Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Mountain Bikers Gamble in Wissahickon
Can poker help mountain biking? Philadelphia area mountain bikers are betting on it.
The Philadelphia/South Jersey mountain bike community and Fairmount Park are joining to host the 1st Annual Wissahickon Mountain Bike Poker Run to raise money for trailbuilding and maintenance. Proceeds from registration fees will be donated to the Friends of the Wissahickon to support their ongoing efforts to repair and rebuild trails devastated by the significant rain events last summer and fall, and help redesign many existing unsustainable trails and bring them up to IMBA standards.
The Poker Run is not a race, but rather a fun self-paced ride on marked trails through the beautiful and challenging Wissahickon Valley Park. Five checkpoints along the trail allow riders to build a poker hand. The best poker hands win prizes. The Poker Run will offer courses for all ability levels. The event is sponsored by REI.
Wissahickon Valley Park has long been a popular recreation destination, and mountain biking is one of the best ways to experience the park. This event will also serve as an opportunity to educate cyclists about park rules, trail conditions and how they can volunteer throughout the entire year to support the park.
The Delaware Valley Mountain Bike Patrol (DVMBP) and the Jersey Action Riders Mountain Bike Club (JAR), both members of the International Mountain Bicycling Association, have been supporting the park since 2000 by sponsoring a monthly trail maintenance session and hosting several IMBA Trailbuilding Schools. The DVMBP is a volunteer patrol and is a certified National Mountain Bike Patrol that works along with Fairmount Park rangers and staff to assist, educate and inform park visitors. The Poker Run will be a ,joint effort of these groups to rally support for mountain biking and the Wissahickon.
For more information visit http://www.pokerrun.jerseyactionriders.org
Key Lessons:
- Get creative with fundraising ideas
- Mountain bikers as stewards
- Partnerships with different user groups
