FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Even more bicycle recreational opportunities have come to the Town of Fayetteville.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on the new Bike Skills Area that has come to the Fayetteville Town Park that’s part of a larger outdoor development plan for recreation activities surrounding the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
A founding member of the Fayette Trail Coalition, Abbie Newell said it’s a four-property plan the coalition put together in 2020 with a number of various partners including the towns of Fayetteville and Oak Hill.
She said they were collectively awarded federal earmarks through U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito and former U.S. Senator Joe Manchin to develop more recreational activities for the area.
Newell said Monday’s ribbon cutting ceremony was particularly exciting as it’s nearing the completion of that earmark process that has been hugely collaborative and has been several years in the making.
“It feels wonderful to be able to see all of the hard work come to fruition, people riding it, smiles on their faces,” Newell told MetroNews. “Whether it’s people discovering it for the first time or well-seasoned mountain bikers getting out and playing, it’s really gratifying to see.”
The earmarks helped establish the Needleseye Trail in Oak Hill as well as the Fayetteville Park Pump Track, and now, this new bike skills area at the park.
Fayetteville Town Manager Matt Diederich said it’s a great addition to the community as well as all the tourists that come to the town.
He said the bike skills area compliments the paved pump track families have already been using and benefitting from.
“So, when people come to our town park they can enjoy both amenities, and they’re unique because no one else in the area offers the pump track or the bike skills area, and it helps the younger riders in the area especially gain more confidence on the trails,” Diederich said.
Senator Capito joined in for Monday’s ribbon cutting at Fayetteville Park. She said she was proud of what she saw. 
“The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is one of West Virginia’s crown jewels and a place I have been proud to support for many years,” Capito said in a statement. “I commend the work of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority, Fayette County leaders, and countless others for capitalizing on the national park designation, working hard to create unique outdoor recreation opportunities for all ages, and for their commitment to enhancing visitor experience. I look forward to continuing to champion New River Gorge for years to come.”
Newell said the new bike area occupies three different trails within the park and is considered a progressive skills park.
“There’s varying difficulties, so there’s everything from just like dirt flow berms to some ramps and bridges to skinnies,” Newell said. “The whole idea is that it’s really available for riders of all ages, all skills.”
Newell said it will support bike riders aiming to sharpen their skills as well as contribute to the local recreational initiative as a whole.
“They’re able to kind of sharpen their skills, progress on to other things, it plays nicely with the pump track that was just put in that also helps to build a little bit of skills there, and it’s just the next step to more recreation in the area.”