Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC)

I want to take a moment to recognize the passing of Don Youngdahl, one of the pioneers of mountain biking and mountain bike advocacy here in Minnesota.

A lot of the trails, access, and relationships we have today were built on work that started long before many of us became involved with MORC. Don was part of the early group of people who worked to convince land managers that mountain bikers could be partners, people willing to show up, build and maintain trails, organize, and advocate.

Don became involved with the organization that would become MORC in its early years. In 1999, when MORC needed people willing to help rebuild the organization, Don stepped forward as Membership Chair and helped Gary Sjoquist and others build something that could last.

Battle Creek was an important part of that work. Don and Gary helped reconfigure the trail network and move away from the outlaw trails that had existed there, a project Gary describes as MORC’s first big success.

I have one memory of Don from Battle Creek that has always stuck with me.

I was working with the Battle Creek crew on Freight Train when Scott Thayer disappeared for a while. I eventually found him sitting on one of the new bridges with Don, talking shop.

Scott was excited afterward that he had had the chance to sit down with Don. There was nothing dramatic about it, just two guys on a bridge in the woods talking about trails, but I have remembered it all these years.

There is something fitting about one generation of MORC sitting down with another on a trail that existed in part because people like Don had done the work to make mountain biking legitimate there.

Our organization, trails, and bikes have changed tremendously since those early days. Many riders today may not realize how uncertain mountain bike access once was in the Twin Cities, or how much work a relatively small group of people put in to change that.

Don Youngdahl was one of those people.

We did not start any of this. We inherited something that people like Don worked very hard to build, and we are grateful for that.

Rest in peace, Don. Thank you for helping build the trails, relationships, and organization that so many of us enjoy today.

Jason Tufty

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