GAINING MOMENTUM. Though the Pinehurst Park pump track has reached completion, it will get asphalt pavement and a potential expansion next year.

Pinehurst Park in Eau Claire has seen a whole lotta’ action this fall, as a community-led effort to create a new pump track – a 500-foot circuit of rollers and banked turns that local bikers can use to gain momentum and speed through pumping – gains traction.

In October, the City of Eau Claire and OutdoorMore Inc. hauled materials to the park to build the pump track – most notably a ton of dirt. The track includes about 30 bumps and rollers as well as six berms in the corners. Over 20 volunteers stepped up to make it happen, according to organizers.

On Oct. 16, the park hosted the Pinehurst Jam and one-wheel race, which saw “an amazing turnout,” according to Skip Contardi, member of OutdoorMore Inc.

They decided to wait until next year to install the asphalt necessary to pave the pump track in the hopes that they will be able to expand the track beyond 500 feet.

“We’re teaching these kids life skills and they don’t even realize it because they’re having fun,” Contardi said in an interview earlier this summer. “They’re developing building skills, teamwork, (and) accountability.”

Learn more about the project – and keep up to date with progress – at facebook.com/ThePinehurstProject. Or, check out the track at 3523 Delbert Rd. in Eau Claire.