IMBA Club Rides Trails and Works in Bulgaria
 One of the great lodges the Jackalopes stayed in nightly. |
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 Climbing up a beautiful mountain doubletrack. |
For Immediate Release
01-28-03)
Contact: Dan Vardamis
303-545-9011
In the summer of 2003, quick-eyed visitors to the Rila Mountains of southern Bulgaria might have caught a glimpse of a couple dozen Jackalopes far from their native habitat. But these weren't the mythical creatures of the American west - it was the Jackalopes Mountain Biking Club, an IMBA club from the San Francisco Bay Area that combines trail riding with international conservation.
Kim McElhinney sums it up best: "It's amazing terrain, and a really fun country - I can't believe how few mountain bikers there are here - the Jackalopes had the place to ourselves, like a big mountain playground!"
Most days consisted of about twenty miles of riding over stony fire roads and winding singletrack (aka sheep trails). Nights were spent at different lodges and villages scattered around the lower reaches of the mountains. The altitude was moderate (the highest peak in the region, Mount Musala, tops out at just 9760 feet), but many days included substantial verticals.
A standout ride in Rila is the precipitous drop from Makedonia Chalet to the ancient Rila Monastery. A descent of nearly a vertical mile, the trail dropped from a cold windswept pass into a wooded gorge before sending the Jackalopes out into a summery valley. The Monastery, an improbable and magical citadel deep in the forest, is as breathtaking as the Rila mountains themselves.
Things are a little different in Bulgaria. Besides the obvious lack of bikers - and it's not for a lack of terrain - the Rila National Park was formally protected only in 1992. The area still suffers from poaching, illegal logging, and, in some areas, damage to delicate alpine ecosystems by uncontrolled hiking and camping. But there's still a lot to save: the range's toothy peaks rise abruptly from the rolling farmland and storybook villages of southern Bulgaria. Its foothills are blanketed in thick forests of beech and pine and, in August, dripping with wild berries.
But the most amazing thing is that this is just the beginning. Other ranges with different characteristics - the jagged Pirins and the dry Rhodopis - extend to the south, and are riddled with equally unspoiled trails. To the east, the Stara Planina range rolls gently and is forested all the way to the Black Sea coast. Along the way are dozens of ancient Roman towns, Ottoman cities, and Byzantine castles. Bulgaria is well worth a visit, and well worth preserving.
"In a lot of the world," adds Jared Hardner, an environmental economist and the first of the Jackalopes to visit Bulgaria and see its mountain biking potential, "changing economies and population pressure threaten important natural areas, even though many of these places are beautiful and unique. Ecotourism - and responsible mountain biking is a great form of that - can help to keep wild areas safe, while at the same time helping to support local livelihoods."
The Jackalopes presented an analysis of Bulgaria's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for developing mountain bike tourism to the national association of eco-tourism operators as well as representatives of the national park system. The analysis lays out a roadmap for operators and park managers to enhance a sustainable trails network and provide for safe and comfortable accommodations for bicyclists.
Peter Kolev, Director of Bulgarian Adventure Sports, joined the Jackalopes on their visit to his mountainous backyard. In spite of his youthfulness (he is thirty-four) he is one of the fathers of mountain biking in Bulgaria. "We've been riding here for years," he says, "but it's nice to see other bikers appreciating our mountains - you get to see your favorite trails through new eyes." Another of the Jackalopes' objectives was to support the efforts of individuals like Peter to grow the core of responsible mountain bikers in Bulgaria.
The Jackalopes aren't the only ones who see the value of this kind of initiative: the group was sponsored by Specialized, Performance, Clif, Radisson, Coca Cola, and National Radio of Bulgaria. In addition to event sponsorship, the group raised a US$10,000 cash donation for the Bulgarian Protected Areas Fund to develop sustainable trail infrastructure. The group looks forward to a new adventure and similar support in the Andes next summer!
For more information about biking in Bulgaria, contact:
Peter Kolev
Bulgarian Adventure Sports:
5 Goloburdo
Sofia, Bulgaria
tel: +359 2 962 1478
e-mail:
http://www.bas-bg.com/
OR
Kim McElhinney
415-690-0074
Also see the official site of the Bulgarian National Park System: http://www.bulgariannationalparks.org/
