Mountain bikers pursue trails in Rib Mountain State Park

Mountain biking advocates in the Wausau area have started to build plans for a trail system that would produce long, dowhnhill rides on the slopes in Rib Mountain State Park.

Hansi Johnson, midwest regional director of the International Mountain Bike Association, led a discussion of the proposal Wednesday night, and gathered input from about three dozen people.

One of the first steps will be to amend the master plan for the state park, which currently prohibits mountain biking.

The trail envisioned at Rib Mountain would complement the mountain bike loops in nearby Nine Mile County Forest, according to Johnson.

He envisions a trail that allows riders to "flow" down the hill so that riders can easily ride down without pedaling. The trails also would cater to a variety of riding skill levels, "not necessarily straight down and death-defying," Johnson said.