West Salem’s new bike park near Lake Neshonoc officially open

Bicyclists got their first taste of a new bike track in West Salem, after a ribbon cutting Thursday.

ORA Trails bike park, close to Lake Neshonoc, was developed over the past three years to feature hills and ramps for riders of all ages to use. Construction began in early July. Nearly all its $300,000 cost came from area donors.

ORA Trails executive director Jed Olson said the track is built to withstand heavy use and bad weather.

“We’ve actually used asphalt to cover the surface,” Olson said. “So a lot of times, these tracks get built out of dirt, which then can wear down with erosion and requires a lot of maintenance.”

Olson added that the new track is very low maintenance.

Thursday night’s rain held off long enough for dozens of bicycle lovers to celebrate at Lewis Point Park.

ORA board member Stephen Cohen brought the track idea to the organization and read a quote from La Crosse native Louis Pammel, who was known as a botanist and conservationist.

Speaking for himself, Cohen said “these kids, these adults, everybody in our community needs an outlet to relieve the stress that they go through, and this is an awesome thing for our community.”