when we’re craving more green spaces, the reality is that nature is under threat. A groundbreaking study of the human footprint in the lower 48 states found that on average every 30 seconds the United States loses a football field worth of natural area to development such as roads, housing subdivisions, and pipelines. The Trump administration is making it worse by lifting protections against drilling and mining on public lands like Bears Ears and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. If this continues, it’ll mean wild places equivalent to the size of South Dakota will disappear by 2050. Globally, one scientific report found that humans have “significantly altered” three-fourths of the planet’s lands and two-thirds of marine areas, which could lead to the extinction of approximately 1 million plant and animal species.
Protecting nature, however, isn’t just about saving wildlife. Nature gives people clean drinking water, clean air, healthy food supplies, and the biodiversity that is the source of so many cures in medicine. It also drives a robust outdoor recreation economy. From boating to camping to skiing, America’s outdoor economy is responsible for $778 billion in economic activity, employs 5.2 million people, and depends on access to public lands. Here in Charlottesville, we’re lucky to have independent outdoor businesses like Ragged Mountain Running Shop and Freestyle. I’m proud to have used my dollars during the pandemic to help them stay afloat when so many in their industry are hurting. A recent nationwide industry survey found that 79 percent of outdoor recreation businesses have laid off or furloughed a portion of their workforce, and 11 percent have closed entirely.
With nature and our outdoor economy collapsing, we must accelerate the pace of nature conservation. That’s why a growing number of scientists are calling for the protection of at least 30 percent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. The movement to protect “30 by 30” within the United States has broad support from 86 percent of voters, and the backing of former vice president Joe Biden, United States senators, representatives, and state legislators from both parties.
It’s critical that the new protections we seek yield a more equitable distribution of nature’s benefits. For too long, natural resource policy in this country has systematically harmed Indigenous peoples and communities of color, from land theft to the lack of safe, quality parks in neighborhoods predominantly populated by people of color. We can and must do better.
Reaching a 30 by 30 conservation goal will require action at all levels of government. Charlottesville, Albemarle and surrounding counties, the state of Virginia, the federal government, and everyday people all have a role to play in expanding access to nature, from local parks all the way up to national parks. We should all be asking elected officials and candidates for their plans to accelerate the pace of nature conservation in the United States.
An immediate step that can be taken on the path to 30 by 30 is for Congress to pass the Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422). This bill would fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has expanded national parks like Zion and invested in community parks in every single state. Locally, Ivy Creek Natural Area, Azalea Park, James River State Park, and the George Washington National Forest all received funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This bill would also provide funding to address the maintenance backlog in national parks, including Shenandoah. These investments will help put people back to work in the construction and outdoor recreation industry, which is why the outdoor industry’s main trade associations are strong supporters. More than half the U.S. Senate, including Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, are co-sponsors, while 118 House members from both parties—Congressman Denver Riggleman regrettably was not among them—recently sent a letter in support. It’s time to get this bill done.
The pandemic has reinforced how important nature truly is. Let’s take concrete action today and pass the Great American Outdoors Act to protect more green spaces for our health, safety, and economic recovery.
Alex Taurel is the conservation program director at the League of Conservation Voters. He and his family live in Charlottesville.
The Rivanna Trails Foundation wants to build a 25-mile-long paved bicycle and pedestrian path, similar to Arkansas’ Razorback Regional Greenway. PC: Arkansas Tourism
Snowy roads didn’t stop about a dozen people from making their way to the Carver Recreation Center last Tuesday for a brainstorming session on something that’s been in the works for nearly 10 years: the Three Notched Trail.
The Rivanna Trails Foundation is spearheading the effort to build a 25-mile-long paved pedestrian and bicycle path from Charlottesville to the Blue Ridge Tunnel (a few miles from Waynesboro), roughly following the path of Three Notch’d Road—a major colonial-era route across central Virginia.
Today, Route 250 follows the Three Notch’d route, but the trail will most likely not be right beside the busy highway. Instead, it may lie a couple miles to the north or south of the original road, potentially starting in western Albemarle County, north of Interstate 64 but south of Garth Road.
Apart from these plans, RTF, which is working with the city and county Parks & Rec departments and the Piedmont Environmental Council, has yet to decide on a specific route location, cost estimate, or completion year, due to numerous obstacles, including a struggle to secure funding and public support.
“[Another] roadblock has been getting dedicated volunteers who are willing to help scout possible locations and find landowners who are willing to share their property [with the trail],” says Allie Hill, a Rivanna Trails Foundation board member. “We would never put the greenway on someone’s property who doesn’t want it.”
RTF, which was founded as a nonprofit in 1992, turned its attention to this project after completing much of the popular Rivanna Trail loop around Charlottesville, and sees the new trail as part of its mission to create greenways throughout the Rivanna watershed.
In 2015, RTF was able to get the Three Notched Trail included in Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plan, as part of the county’s commitment to developing a complete greenway trail system. A feasibility study, the next step in the process, would cost roughly $35,000 just for the first phase of the project, from Charlottesville to Crozet, according to a private firm RTF consulted two years ago. RTF currently has only $3,600 in grants from various private foundations.
This fall, the group will again apply for feasibility study funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation. If the funding is approved, VDOT would hire its own consultants to do the study. “And if the [study] looks positive, [VDOT] might fund the whole project,” Hill says.
She notes that VDOT did the feasibility study for and built the highly successful Capital Trail, a 52-mile paved pedestrian and cycling path from Richmond to Jamestown, following Route 5, which RTF hopes to use as a model. VDOT spent approximately $1.5 million per mile to build the trail, but it is being maintained by the counties the trail passes through.
By the end of this year, RTF hopes to have a feasibility study set in motion, whether it is by VDOT or a private company. In the meantime, Hill plans to host monthly meetings to establish a formal planning group, which will, among other tasks, work on increasing public support for the project and finding landowners willing to share their property with the trail.
Those interested in joining the trail effort can email Hill at info@threenotchedtrail.org.
The all-volunteer Crozet Trails Crew connects the community to the outdoors, and neighborhoods to one another. Photo by Jack Looney
Dedicated to a vision of Crozet as a town connected through greenways, the Crozet Trails Crew is all about forging community links. It’s work that makes them happy. “I love that outside my back door there are paths that follow streams, riparian zones, and wildlife,” says Terri Miyamoto, president of the all-volunteer CTC. “Our mission is to connect people in the community to outdoor recreation, and neighborhoods to each other.”
Founded nine years ago by Crozet residents Jessica Mauzy and Dan Mahon, the CTC has planned, built, and now helps promote seven miles of trails: the Crozet Connector Trail on the east side of town, the Lindy Bain Loop to the west around Old Trail, and the shorter Creekside Trail to the northwest. The group’s aim is to link all three into an integrated system with lots of access points throughout Crozet.
The pathways are wide and rugged, wending through forested areas and along open meadows, snaking between or around housing developments, and jumping creeks via wooden bridges designed by the group’s resident engineer, Phil Best, and constructed by volunteers. Each year, the male and female winners of the CTC’s 5K fundraiser race have a trail bridge named in their honor.
Though mowing, maintenance, and storm clean-up are the most visible CTC efforts, behind the scenes is a maze of property rights hurdles. “A big issue for us is how to get permission to build a trail on a piece of property,” says Miyamoto. “Just because a trail is on the [Greenway] Master Plan doesn’t mean that the easements are there.” That’s where Albemarle County Parks & Recreation steps in.
“We deal with zoning, surveys, negotiating with neighbors, and VDOT,” says Mahon, who is an Albemarle County Trails and Greenways planner. “It takes a mountain of paperwork to build a mile of trail.” Local businesses help with fundraising and trail maintenance where they can. Builder Stanley Martin, for instance, recently installed crushed stone and rock edging along muddier trail sections running between its new developments and Crozet Park.
When dreaming of future trails, the CTC’s focus, as always, is on connection. Besides linking neighborhoods like Cory Farms, Fox Chase, and Chesterfield Landing to the existing trail system, the group wants to “grow the map” to include the Crozet library and downtown area as well as new developments. “I’d love to have more stroller-friendly surfaces,” says Miyamoto, “and to create more alternative safe routes to school for walkers and bikers.”
Encompassing an even wider view, planning for a commuter-oriented Three Notch’d Trail connecting Charlottesville’s Rivanna Trail to Crozet is underway, and an ambitious Crozet Tunnel Trail project is on the CTC’s list as well. Once restored, the mile-long Blue Ridge railroad tunnel at Rockfish Gap could link Crozet trails through Afton and all the way to Waynesboro. It’s a lot to get done, but Miyamoto says the CTC thrives on the energy of its volunteers, and anyone can join in. “We want people who are walking on the trails to know, hey, you’re part of the trails crew!”
Current Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club President Sam Lindblom helped form Monticello High’s mountain biking club when his son started school there two years ago. Today, Western Albemarle, Albemarle and Charlottesville high schools have teams as well. Photo by Sanjay Suchak
As an avid mountain biker, Dave Stackhouse immediately started looking for like-minded riders when he relocated from Maine to Charlottesville in 2007. The search quickly led the 68-year-old veteran mountain biker to what was then a relatively new area organization, the Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club.
“The club had been formed in 2003 out of a growing necessity to create an organization that could integrate and represent the interests of the area’s mountain biking community,” says Stackhouse. “When I joined, it was just sort of getting its sea legs. We had about 40 members, and our activities were pretty limited.”
While the group had worked to construct a few trails at Walnut Creek and Panorama Farms—which is no longer open to mountain bikers—by Stackhouse’s estimation, most weren’t up to snuff. “At that point, we had no real background in trail-building, so those ‘legacy’ trails were installed in a way that we’d now call ‘not up to spec.’”
Furthermore, the efforts had largely been spearheaded by enthusiastic individuals or bike shops, and therefore lacked coherency. What was missing was a comprehensive, long-term vision, and a step-by-step strategy for implementation.
Stackhouse, a lifelong mountain biker who rode with several groups in Maine, landed a seat on the group’s board within a year. In 2010, he became president of the organization.
“I guess I sort of brought an outsider’s perspective to the table, which was probably attractive,” says Stackhouse.
Dave Stackhouse, a lifelong mountain biker, led the Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club to become involved in local trail building and maintenance. Photo by Sanjay Suchak
Upon joining the board, one of Stackhouse’s first moves was to advocate for acquiring chapter status through the International Mountain Biking Organization. Becoming a representative of the IMBA, the unifying body for mountain bikers worldwide, would instantaneously legitimize the organization. Additionally, having formed in 1988, the group would provide CAMBC with a wealth of resources, training and mentorship.
“They’ve been around for a long time and are very active in helping chapters implement sustainability standards for trail-building, as well as coaching them through developing the kind of local partnerships with city, county, public and sometimes private entities, which will allow for land use,” says Stackhouse. “They’re a huge advocate for the sport, and a conduit for putting that knowledge to use.”
After securing chapter status under Stackhouse’s leadership, CAMBC quickly adopted sustainability standards for trail-making. Members underwent training and learned how to create trail systems that would provide users with the most enjoyable ride, while having no adverse effect on the environment. Meanwhile, CAMBC beefed up its outreach. The group started emailing more newsletters, developed social media platforms and began hosting open rides and dinners on a weekly basis for riders of all skill-levels, beginners included.
A main goal was to get more kids riding, and to let families know how easy and fun the sport was. In short, all you need is a bike and a helmet. “A lot of people think that you need really fancy equipment and have to go blazing through the woods at breakneck speed, hitting jumps or something like that, but it really isn’t the case,” says Stackhouse. Mostly, it’s about getting into the woods, getting some exercise and enjoying nature. “If you want to buy a really nice bike and go fast, of course, there’s that option,” he adds. “But you certainly don’t have to. And that’s something we wanted people to know.”
Simultaneously, the organization launched a campaign to reach out to local nonprofits and organizations. Cultivating relationships with UVA, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Fluvanna County and elsewhere became a priority.
“The idea was to educate these organizations and the public at large, letting them know that we existed, were willing to do the legwork to create and maintain networks of sustainable trails and, in turn, how those trails would benefit the community at large,” says Stackhouse.
CAMBC volunteers compiled comparative data, created PowerPoints and verbal presentations, and met with a number of officials, ranging from folks at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and UVA, to various Parks & Recreation representatives and more. After four years of hardcore planning and legwork, their labor paid off. By 2012, CAMBC had procured numerous Memorandums of Understanding—which Stackhouse describes as a kind of legal handshake between organizations—wherein CAMBC was granted permission to modify, create and maintain trails on various properties.
But early in the summer of 2012, the derecho came through and more-or-less demolished the entire area trail system. “There were trees down everywhere, and the work required to get it all up and running again was tremendous,” says Stackhouse. In seeing the forest through the trees, so to speak, he saw the opportunity to create a community partnership with the Rivanna Trails Foundation. The mountain biking organization had amassed a hundreds-strong email list and could easily pull together 50 volunteers for a given day of work, Stackhouse says. So he offered help in fixing area trails and making them sustainable.
After RTF agreed, CAMBC members and associates attacked the project with vigilance. While removing the trees, they fixed trouble spots on the trail. “There were multiple sections that, due to erosion and poor planning, had become dangerous, and were yielding injuries,” says Stackhouse. “As we cleaned up, we rerouted and fixed these. Sometimes, it was a quarter-mile stretch, sometimes 100 yards. It took many, many hours, and a whole lot of patience.”
The end result was two-fold. On the one hand, erosion was put into check, and a more nature- and user-friendly trail system was created. On the other, impressed with CAMBC’s diligence and its offer to take over maintenance of the system, the RTF decided to allow biking on its trails.
“Before that, sure, people were riding out there, but they were doing it illegally,” says Stackhouse. “What that agreement did was establish a 35-mile network of pristine, perfectly sustainable trails for riders right here in the city. Now, you can commute, take the kids out or get off from a hard day of work and jump right on the trail. It gave us access to trail riding right outside our back doors, which is something not a lot of cities have. It’s unique, and very special.”
The partnership sent a message: Charlottesville was ready to define itself as a full-on bike-friendly community. With the Rivanna Trail serving as a pilot of sorts, it became much easier for CAMBC to secure rights to other properties. And as more and more trails were installed in parks throughout the area, more and more people began to ride, creating momentum in the biking community.
Interscholastic revolution
Simultaneous to Stackhouse’s taking the helm of CAMBC, other seeds for the area’s mountain biking future were being planted. In 2010, having accepted a post teaching English at the Miller School of Albemarle, 36-year-old UVA graduate Peter Hufnagel pitched a revolutionary idea.
“I’d ridden on the UVA cycling team throughout college and my wife, Andrea Dvorak, was racing professionally, both as a road cyclist and a mountain biker,” says Hufnagel. “So, I understood better than most the realities of a young person trying to become a top-tier cyclist—it’s very, very hard. Support is typically minimal, and that makes it tough to excel. Meanwhile, I was working at this small, very progressive school and thought, ‘Why don’t we try to develop the world’s premier high school cycling program?’”
In retrospect, he admits the idea was a bit ambitious, but at the time it seemed perfectly rational. “I’d traveled all around the world and ridden in so many races in so many great places, and I realized that, right here in Charlottesville, we have some of the best roads and trails in the world,” he says. “Given the school’s student-first approach, it seemed logical that we should create a team, and seek to really put the area on the map.”
Pulling several all-nighters, Hufnagel developed a presentation outlining a strategic 20-year plan, which he pitched to the school’s administrators. Essentially, he intended to create a niche program that would offer mountain bikers and cyclists from around the world a home at which to pursue their sport at the highest level, while still getting a quality education. “The notion was sort of like a Hogwarts for cyclists,” he says with a laugh. “I had this vision of building something for the kids that would feel that special. Anything less than that wouldn’t cut it.”
To Hufnagel’s surprise, the administration bought in. With the school’s small class size and hands-on teachers, the program seemed a perfect match.
Andy Guptil and retired professional cyclist Andrea Dvorak helped found MSA’s mountain biking and cycling program, with the goal of creating a nationally recognized racing series. MSA’s cycling program now includes 30 riders from the U.S. and other countries and has featured five national champion riders. Photo by Sanjay Suchak
Hufnagel began working with his wife and her then-coach, professional cyclist Andy Guptil, to develop the program. “We’d get together and talk about what we needed to do to make this a viable reality,” Hufnagel says. “At first, I’d sort of rope them into a hypothetical conversation and they’d play along, but, with time, they got invested.”
Helping matters was the fact that both Guptil and Dvorak were in the process of retiring. Additionally, Guptil was dating Hufnagel’s sister, and the two had decided to move to Charlottesville. Within a couple of years, both Guptil and Dvorak took coaching positions at MSA.
“In a lot of ways, it kind of felt like the stars were aligning to make this happen,” says Hufnagel. “Things were just falling into place. But there was still a lot to be done.”
For one thing, if MSA was going to have a legitimate racing team, it was going to need to develop a means of competing. Furthermore, that means had to have weight: To attract serious cyclists, they needed to provide a channel into the collegiate and professional ranks.
Hufnagel’s solution? To create a nationally recognized racing series.
In spring 2011, working with Guptil and Dvorak’s contacts, he helped found the first USA Cycling-sanctioned interscholastic mountain biking series in Virginia, the Virginia High School MTB Series. Allowing student-riders to earn points, gain standing and qualify to compete in national-level competitions, the series would serve as a conduit for professional and Olympic teams.
Looking back, Hufnagel describes the first year as a major learning experience, and, starting with just three riders, as grassroots as it gets. “We featured six races and had four teams competing,” he says. “Blue Ridge School had a team, St. Christopher’s had a team, and there was a composite group from Harrisonburg. We’d pulled riders from the cross-country team and anyone else who was interested. There was no production value. While we had some protocols in place, we were basically making it up as we went along.”
Today, however, things are different. For the past two years, MSA has won the state championship. It routinely tops regional leaderboards, has graduated four riders with UCI professional contracts, has featured five national championship riders and had four riders selected to the UCI World Championship Team.
Next spring, if you attend a VAHS MTB Series race, you will encounter a scene reminiscent of a pro-level event. Only, it’s for kids. Riders tear through the woods, zipping around bank curves, navigating technical segments and hitting an occasional jump. “We’ve become hugely competitive, and offer events for elementary school kids on up to the high-schoolers,” says Hufnagel. “In 2018, we expect 32 teams will participate, which makes for something like 450 riders.”
Meanwhile, MSA’s mountain biking and cycling program has grown to include 30 male and female riders hailing from all across the U.S., Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republicand elsewhere. The team routinely includes athletes who compete in top-tier national and international events, and, last year, featured a rider who signed with Aevolo Cycling, one of the world’s premier U-23 teams.
Going public
Looking to expand MSA’s program to include a fall season, Dvorak spearheaded a partnership with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association in 2014. The organization, formed in 2009, had been instrumental in developing mountain biking as an official high school sport, mostly in the western U.S., in states such as Colorado, California, Oregon and New Mexico.
“The success at Miller proved to private schools across the state that having a mountain biking team was a viable investment,” says Dvorak. “But while we’d had a lot of success on that front, our goal was always to make the sport more mainstream. We wanted it to be viewed like basketball, soccer, football or whatever.”
For that to happen, they’d have to find a way to get mountain biking into public schools. Hence the partnership with NICA, which led to the formation of the Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League, a pilot league aimed at doing just that.
“The great thing about NICA is they provide a blueprint and resources for implementing programs that meet high school league standards,” says Dvorak. “They train, certify and vet the coaches. They provide insurance. They have standardized rule books. They supply trail-building information. You name it.”
When current Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club President Sam Lindblom, 45, learned about what was going on, he decided to take a chance.
“My son was going to be entering Monticello High School in the fall of 2015, and was really into mountain biking,” he says. “Considering what Andrea was doing, I decided to phone the athletic director and see if the school was interested in developing a program.”
When Monticello athletic director Matthew Pearman got Lindblom’s call, his immediate response was, “Why not?”
“Sam was really passionate about the idea and presented it in a manner that made perfect sense,” says Pearman. “As an AD, my goal is to enable as many students to participate in sporting activities and represent their school as I can. Basically, Sam said: ‘My son is really into mountain biking and he has enough friends to make a team. What can we do?’ It seemed like something we should try to make happen.”
Initially, the two decided it was best to form a club. As with MSA four years before, they were breaking new ground. “Normally, in my profession, when something comes up, I pick up the phone, call another AD and ask how they handled this or that situation,” says Pearman. “But in this case, there was no one to call. We were the first public school in the state to do this. So, there was a big learning curve. We had to take it step by step.”
Current Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club President Sam Lindblom helped form Monticello High’s mountain biking club when his son started school there two years ago. Today, Western Albemarle, Albemarle and Charlottesville high schools have teams as well. Photo by Sanjay Suchak
As luck would have it, each step of the way, Lindblom and Pearman were met with positive reception. Principals, superintendents, parents, school board members—they were all overwhelmingly supportive. “Of course, we had to do our due diligence and follow the process, but we didn’t meet with any opposition, and that made things a lot easier,” says Pearman.
Bit by bit, the two worked to develop a model that, they hoped, other public schools would be able to follow.
“That first year, I basically had no idea what I was doing,” laughs Lindblom. “We were kind of like the Bad News Bears. We had to figure things out and learn as we went along. We had to develop practice schedules, secure locations to ride, get funding for jerseys, cut trails, adopt mission statements. It was a lot to get thrown into.”
Naturally, Lindblom began consulting with his friends—many of who were adamant riders, and also parents. Seeing what he was doing at MHS, in spring 2016, a number of those friends sought to found teams of their own. Their efforts led to the formation of teams at Western Albemarle, Albemarle and Charlottesville high schools.
“It was really cool how it happened,” says Lindblom. “We were all getting together and talking about this, and maybe some people would come out and help at a practice, and they’d end up walking away saying, ‘Hey, I think I’d like to do this at my kid’s school.’ It was totally grassroots. We were all riding together at CAMBC, and our kids were racing on the Charlottesville Racing Club team, so it was neat to see this very public development blossom out of that community.”
Elsewhere across the state, other schools were taking notice as well. “I started getting a lot of calls,” says Pearman. “Athletic directors were phoning to ask me how we’d done it, what were the risks, how did it work, that sort of thing. Suddenly, we sort of found ourselves having achieved what we set out to do. We’ve basically become the go-to program for how you incorporate this sport in a high school setting.”
Riding into the future
The Miller School hosted the opening race of this fall’s Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League series on its student-built trails. The 3.3-mile course offers a 535-foot elevation gain and, according to official race info, “starts off with a challenging climb from the lower soccer field onto a gravel road before jumping into a short section of windy singletrack. Off the singletrack, riders will continue to climb up a doubletrack section of trail before riding over the flyover towards a fun, machine-built descent. A power climb under the flyover to the highest point on the course is followed by a fast and then twisty downhill before a final singletrack section into the finishing, opening field.”
Pearman says it’s phenomenal how far high school mountain biking has come in such a short period of time. “There were probably 600 spectators in attendance, with hundreds of riders from 30 different teams,” he says. “There were people lining the trails in the woods to cheer on the racers. It looked like a professional event. It blew me away. It was really incredible.”
In the last two years, Monticello High has grown its roster to 17 riders. It’s climbed the ranks to become the second-ranked public school team in the state, and sixth overall. In other words, it’s started to develop a healthy culture of competition.
“The most amazing thing is what happened when these kids started representing their various schools,” says Lindblom with a chuckle. “It was instantaneous rivalry. We ride together all the time and yet, they’re out here taking it really seriously in this super good-natured way. They talk trash, they watch the points standings, they want to get better. It’s cool to see that kind of investiture. They take pride in what they’re doing. And they’re being active and experiencing the outdoors in the process.”
Across town, senior Miller School standout Gus Myers, who wore the leader jersey until the last race of last spring’s VAHS MTB Series and rides for the Kelly Benefits U-23 professional development team in the summers, expresses similar sentiments. “This is a really, really special program—nothing like it exists anywhere else,” he says. “Before I came to MSA, I was this weird kid that spent all my time on a bike. People didn’t understand, and they didn’t really support me. But here, I’m surrounded by this amazing group of kids that are doing the same thing I am. Our coaches and teachers care deeply about what we’re doing. I have a support structure that allows me to thrive and push myself as hard as I can. It’s been pretty magical to find that.”
Myers grew up in Ivy, but moved to New Jersey with his parents two years ago. He has attended MSA since his freshman year in high school, and is now a boarding student, which he says lets him focus on cycling and mountain biking pretty much full-time. With competitive seasons in the fall, spring and summer, the only time he isn’t racing is for a couple of months in the winter—and even that time is chock-full of training (mostly long cardio-heavy rides in the mountains). At MSA, mornings get underway at 6, with riders meeting in the weight room for a workout. After that, they eat breakfast, and attend school from 8am to 3pm. Then it’s off to the bike room and practice, which runs until 5:30pm, at the school’s dirt track. Then they eat dinner and attend a mandatory study hall until around 9:30pm. Weekends are devoted to races, and the team is sometimes on the road for weeks at a time, traveling to places like California, Vermont or even Europe to compete.
It’s a grueling schedule, but Myers says it’s worth it. For most riders—Myers included—the end goal is to obtain a professional level contract, or to secure a spot on a strong collegiate team, which could yield an eventual pro contract.
“To compete at this level means you have make a lot of sacrifices,” he says. “We have tutors on the road with us, and our teachers put in a lot of Skype and email sessions. We do everything together as a team, and our lives basically consist of schoolwork, sleeping and biking. It’s really demanding, but with the school’s help and support, you sort of get into a groove and it becomes a routine.”
Looking to the future, Lindblom, Hufnagel, Dvorak and Stackhouse are all in agreement: As the sport goes more and more mainstream, and more and more kids get involved, things will continue to expand.
“I think what we’re seeing now is an intimation of the real growth to come,” says Stackhouse. “We still have a lot of work to do, but we started planting these seeds some years back, and we’re reaping the first big harvest of those results.”
GO-TO RIDES
Cor Carelsen
Owner of Crozet Bicycle Shop
Claudius Crozet Park. “For beginners on up to a seasoned rider looking for a good evening ride, I’d recommend starting at Claudius Crozet Park and following the trail down past the dog park along Licking Hole Creek. The trail starts out really easy going, so a beginner can ride until he or she feels uncomfortable with a hill or whatever, then turn around. If you want to go further, the loop is about seven miles total.”
Mint Springs Park
Mint Springs Park. “Located at the water reservoir within riding distance of Crozet, the park is maintained by Albemarle County and features various loop trails, about five to six miles in total. It’s very accessible and, with lots of elevation changes, you can really challenge yourself.”
Blue Ridge School Trail. The school is in St. George and has around 15 miles of trails of various difficulty levels, all of which are well marked and well maintained. The trails are very flowy, with not too many jumps, and feature some technical climbing and slow descending. Pro tip: “When you get there, go to the climbing tower at the trailhead, where you’ll need to register and sign an indemnity form.”
Daniel Sebring
Manager of Blue Ridge Cyclery, Charlottesville
Rivanna Trail
Rivanna Trail. “This is a perfect option for riders of all skill levels. It’s right here in the city, and you can hop on it and do anywhere from one to 35 miles. You can go to O-Hill and get technical stuff, or Carters Mountain and get some good climbs. Plus, it’s great for a car-free commute.”
Sherando Lake Recreational Area. “Located just outside of Waynesboro, for avid riders, this is a gold-mine of trails. The area is in the George Washington National Forest, and offers days worth of rides. Features lots of big climbs, 360-degree views and expert rides.” Pro tip: Pack a serious lunch and plan to be out there for the full day.
Dave Stackhouse
Former Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club president
Preddy Creek. For families and those getting into the sport, this is a great entry-level location. Situated on 571 acres of wilderness, it offers more than 8.6 miles of trails with plenty of easygoing beginner rides. In the future, look for an expert loop, which is currently being developed.
James Burris
Owner of Black Dog Bikes, Staunton
Montgomery Hall Park
Montgomery Hall Park, Staunton. A great option just outside of downtown Staunton. Features around six miles of loops, some of which overlap to create bigger rides.
Braley Pond Day Use Area. Located 15 minutes outside of Staunton in North River, this is part of the famous Shenandoah Mountain Trail, and is in the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National Forest. There are some smaller loops, but I like the Road Hollow to Bridge Hollow ride, with a descent to Braley Pond. It’s about 25 miles total, is for avid riders, and takes about three hours to complete. Expect rock gardens, off-camber side slopes, fast descents—in other words, a little of everything.
Lift-serviced resort rides
Wintergreen Resort
As the first location of the lift-served mountain biking program in the Mid-Atlantic region, Wintergreen deserves special kudos. With miles of expert and intermediate trails designed by former pro mountain biker Brad Stone, the course is no joke. It features an array of full cross-country loops, and an event-worthy 5.2-mile expert route with 1,000 feet of vertical change.
Massanutten Resort
With 30 miles of trails on its western slopes and a sweet bike park, Massanutten offers days of riding fun. A lower lift services beginner and intermediate trails, while an upper lift provides access to advanced trails. Additionally, there’s the 70-mile-long Massanutten Trail, which offers tons of elevation change, mountain views and rocky single-track.
Since 2011, Charlottesville police say there have been 10 reported criminal incidents on the Rivanna Trail. Three of those were attacks at Jordan Park, where this sign is located. Staff photo
By Rebecca Bowyer
Within the last six months, there have been three reported cases of sexual assault along the Rivanna Trail in Charlottesville. The attacks have led some to wonder—just how safe is it to run, walk or hike the 20-mile trail?
Although normally rare, attacks along some portions of the trail aren’t unheard of. Since 2011 there have been 10 reported criminal incidents, according to Charlottesville Police Department spokesman Steve Upman.
Upman says 20-year-old Brien Gray-Anderson, of Charlottesville, is facing charges in connection with the three incidents that happened between March and May. That includes two misdemeanor sexual battery charges and a felony charge of attempted sexual assault.
Between 2011 and 2015, seven incidents were reported along the trail. Five were physical assaults and two were sexual assaults.
Upman says the first sexual assault involved a woman being attacked and raped by two male strangers. The second case was a forcible fondling—a man attacked his girlfriend.
Charlottesville police say they have worked actively to bring an end to each case.
“Of the 10 total incidents between 2011 and 2016, seven resulted in an arrest being made while the remaining three were cleared, due to the victims declining to prosecute,” Upman says.
Three of the attacks happened on the trail in the area near the 1400/1500 block of East High Street, another three were near the 1100 block of River Road, one happened near Riverview Park and an additional three at Jordan Park. Upman says there is not enough information to assume a trend about where attacks are happening.
Virginia Trower, 29, and Lauren Connor, 31, have both lived in the Charlottesville area for the past several years. The pair say they run together at Riverview Park with their infant children about once a week. The women don’t often run by themselves, but when they do, they are more aware of their surroundings.
“When I learned there was an incident here (at Riverview Park), I was definitely a little wary when I was by myself,” Connor says, looking around at the trails, which are still heavily shadowed around sunrise. “I don’t usually go to the other side of Route 250.”
While the trail doesn’t have a dedicated officer, Upman says during the summer months an officer who is normally assigned to Charlottesville High patrols the trail from Riverview Park up to Free Bridge. Trower says she has seen officers in years past, and was once stopped on the trail by one.
“[The officer] made me stop running, take my earphones out and told me they were a bad idea—it was this big speech on safety,” she says. “He was saying, ‘Someone could come up behind you, and you wouldn’t even hear them, you wouldn’t even know.’ He said the same thing to every woman that was running.”
Along with increased patrols, the police department advises people to bring a partner to the trails. If someone does go by himself or herself, Upman recommends going during daylight hours, having a cell phone handy and staying on parts of the trail where you are visible to others.
Despite some safety warnings, many are choosing to remain positive and take advantage of the trail. Kaitlynn Gilmore, 22, of Orange, doesn’t live in the area, but works in Charlottesville. While she isn’t a park regular, she says the recent attacks don’t change her view of the Rivanna Trail.
“It’s nice that there’s this little patch of green, where I can go and clear my mind during my break,” Gilmore says. “It’s worth it.”
