Media contact: George Chevalier
IMBA Promotions Manager
(732) 371-3855

(BOULDER, Colo., October 22, 2025) – The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) today unveiled its new IMBA Trail Town designation, celebrating communities that truly live and breathe trails. An IMBA Trail Town is more than just a great riding spot, it’s a place where world-class trails are seamlessly woven into the fabric of community life.

To earn the designation, a community must demonstrate a thriving trail culture: well-maintained and accessible trails, equitable opportunities for all riders, sustainable funding to keep the system strong, and a dedicated local organization leading the charge. The result is a destination where trails fuel quality of life, economic vitality, and community pride - making it a great place to live, work, visit, and ride.

This recognition is both an honor and a commitment—a mark of distinction that signals a community’s dedication to enhancing visitation and local quality of life through world-class recreational infrastructure.

Also announcing the relaunch of IMBA’s Ride Center™ Program, the organization will place special emphasis on a destination’s efforts to provide a variety of trail experiences. Beyond recognizing the total mileage of trails, the designation will award Ride Center Badges for exceptional offerings in four categories: Frontcountry, Backcountry, Gravity and Bike Park. Locations will also be able to highlight the percentage of trails open to Class 1 e-bikes as well as trails suitable for adaptive use.

The new designation levels are as follows:

• IMBA Ride Center: 60+ miles of high-quality trails and a minimum of three Badges.
• IMBA Premier Ride Center: 100+ miles of high-quality trails and all four Badges.

The process includes a self-assessment and trail inventory completed by the applicant, followed by a professional assessment by IMBA staff. IMBA will accept applications for the program year-round. The designation will expire after five years, with re-application ensuring that these destinations are both maintaining what they have and evolving their offerings to stay current with rider desires.

Beyond the recognition itself, the Ride Center process provides additional benefits to communities. Striving to achieve the designation brings together many different stakeholders, cementing relationships that can carry a community forward for years to come. The assessment process reveals gaps and opportunities that might otherwise have gone unnoticed, providing new ideas for capitalizing on a community’s unique strengths and culture.

For communities still developing their trail infrastructure, the criteria used for the designation can serve as a road map to guide that work with purposeful intention. No matter the goals of a community, whether they want to provide recreation for their residents or create the economic driver of trail tourism, following the objectives of quality, variety and skills progression will result in an excellent place to get outside on a bike.

To learn more about the programs or apply, visit imba.com/designation/trail-town and imba.com/designation/ride-center.

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