Cyclists Rise From the Bayou

IMBA often says you don't need mountains to mountain bike, and this has been proven around the country. But what if you live in New Orleans, which is so far from the mountains that sections of the city sit below sea level and the landscape is more swamp than solid land.

You do what the New Orleans Metro Area Mountain Bike Organization (NOMAMBO) did: find the closest section of dry earth and build trail. In 2003 NOMAMBO (sounds like a new form of salsa dance), with help from the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, built 4.5 miles of tightly stacked loop trails. The trails were built about 20 miles north of town at the Bonnet Carre Spillway, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The key to this success was a ton of work by NOMAMBO on the front end to secure permission to build trails. The group put together an exceptional proposal that helped convince the Corps to allow construction on their property.

"NOMAMBO did a great job of really getting their ducks in a row," said IMBA Trail Solutions coordinator Scott Linnenburger. "They created an extremely thorough proposal and took advantage of things like the IMBA/Army Corps Memorandum of Understanding to boost their case. They also got the local cycling community behind the project."

New Orleans has a surprisingly strong cycling culture. There are a number of bike shops in town that sell high-end bikes. Up until now, most of the riding has been of the urban-assault nature. However, with even more trails being planned in the future, those high-end bikes could be on dirt soon. For more info visit www.nomambo.com

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	Cyclists Rise From the Bayou IMBA often says you don't need mountains to mountain bike, and this has been proven around the country. But what if you live in New Orleans, which is so far from the mountains that sections of the city sit below sea level and the landscape is more swamp than solid land. You do what the New Orleans Metro Area Mountain Bike Organization (NOMAMBO) did: find the closest section of dry earth and build trail. In 2003 NOMAMBO (sounds like a new form of salsa dance), with help from the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, built 4.5 miles of tightly stacked loop trails. The trails were built about 20 miles north of town at the Bonnet Carre Spillway, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The key to this success was a ton of work by NOMAMBO on the front end to secure permission to build trails. The group put together an exceptional proposal that helped convince the Corps to allow construction on their property. "NOMAMBO did a great job of really getting their ducks in a row," said IMBA Trail Solutions coordinator Scott Linnenburger. "They created an extremely thorough proposal and took advantage of things like the IMBA/Army Corps Memorandum of Understanding to boost their case. They also got the local cycling community behind the project." New Orleans has a surprisingly strong cycling culture. There are a number of bike shops in town that sell high-end bikes. Up until now, most of the riding has been of the urban-assault nature. However, with even more trails being planned in the future, those high-end bikes could be on dirt soon. For more info visit www.nomambo.com


Help \| Site Map \| Copyright