Fifteen Years... and Growing

IMBA Trail News
Volume 16, Number 2
Early Summer 2003

This spring IMBA celebrates its 15th anniversary. At least a half dozen of our 500 affiliated clubs are slightly older. Compared to most other trail groups, we're still young. But our resume of volunteer projects is long, varied and innovative.

We coordinate trailwork projects, trailbuilding schools, volunteer patrols and guided rides of all sizes and shapes. We lead mountain biking 101 clinics, kids rides, bike fix-it courses and first-aid lessons. We organize special events where cyclists ride horses and equestrians ride bikes. (One thing I haven't seen yet is a horse riding a bike.)

We've got traveling trailers filled with trailwork tools and an ever-growing fleet of mechanized trailbuilding machines of varying shapes and sizes. Our Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew has inspired great trailwork projects around the world. Our collective reputation for exceptional trailbuilding expertise may be one of our most significant accomplishments.

We raise money to buy and preserve land. We mobilize to connect with elected and appointed government officials when they've mismanaged our sport and when they're making important trail management decisions. We support full funding for agencies and appropriations that support trails, livable communities and alternative transportation.

While all of this great work has been performed during the last 15 years or so, most of these endeavors are based on time-tested ideas. Whenever I get the notion that we're creating something totally new, all I have to do is look at a couple of photos I keep in my office.

One is an 1896 photograph (left) of the U.S. Army Bicycle Corps posing on Minerva Terrace near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. This was part of the famous 1,900-mile bike ride of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps. Each rider pedaled - often pushed - a bike that weighed close to 60 pounds.

What the photo reveals is the soldiers' spirit of adventure and pride for being able to pedal to such a spectacular location. Any good contemporary mountain bike shot is exactly the same.

The other photo shows members of IMBA's current Trail Solutions team admiring an old Roman road on the Mediterranean coastline high above Finale Ligure, Italy. They were studying stonework more than 1,000 years old - proof that solid concepts for building durable trails are nothing new.

In this edition of IMBA Trail News we focus on success stories - outstanding field efforts that are making mountain biking better. We're highlighting some of the best projects we know about, but these are unquestionably just a small sampling of what's out there.

Thanks to all of you who have applied your energy and creativity to extraordinary mountain bike projects. Here's to another 15 years of innovation and fun!

- Tim Blumenthal

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	Fifteen Years... and Growing IMBA Trail News Volume 16, Number 2 Early Summer 2003 This spring IMBA celebrates its 15th anniversary. At least a half dozen of our 500 affiliated clubs are slightly older. Compared to most other trail groups, we're still young. But our resume of volunteer projects is long, varied and innovative. We coordinate trailwork projects, trailbuilding schools, volunteer patrols and guided rides of all sizes and shapes. We lead mountain biking 101 clinics, kids rides, bike fix-it courses and first-aid lessons. We organize special events where cyclists ride horses and equestrians ride bikes. (One thing I haven't seen yet is a horse riding a bike.) We've got traveling trailers filled with trailwork tools and an ever-growing fleet of mechanized trailbuilding machines of varying shapes and sizes. Our Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew has inspired great trailwork projects around the world. Our collective reputation for exceptional trailbuilding expertise may be one of our most significant accomplishments. We raise money to buy and preserve land. We mobilize to connect with elected and appointed government officials when they've mismanaged our sport and when they're making important trail management decisions. We support full funding for agencies and appropriations that support trails, livable communities and alternative transportation. While all of this great work has been performed during the last 15 years or so, most of these endeavors are based on time-tested ideas. Whenever I get the notion that we're creating something totally new, all I have to do is look at a couple of photos I keep in my office. One is an 1896 photograph (left) of the U.S. Army Bicycle Corps posing on Minerva Terrace near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. This was part of the famous 1,900-mile bike ride of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps. Each rider pedaled - often pushed - a bike that weighed close to 60 pounds. What the photo reveals is the soldiers' spirit of adventure and pride for being able to pedal to such a spectacular location. Any good contemporary mountain bike shot is exactly the same. The other photo shows members of IMBA's current Trail Solutions team admiring an old Roman road on the Mediterranean coastline high above Finale Ligure, Italy. They were studying stonework more than 1,000 years old - proof that solid concepts for building durable trails are nothing new. In this edition of IMBA Trail News we focus on success stories - outstanding field efforts that are making mountain biking better. We're highlighting some of the best projects we know about, but these are unquestionably just a small sampling of what's out there. Thanks to all of you who have applied your energy and creativity to extraordinary mountain bike projects. Here's to another 15 years of innovation and fun! - Tim Blumenthal


Help \| Site Map \| Copyright

Fifteen Years... and Growing

IMBA Trail News Volume 16, Number 2 Early Summer 2003

IMBA Trail News
Volume 16, Number 2
Early Summer 2003