For six weeks this summer, I traveled the United States to ride my bicycle on the best trails and mountains our country has to offer. I’m an avid rider and love all things bike. Having lived in Maine my whole life, I learned how to ride on the same trails many of you all know. I’ve been back in Maine for a few weeks now, and I’m back to riding my favorite spots and have found them to be quite boring to say the least.

But then recently I rode Clifford Park. It’s literally my back yard. If you ride eight miles in Clifford, it feels like 20. The terrain will eat you alive. I noticed that while I have been away, trail maintenance has gone by the wayside. It’s being ridden by many, for sure, as I can see the fresh tire tracks cut into the soil by riders much like me. But the summer has taken its toll on the trails. Branches, rocks and glass litter the single track, and nobody has taken the time to get off their bike and move a branch or two. It’s sad, really.

Riding could be great here, but for now, the trails aren’t good despite their potential, because there is not enough commitment from local riders to make the scene as great as it could be. If all the riders south of Portland took a little time to maintain Clifford Park it could be a place people flock to. Then all the punks and broken glass and drug use out there would be flushed out.

Stop riding places that are already cleaned up and pretty for you. Help out and make this place great. I am calling out every single person who lives here and cares about our community: Get off your bike and grab a rake. Find a trail that you love and clean it up. Trust me, if you work on a trail for two or three hours, you’ll feel the satisfaction. Please share this challenge.

Dave Albert, Biddeford