Photo by David Luck
Three kids tear up the track at Berthoud’s new bike park.

By Brendan Henry
The Surveyor

Onlookers driving down Highway 287 may see the mass of bikers using the new Berthoud Bike Park located at 1223 Meadowlark Drive. Officially opened on Sept. 18, local cyclists now have a huge playground at their disposal.
It features a mile-long mountain bike skills trail, a 1,300 linear foot dual slalom track, a competition-sized pump track designed by Velosolutions, jump lines for beginners and intermediate and advanced riders while also including a bike playground for very young cyclists.
“This park has been in the works for five years, so it is very exciting to see it come to fruition,” said Deputy Town Administrator Jeremy Olinger in the Town of Berthoud press release. “It’s been exciting to see how receptive everyone has been and how eager they are to not only ride it but also take care of it. It really speaks volumes about our community.”
The bike park was part of the 2018 Berthoud Master Plan Summary with construction being delayed as a result of the wet weather after breaking ground in March. An opening ceremony with Mayor Will Karspeck, Town Administrator Chris Kirk and Olinger was planned but has been pushed to next year.
So far, the park has been successful for the biking, skateboarding and scooter community. Families were out in droves on the Saturday after the opening, unloading their wheels from their vehicles. One couple was excited to ride their Dave Cannondale Dirt Jumper and Octave One and another local brought his skateboard to use on the pump track.
Town Forester Paul Furnas oversees the crew that maintains the park. He and his crew have been learning different maintenance practices from surrounding parks, and with only being open for about two months, he says the process is ongoing.
Furnas plans to have week-long closures once snow comes around, saying about a week-long closure per snowstorm. Wanting to keep people updated on closures and other park news, Furnas urges bike park users to follow the park on Instagram and Facebook.
“My boys love it here,” Jennie Merritt said on the Berthoud Bike Park Facebook page.
“Really great place to ride!” Brock Berry said on the same post.
Some Facebook comments offered constructive criticism like Robert Ardrey’s. “I had a blast on the pump track (first time on one) with my HT 29er, I cant wait bring the 20” BMX out. It would be nice to have some flippable signage that can be used to indicate track direction/config during busier times. It was a bit hectic at first until everyone verbally agreed to ride logo side entry into the berms. Otherwise I can’t wait to progress and try out all the jump lines, that hip jump into the berm by the bench is calling me.”
Not everyone is as excited about the new bike park, as Valerie Mardick took her grandson to the park for his amusement, not hers. Living in the neighborhood off Meadowlark Drive, Mardick walks her dogs around the area in the morning and has had unpleasant experiences.
“The other morning I was walking in here and this guy just came flying in here. Parked, yanked, he was in a hurry,” Mardick said. “He just came flying in here.”
Mardick is concerned that children are at risk of being hit by reckless drivers coming down the road and into the parking lot. Her grandson Landon had similar opinions but had a slightly different perspective.
“It’s fun to ride around. Ramps are a little even though, like when you go up the ramp, it was like a lot of speed and going down it’s like half the speed,” Landon said.
With colder weather on the horizon, the folks behind the Berthoud Bike Park Facebook page posted a graph of the incoming chill and said, “The weather is going to take a serious turn, so get out and enjoy the park while the sun is shining!”