Meet Islander John Benjes, One of the Prime Movers Behind the Development of the Strawberry Hill Bike Park, which Officially Opens This Saturday!

Long-time islander and former government attorney John Benjes likes to ride his bike – a lot! He’s a regular card-carrying member of the Geezers of Fury, a group of mostly retirees, who ride three days a week up and down the islands many hills and byways, slurping coffee and downing pastries afterwards, while swapping stories that may or may not be true.

Benjes has also been known to saddle up his bike, accompanied by any number of pals, and ride the trails out at the expansive Port Gamble Bike Park, a piece of real estate he seems to know like the back of his hand.

And when the mood strikes, he and his wife will attach their bikes to their sporty-looking recreational vehicle, rev of their SUV and discover some out-of-the way camp sites in places like Long Beach, WA., Fort Flagler State Park, or the Oregon Coast where they’ll bike, hike, hang out with friends, and enjoy the scenery.

But Benjes’ love affair with biking goes beyond the open road. He’s found a new passion in coaching kids, building bike trails and advocating for safer biking.

“When I retired in 2012, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do,” recalls the bespeckled 74-year-old. “Then a friend asked if I might be interested in coaching the Gear Grinders. I said, ‘why not.'”

For the uninitiated, the “Gear Grinders” is the name of the co-ed middle school and high school mountain bike teams that compete in the Washington State Student Cycling League. The students, from both public and private schools, perform in cross-country riding, cyclo-cross and enduro racing and are supported by the Bainbridge Island Mountain Biking Club.

“I started mountain biking a few years (before retiring) and saw coaching as a personal challenge and an opportunity to help grow youth recreation on the Island,” Benjes says. “We formed the Bainbridge Island Mountain Biking Club to raise funds for the Gear Grinders and to expand opportunities for mountain biking. The team became a major source of volunteers for building and maintaining multi-use trails on Bainbridge Island.”

Benjes’ efforts have come full circle. Tomorrow – Saturday September 13 – will cap off a years-long campaign by Benjes and many others to build the new Strawberry Hill Bike Park that will be dedicated by the Parks District and the Parks & Trails Foundation at a grand opening ceremony that gets underway at 10 a.m. The park is located at 7666 High School Road.

The new course is comprised of more than 1.5 miles of downhill trails, jumps, flyovers and other exciting features, plus a special skill-building areas. 

“This Bike Park expands the island’s biking community by bringing new riders into the sport,” says Mary Meier, executive director of the Parks & Trails Foundation. “Opening this park with the gifts and support of so many, from young families to the Gear Grinders team to longtime riders, speaks to the creativity and inclusiveness of the park design.”  

 Adds Dan Hamlin, executive director of the Parks District, “We’re so excited to see the Strawberry Hill Bike Park come to life, and we couldn’t have done it without our great partners at the Parks & Trails Foundation, and the Bike Park Committee members who helped rally the community. … This new park is built for everyone, from kids just starting out to experienced riders looking for a challenge. It’s going to be an amazing place for adventure right here on Bainbridge Island.” 

The $500,000 bike park construction was funded by private gifts to the Parks & Trails Foundation. It was originally seeded by a $1 million gift to the Foundation in 2022, to help purchase 10 acres of land adjacent to Strawberry Hill Park for the bike park, an expanded dog park, and conservation. “It’s exactly what we hoped it would be, a well-designed, really interesting park with features that are going to make everyone want to ride,” notes David Maron, of the Strawberry Hill Bike Park design committee. “There’s something for everyone.”  

Benjes, who served on the Bike Park Committee, was involved in the planning and design from the get-go.

“The Gear Grinders are fortunate to be able to ride the Island’s extensive multi-use trail system, but we needed a site designed for mountain biking that would enable bikers to ride faster and develop skills on technical trails,” he says. “Conversations began with the Park District and the District shared a proposal with the community for trails at Grand Forest North. While this proposal was under consideration in 2021, the (10-acre) Hayashida property adjacent to Strawberry Hill Park became available.”  That’s when plans shifted and Benjes and the parks folks began looking at Strawberry Hill in earnest.

Working with a citizen advisory committee, including Benjes, Evergreen West Sound, a chapter of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, developed the design of the new bike course, which the Park District approved it on May 4, 2023. Oceanside Construction and Shire Built were selected to build the bike park and they began doing so in April of this year. Shire Built previously constructed the Galbraith Trails bike park in Bellingham.

Strawberry Hill Bike Park is not Benjes’ first foray into building Bainbridge Island bike facilities. In 2014, he and other representatives of the Gear Grinders approached the Park District with a proposal to build a mountain bike pump track on the island. Pump tracks, which come in various shapes and sizes, allow rides, especially younger ones, to practice jumps and turns in a relatively safe environment.

Battle Point Park was selected as the site for the eventual Jay’s Pump Track, which opened in late 2017. Again, Benjes was one of the key personalities behind making it happen. The track is named in memory of former Gear Grinder middle school team coach Jay Abbott, who died in 2015 after a bicycle accident. Abbott was married to Darlene Kordonowy, the former mayor of Bainbridge Island.

As for Strawberry Hill Bike Park, Benjes says, “Some of the trails will challenge advanced riders while other trails and features will help a beginner develop skill and confidence. …  I look forward to the community pitching in to help maintain the park and find ways to make it better. While I don’t envision other large scale bike parks like Strawberry, I hope the Island finds other opportunities to add trails or features that are designed for mountain biking.”

Strawberry Hill Bike Park campaign sponsors include Brown Bear Car Wash, Isley Construction, Bainbridge Bike Co., and Dissimilar Metal Design. For more information visit: www.biparksfoundation.org, www.biparks.org, GEAR GRINDERS — BIMBC

Full Disclosure: Kevin Dwyer is also a card-carrying member of the Geezers of Fury and a friend of John Benjes. Photos courtesy of John Benjes.

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