2003 IMBA Report Card
IMBA Trail News
Volume 16, Number 4
Autumn 2003
The world's best singletrack is in your backyard
Let's make one thing perfectly clear. The IMBA Report Card is NOT about dictating the best place to ride a mountain bike. A great ride is less about a specific location and more about capturing the soul of our sport. It's the energy of a trail, the light in the sky, the feeling of dancing on your bike. This essence can be reached just about anywhere: a hardwood forest singletrack in Alabama, a concrete jungle in Manhattan or a rock outcropping on a drizzly day in Scotland.
Instead, the IMBA Report Card is a tool to let IMBA members and mountain bikers know specifically where we're doing well and where riding is threatened. It's a resource for IMBA advocates to measure progress and focus energy.
The IMBA Report Card rewards progress and new trail developments. It would be easy to give the top grade to the same place every year - Idaho for example - but we're more interested in recognizing locales where mountain bike advocacy is fueled by a beneficial buzz factor.
Of course, trail access is not just a U.S. issue, so we called on advocates around the world to analyze their country's situations. While mountain biking originated in the states, many nations have surpassed the U.S. in providing great places to ride.
To minimize the subjectiveness of the Report Card, final grades were tabulated using a new formula that takes into account many factors, including strength of local organizations, percent of trails open, relations with land managers and other user groups, and overall threat. We solicited input from our network of representatives, field experts and staff. We also used results from an online poll of IMBA members.
Because the 2003 Reports card is more formula-based and less
subjective, overall grades actually went down slightly from previous
years. If you have comments, email us at
.
2003 IMBA U.S. Mountain Bike Access Report Card
| State | Grade | Phat | Flat | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | A | Cool trails statewide; urban successes | Sizzling summers cause meltdowns |  |
| West Virginia | A- | Governor values MTB tourism | Fish & Wildlife staff closed-minded | |
| Idaho | A- | World's best singletrack? | So many trails, not many volunteers |  |
| South Dakota | A- | Black Hills are trail wonderland | Need more advocates | |
| Colorado | B+ | Urban and high-country trails great | Restrictive Forest Service, BLM policies |  |
| Florida | B+ | Solid clubs statewide; abundant trails | Sand, heat | |
| Utah | B+ | Amazing landscape; public land | Reconciling access & Wilderness | |
| Montana | B+ | Montana = Colorado without hype | Time to get truly organized | |
| Oregon | B+ | Low-high/wet-dry: great trail variety | Why politick when you can just ride? | |
| Oklahoma | B+ | Spirited clubs, positive land managers | Private land limits access | |
| Michigan | B+ | Top-notch statewide organization | Lingering North Country Trail conflict | |
| Missouri | B+ | The people's choice in 2003 IMBA poll | Chigger bugs heckle riders in summer | |
| Wyoming | B | Jackson Hole a singletrack nirvana | Lots of trails, little information | |
| North Carolina | B | Western forests as good as it gets | Clubs in east need help | |
| North Dakota | B | State govt. reveres mountain biking | Lack of trails in the east | |
| Virginia | B | I-81 corridor riding is outstanding | D.C. access doesn't come easy | |
| Kentucky | B | Clubs, trails gaining ground statewide | Underrated by neighboring states | |
| New Mexico | B | Vast public lands, recovery from fires | To fence or not to fence Otero Canyon? | |
| Georgia | B | SORBA is a first-rate organization | Volunteer shortage, urban sprawl | |
| Nevada | B | Reno, Blue Diamond, Bootleg successes | Lots of public land but little riding info | |
| Alaska | B | Enhanced Anchorage trails | Much of state is trail-less | |
| Wisconsin | B | WORBA makes state a riding destination | Crowded trails down south | |
| New Hampshire | B | White Mtns. offer East's best riding | Sprawl squeezes access | |
| Arkansas | B | Ozarks bestow marvelous adventure | Renewed vim required from local clubs | |
| Washington | B | Pro advocates in Seattle reduce conflict | No new trails...yet | |
| Massachusetts | B | NEMBA raises $250K to preserve trails | Traditional opposition still kicking | |
| Tennessee | B- | Quality trails, clubs | More trails demand more volunteers | |
| South Carolina | B- | Energetic advocates put MTB on map | Muggy, slimy summers | |
| Ohio | B- | Statewide org., user group relations | Cleveland access still thin | |
| Vermont | B- | New statewide organization | Natl. Forest ban still in place | |
| Texas | B- | Outstanding clubs, Trail Doctors | Houston improving, but still limited | |
| Minnesota | B- | New trails in Twin Cities, statewide | MTB still striving to gain respect | |
| Maine | B- | Boundless trails in deep, dark woods | Spotty trail advocacy efforts | |
| Maryland | B- | Riders becoming politically savvy | Anti-cycling opposition vocal | |
| New York | B- | Promise of new trails near NYC | Proposed Catskill plan restrictive | |
| Hawaii | C+ | Varied, scenic trails, freeride clubs | Minimal advocacy activity | |
| Connecticut | C+ | Solid advocates, convenient riding | Coastal trails still restricted | |
| Iowa | C+ | Chummy relations with other groups | Mountain bike culture hardly a force | |
| Mississippi | C+ | Laissez-faire attitude ensures access | Minimal MTB statewide presence | |
| Pennsylvania | C+ | State forests embrace trails, riders | Game Commission rejects bikers | |
| Delaware | C+ | Energetic clubs with advocacy tradition | Tiny state cramps riding options | |
| California | C+ | Superb trails, land manager relations | Zealous opponents, Wilderness closures | |
| Illinois | C | Chicago, statewide clubs make headway | Chicago bikers have few legal trails | |
| Kansas | C | K.C. advocates rally to build new trails | Private land, farms limit potential | |
| Nebraska | C | SW hills offer superb singletrack | Club organization has suffered recently | |
| Louisiana | C | New trails in north, New Orleans | Advocacy still needs melding | |
| Rhode Island | C | Arcadia Forest offers riding choices | Limited places to ride in a small state | |
| Alabama | C | Relative harmony with other user groups | Poor relations with USFS imperil trails | |
| New Jersey | C | Solid clubs & county & state park riding | Conflicts persist near NYC | |
| Indiana | D+ | Bike coalition represents road cycling | Distressing lack of trails, few MTB orgs. | |
Places of Interest
top dog in u.s.a.
ARIZONA: A
Cool trails statewide, urban successes, Saguaro re-opens
Beyond the recent reopening of the Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park, Arizona has a stellar advocacy network and world-class trails. Whether it be the other-worldly red rocked trails in Sedona, the alpine routes that ring Flagstaff or the ponderosa pine singletrack near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona offers a plethora of fat tire destinations. Perhaps most impressive are the trail systems near Arizona's major urban areas, Phoenix and Tucson, which include hundreds of miles of shared-use trails and 35 miles of "competitive tracks," designed for higher speed non-motorized trail use. All this success is a result of strong local IMBA affiliates whose work has made Arizona a Fantasy Island for mountain bikers.
global superstar
BRITISH COLUMBIA: A
Freeriding hub; abundant trails, clubs, culture
Open any cycling magazine or view the latest crop of adrenaline, gravity-defying films and it's easy to see that the focus of the mountain biking world remains squarely on British Columbia, Canada. While the cross-country riding in places like Victoria, Kelowna, Rossland, Nelson and Fernie is mind-blowing, what really separates "B.C." from the rest of the planet is freeriding. B.C. is one of the few places where freeriding and all the elements that go along with it - super-technical trails, big drops and stunts - are fully embraced. The original stunt trails surrounding Vancouver have been improved, and on some days more than 1,000 riders buy tickets to ride at Whistler Resort.
people's choice
MISSOURI: B+
106 votes, 3.60 average GPA, 97% say access improving
Our newest category, the People's Choice Award, highlights the location that IMBA members choose as the best place for mountain biking and access. This year's winning state, Missouri, received the highest overall score based on a combination of total votes, overall grade and trends from the online 2003 IMBA Report Card poll. And why not? In the past five years awesome clubs from Kansas City and St. Louis have built miles of new trails with many more on the way. Missouri is also emerging as a hub for heartland mountain bike advocates, as the IMBA affiliate Earth Riders hosts the annual Midwest Mountain Bike Conference. The next step: creating a statewide organization that focuses beyond Missouri's two major metropolitan areas.
2004 alert
CALIFORNIA: C+
Zealous opponents, Wilderness closures loom
While the Golden State still has some of the best trails in the country, it's impossible to ignore the constant barrage of opposition mountain bike advocates face here. Some of the more surreal examples include mountain biking opponents threatening to physically blockade rides, accusations of paper tiger cycling organizations established for political reasons and zealous fanatics spewing pure fiction about the environmental impacts of the sport. At the crux of the conflict is consideration of new Wilderness. This federal designation preserves the land but, in the areas where proposals overlap outstanding rides, threatens important access. Just another typical year in the birthplace of mountain biking.
2003 IMBA International Mountain Bike Access Report Card
Mindful of our ever-increasing work outside the U.S., we are once again issuing grades to countries and regions where IMBA is active. As a new twist this year we're also comparing access of entire countries, including the United States. International members are paying attention to IMBA's work: five of the top 15 vote totals in the 2003 IMBA online Report Card poll came from outside the U.S. border, with countries such as Israel garnering more votes than Colorado.
| Country/Region | Grade | Phat | Flat |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITALY | A- | OUTSTANDING TRAILS, ACCESS, CULTURE | FEW PROBLEMS = FEWER ADVOCATES |
| CANADA | B+ | ABUNDANT OPEN LAND, TRAILS | NEED NATIONAL REPRESENTATION |
| British Columbia | A | Freeriding hub; lots of trails, clubs, bike buzz | Fires in 2003 closed forests |
| Yukon | A- | Unlimited trails, solid clubs, govt. support | Just getting here is an epic adventure |
| Ontario | B+ | Improving advocates; Toronto, Ottawa progress | Urban development, logging threaten trails |
| Alberta | B | After years of struggle, headway in Calgary | Need more clubs, representation |
| Quebec | C+ | Solid trails at ski areas | Montreal riding limited |
| UNITED STATES | B | NATIONAL, GRASSROOTS REPRESENTED | MTB LESS POPULAR THAN BOWLING |
| AUSTRALIA | B- | IMBA TRAINING MELDS TRAILBUILDERS | LIABILITY, FRINGE STATUS LIMITING |
| ISRAEL | B- | 5,000 YEAR OLD TRAILS, OPEN ACCESS | TRAIL INFO TOUGH TO COME BY |
| UNITED KINGDOM | C+ | DEDICATED MTB CENTERS, IMBA UK | MOST TRAILS IN SOUTH CLOSED |
| Scotland | A- | Abundant technical trails, freeriding, scenery | Representation lacking on local level |
| Wales | B+ | Dedicated MTB parks; trailbuilders, tourism | Only 26% of trails open to bikes |
| England | C+ | Access to Forestry Trails, bridleways | Thousands of miles of foot paths ban bikes |
| Northern Ireland | C- | New advocates learn fundamentals | Singletrack nearly non-existent |
Other Rankings
BEST ORGANIZATION AND REPRESENTATION
1. Massachusetts
2. Georgia
3. Wisconsin
4. Michigan
5. Florida
THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE: ONLINE POLL WINNERS
1. Missouri
2. British Columbia
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida
5. Minnesota
BEST OVERALL TRAILS AND SCENIC QUALITY
1. Idaho
2. Colorado
3. British Columbia
4. California
5. New Hampshire
BEST FREERIDING LOCATIONS
1. British Columbia
2. Scotland
3. Utah
4. Nevada
5. Colorado
MOST THREATENED
1. California
2. Maryland
3. Hawaii
4. Colorado
5. Utah
MOST IMPROVED IN 2003
1. Minnesota
2. Vermont
3. New York
4. Ontario
5. Illinois
