A Texas Panhandle Perspective

By Jen Lamb

Six staffers traveled more than 1,000 miles by Subaru from Boulder to Flat Creek Ranch, outside of Austin, Texas, to attend IMBA's national leadership summit on February 11-13.

What was the summit about? Every other year, IMBA convenes the "congress" of mountain biking - a meeting of all IMBA state representatives, experienced advocates (and some new to the mission), industry representatives, and federal land managers. It's a chance for all of these folks to learn from each other, share information, touch base with IMBA staff and board members and ride their bikes in a great place. Perhaps most important, the summit was a chance for volunteer state reps who work long, hard hours for the sport - often in a vacuum - to re-energize and remember that they're part of a broader mission.

Although it's a long haul, driving home across the Texas panhandle had its advantages - wide-open roads, a beautiful sunset and many hours to reflect on a productive and fun weekend in the hill country.

My take on the weekend? The summit was great for two primary reasons. First, the location was perfect -- comfortable but low-key with amazingly good, rocky, varied singletrack right out the back door of our meeting room. Folks rode a lot. The grins at the end of a late-night loop said it all. Second, the people. The cultural dynamic (our sessions were punctuated by many different accents), the experience shared, the positive energy, and the enthusiasm for improving trail access for mountain bikers was awesome.

It's sometimes hard to summarize the state of mountain bike access in the U.S. Trails open, trails close, we gain some ground, we lose some. Regardless, I left Austin super impressed by the increasing level of savvy and sophistication of mountain bike advocates. We're learning how to play the game, and we're playing it better than ever. We're no longer worried about how to organize a trailwork day for 50 people - that's second nature. We're now focused on preparing winning proposals to raise millions of dollars for new and better trail opportunities. Many of us hold decision-making positions on state and local trail committees. More and more land managers know who we are and know that we are the ones to call when they want to get something done.

To all IMBA state reps and advocates, thank you and congratulations. You rule.

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	A Texas Panhandle Perspective By Jen Lamb Six staffers traveled more than 1,000 miles by Subaru from Boulder to Flat Creek Ranch, outside of Austin, Texas, to attend IMBA's national leadership summit on February 11-13. What was the summit about? Every other year, IMBA convenes the "congress" of mountain biking - a meeting of all IMBA state representatives, experienced advocates (and some new to the mission), industry representatives, and federal land managers. It's a chance for all of these folks to learn from each other, share information, touch base with IMBA staff and board members and ride their bikes in a great place. Perhaps most important, the summit was a chance for volunteer state reps who work long, hard hours for the sport - often in a vacuum - to re-energize and remember that they're part of a broader mission. Although it's a long haul, driving home across the Texas panhandle had its advantages - wide-open roads, a beautiful sunset and many hours to reflect on a productive and fun weekend in the hill country. My take on the weekend? The summit was great for two primary reasons. First, the location was perfect -- comfortable but low-key with amazingly good, rocky, varied singletrack right out the back door of our meeting room. Folks rode a lot. The grins at the end of a late-night loop said it all. Second, the people. The cultural dynamic (our sessions were punctuated by many different accents), the experience shared, the positive energy, and the enthusiasm for improving trail access for mountain bikers was awesome. It's sometimes hard to summarize the state of mountain bike access in the U.S. Trails open, trails close, we gain some ground, we lose some. Regardless, I left Austin super impressed by the increasing level of savvy and sophistication of mountain bike advocates. We're learning how to play the game, and we're playing it better than ever. We're no longer worried about how to organize a trailwork day for 50 people - that's second nature. We're now focused on preparing winning proposals to raise millions of dollars for new and better trail opportunities. Many of us hold decision-making positions on state and local trail committees. More and more land managers know who we are and know that we are the ones to call when they want to get something done. To all IMBA state reps and advocates, thank you and congratulations. You rule.


Help \| Site Map \| Copyright