News Briefs

IMBA Trail News
Volume 15, Number 4
Fall 2002

1. Rate Your Riding

The IMBA Report Card is back in 2002. The Report Card program is designed by IMBA to provide an annual overview of mountain bike access and advocacy progress for U.S. states, Canadian provinces and other countries. In addition to a grade, each state's trail riding opportunities and challenges are summarized. Grades are based on a number of factors: estimated miles of singletrack, land manager attitudes, relations with other trail user groups and the long-term outlook for mountain biking. Online voting results combined with input from IMBA staff, representatives and local mountain bike advocates determine final grades. The IMBA Report Card will open for voting on the web from October 1-31, with live minute-by-minute results. At the end of the polling period, IMBA will tally the results and provide a detailed analysis. For more info and to vote for your state or country visit imba.com.

2. Bikes Belong Supports IMBA

Bikes Belong recently awarded a $10,000 grant to IMBA's Legal Defense Fund. This fund backs IMBA's work to preserve and enhance trail and dirt road access on federal and state public land. Specifically, this grant will support legal work to reinstate bicycling opportunities on the Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. The Cactus Forest Trail was recently closed to bicycle use after more than 10 years of successful shared use. It was the first singletrack trail in a National Park opened to mountain biking. IMBA is working to make sure other trails in National Parks and NPS-managed National Recreation Areas around the U.S. don't suffer a similar fate. The Bikes Belong grant will go directly towards paying a portion of the legal fees that IMBA has already incurred while working to reverse the Cactus Forest Trail closure decision and preserve bicycle trail access at other National Parks.

3. New Sprockids Coordinator

IMBA has hired Brandon Dwight as its new Sprockids coordinator. Dwight will continue to introduce the program into school systems and youth programs, and increase IMBA's worldwide network of Sprockids clubs. Dwight previously was a content specialist at SmartEtailing.com, where he worked for more than two years. Dwight also was a founder of Colorado Pay Dirt and managed the program on a volunteer basis for three years. Pay Dirt encourages mountain bike racers to volunteer for trailwork or other advocacy projects.

4. Cleveland Hot Spots Challenge

An 11-day Cleveland IMBA Hot Spots campaign in August focused on enhancing cycling opportunities throughout the metro area. Local advocates, IMBA staff and the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew held a series of meetings with land managers, performed trailwork clinics and hosted public events designed to involve more Cleveland mountain bikers in advocacy. Few trails are currently open to bicyclists in Cleveland and the surrounding Cuyahoga County. Cleveland bicyclists must travel more than an hour to access singletrack trails. During the Hot Spots visit, IMBA met with officials from Cleveland Metro Parks, Lake County Parks and Cuyahoga National Park to discuss ways to create mountain biking opportunities closer to the city. IMBA also worked with the Cleveland Area Mountain Bicycling Association to assist them in becoming a consistent presence in the city's trail community. For more info about mountain biking in the Cleveland metro area visit http://www.joinomba.org/camba. The 2002 designated IMBA Hot Spots cities are San Francisco, Cleveland and New York City. The IMBA Hot Spots Program is made possible by generous support from CLIF Bar Inc.

5. IMBA Launches Trail Consulting

IMBA's newest resource for land managers and trail stewards is the IMBA Trail Consulting Program. This program builds on the time-tested success of IMBA's Trail Care Crew by providing in-depth professional trail design, construction and maintenance services in a flexible, fee-based format. Joey Klein and Rich Edwards, veterans of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program, will lead the program. Joey and Rich have taught thousands of people the fundamentals of sustainable trails in all 50 states and in more than a half-dozen other countries. They are now available - individually, or as a two-person team - to provide top-notch consulting services to land management agencies and other groups around the world. IMBA developed this program at the request of land managers and mountain bike clubs who have expressed a strong need for longer visits and more detailed trail project support than our Trail Care Crew program can provide. Please contact IMBA for more information about this exciting new professional service.

6. Buy a Bike at VeloSwap

VeloSwap, the giant annual bicycle swap and advocacy fundraiser, is scheduled for October 26 at the National Western Stockshow Complex in Denver, CO. Event organizers expect more than 14,000 people to attend. More than 500 vendors - individuals , retailers and manufacturers - will offer bargains on bikes, bike parts and accessories. Proceeds from the VeloSwap are shared by Bicycle Colorado, the Boulder Off-road Alliance and IMBA. VeloNews, an IMBA above and beyond corporate partner, coordinates the VeloSwap. Subaru of America is the title sponsor.

7. Koobi Grants Awarded

Four bicycle groups have been awarded 2002 IMBA/Koobi Club Assistance Grants. The $500 grants - part of Koobi's growing commitment to mountain bike advocacy - support projects that preserve and enhance trail opportunities for mountain bikers. The winners are: Singletraction, North Yorkshires, United Kingdom; Ramapo Valley Cycling Club, Oakland, NJ; Mountain Bike Australia, Canberra, Australia; and the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association, South Lake Tahoe, CA. Colorado Springs-based Koobi is an innovative maker of high-performance bicycle saddles. The support comes to IMBA from the Koobi Freedom Foundation, which was established this past year to fund various advocacy projects. Koobi and IMBA will award four more grants later this year.

8. Trail Care Crew in Transition

Time flies when you're on the run. For more than two years, Jen and Rich Edwards served with distinction as Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders. Their primary territory was the eastern U.S., but they also led trail projects and trailbuilding schools in the American west, Canada, the U.K. and the Netherlands. This summer, the couple decided it was time to re-establish roots and they've settled in Harrisonburg, Virginia - one of the favorite riding and trailwork destinations of their Trail Care Crew days. Rich is maintaining his IMBA connection by serving as a trails specialist and brain trust for our budding Trail Consulting program. Mountain bikers around the globe have benefited from the Edwards' enthusiastic, innovative approach to trail development and management. While they're no longer traveling fulltime as IMBA representatives, they remain connected to our movement and passionate about our sport. Contact them at .

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	News Briefs IMBA Trail News Volume 15, Number 4 Fall 2002 1. Rate Your Riding The IMBA Report Card is back in 2002. The Report Card program is designed by IMBA to provide an annual overview of mountain bike access and advocacy progress for U.S. states, Canadian provinces and other countries. In addition to a grade, each state's trail riding opportunities and challenges are summarized. Grades are based on a number of factors: estimated miles of singletrack, land manager attitudes, relations with other trail user groups and the long-term outlook for mountain biking. Online voting results combined with input from IMBA staff, representatives and local mountain bike advocates determine final grades. The IMBA Report Card will open for voting on the web from October 1-31, with live minute-by-minute results. At the end of the polling period, IMBA will tally the results and provide a detailed analysis. For more info and to vote for your state or country visit imba.com. 2. Bikes Belong Supports IMBA Bikes Belong recently awarded a $10,000 grant to IMBA's Legal Defense Fund. This fund backs IMBA's work to preserve and enhance trail and dirt road access on federal and state public land. Specifically, this grant will support legal work to reinstate bicycling opportunities on the Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. The Cactus Forest Trail was recently closed to bicycle use after more than 10 years of successful shared use. It was the first singletrack trail in a National Park opened to mountain biking. IMBA is working to make sure other trails in National Parks and NPS-managed National Recreation Areas around the U.S. don't suffer a similar fate. The Bikes Belong grant will go directly towards paying a portion of the legal fees that IMBA has already incurred while working to reverse the Cactus Forest Trail closure decision and preserve bicycle trail access at other National Parks. 3. New Sprockids Coordinator IMBA has hired Brandon Dwight as its new Sprockids coordinator. Dwight will continue to introduce the program into school systems and youth programs, and increase IMBA's worldwide network of Sprockids clubs. Dwight previously was a content specialist at SmartEtailing.com, where he worked for more than two years. Dwight also was a founder of Colorado Pay Dirt and managed the program on a volunteer basis for three years. Pay Dirt encourages mountain bike racers to volunteer for trailwork or other advocacy projects. 4. Cleveland Hot Spots Challenge An 11-day Cleveland IMBA Hot Spots campaign in August focused on enhancing cycling opportunities throughout the metro area. Local advocates, IMBA staff and the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew held a series of meetings with land managers, performed trailwork clinics and hosted public events designed to involve more Cleveland mountain bikers in advocacy. Few trails are currently open to bicyclists in Cleveland and the surrounding Cuyahoga County. Cleveland bicyclists must travel more than an hour to access singletrack trails. During the Hot Spots visit, IMBA met with officials from Cleveland Metro Parks, Lake County Parks and Cuyahoga National Park to discuss ways to create mountain biking opportunities closer to the city. IMBA also worked with the Cleveland Area Mountain Bicycling Association to assist them in becoming a consistent presence in the city's trail community. For more info about mountain biking in the Cleveland metro area visit http://www.joinomba.org/camba. The 2002 designated IMBA Hot Spots cities are San Francisco, Cleveland and New York City. The IMBA Hot Spots Program is made possible by generous support from CLIF Bar Inc. 5. IMBA Launches Trail Consulting IMBA's newest resource for land managers and trail stewards is the IMBA Trail Consulting Program. This program builds on the time-tested success of IMBA's Trail Care Crew by providing in-depth professional trail design, construction and maintenance services in a flexible, fee-based format. Joey Klein and Rich Edwards, veterans of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program, will lead the program. Joey and Rich have taught thousands of people the fundamentals of sustainable trails in all 50 states and in more than a half-dozen other countries. They are now available - individually, or as a two-person team - to provide top-notch consulting services to land management agencies and other groups around the world. IMBA developed this program at the request of land managers and mountain bike clubs who have expressed a strong need for longer visits and more detailed trail project support than our Trail Care Crew program can provide. Please contact IMBA for more information about this exciting new professional service. 6. Buy a Bike at VeloSwap VeloSwap, the giant annual bicycle swap and advocacy fundraiser, is scheduled for October 26 at the National Western Stockshow Complex in Denver, CO. Event organizers expect more than 14,000 people to attend. More than 500 vendors - individuals , retailers and manufacturers - will offer bargains on bikes, bike parts and accessories. Proceeds from the VeloSwap are shared by Bicycle Colorado, the Boulder Off-road Alliance and IMBA. VeloNews, an IMBA above and beyond corporate partner, coordinates the VeloSwap. Subaru of America is the title sponsor. 7. Koobi Grants Awarded Four bicycle groups have been awarded 2002 IMBA/Koobi Club Assistance Grants. The $500 grants - part of Koobi's growing commitment to mountain bike advocacy - support projects that preserve and enhance trail opportunities for mountain bikers. The winners are: Singletraction, North Yorkshires, United Kingdom; Ramapo Valley Cycling Club, Oakland, NJ; Mountain Bike Australia, Canberra, Australia; and the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association, South Lake Tahoe, CA. Colorado Springs-based Koobi is an innovative maker of high-performance bicycle saddles. The support comes to IMBA from the Koobi Freedom Foundation, which was established this past year to fund various advocacy projects. Koobi and IMBA will award four more grants later this year. 8. Trail Care Crew in Transition Time flies when you're on the run. For more than two years, Jen and Rich Edwards served with distinction as Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders. Their primary territory was the eastern U.S., but they also led trail projects and trailbuilding schools in the American west, Canada, the U.K. and the Netherlands. This summer, the couple decided it was time to re-establish roots and they've settled in Harrisonburg, Virginia - one of the favorite riding and trailwork destinations of their Trail Care Crew days. Rich is maintaining his IMBA connection by serving as a trails specialist and brain trust for our budding Trail Consulting program. Mountain bikers around the globe have benefited from the Edwards' enthusiastic, innovative approach to trail development and management. While they're no longer traveling fulltime as IMBA representatives, they remain connected to our movement and passionate about our sport. Contact them at .


Help \| Site Map \| Copyright