Sobe to sponsor IMBA grants, publicity

IMBA Trail News
Volume 12, Number 2
May 1999

IMBA has entered into a new partnership with the South Beach Beverage Company (SoBe) of Norwalk, Connecticut. The partnership promotes SoBe drinks and support crucial trail access efforts for mountain bikers. SoBe is introducing a new drink called Lizard Fuel that is targeted at mountain bikers. To support IMBA's work to keep trails open for off-road cyclists, SoBe is putting IMBA's logo, phone number and web address on more than a million bottles of Lizard Fuel.

In honor of this new partnership SoBe is creating a special IMBA/SoBe T-shirt that will made available for sale. A portion of the proceeds from the T-shirt sales will go to a new IMBA fund that will award grants to strengthen top-priority access initiatives. The initial donation of $5,000 was made at a March 18th press conference at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. SoBe will also directly support those mountain bikers who are doing the actual sweat equity work by providing cases of Lizard Fuel to power IMBA club trailwork sessions.

"SoBe's support for IMBA will build awareness of mountain biking and trail access issues," says IMBA Executive Director Tim Blumenthal, "High-profile, high energy backing from outside the bike industry is crucial to securing our sport's future."