Advocacy

It’s never too early to get ’em rolling in the dirt. 

IMBA will celebrate it’s sixth annual Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day on Saturday, October 2 with simultaneous events held around the world. 

The New England Mountain Bike Association is locked in a heated battle over plans to improve riding in the Fells, an urban park just outside of Boston. 

The state agency managing the Fells has proposed a Trails Plan that, among other things, would provide for more bicycling opportunities, but the Sierra Club, Audubon and others are lobbying heavily to prevent any improvement for cycling. 

The International Mountain Bike Association has developed a new series of web pages to organize and highlight advocacy efforts across the country. Part of IMBA’s Public Lands Initiative, the web resources are just one component of a comprehensive effort to provide enhanced tools and staff support for critical hotspots where mountain bike access is at risk.

The pages provide a format for posting comments, contacting IMBA staff and sharing links to other web resources, IMBA says. 

Editor’s note: Sal Ruibal covered endurance sports for USA Today for more than 20 years, including more Olympic Games, Tours de France and other sports than he’s probably like to admit. In 2007 he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame for his coverage of a sport that had previously been considered too far outside the mainstream.

by James Murren

In the Access column of Issue 151, we interviewed Ashley Korenblat, Director of IMBA’s Public Lands Initiative. She spoke about the ways in which mountain bikers can work with land preservation advocates, and why Wilderness designations, even though they ban mountain biking, are not always a bad thing for mountain bikers in general. In this issue, we have an example of the other end of the land use spectrum, resource extraction, and how it can impact mountain biking.

Epic Trail threatened in West Virginia

From Kyle Lawrence of the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition:

There is no doubt Mikael Colville-Andersen is pro-bicycling. A filmmaker and photographer, he is also the head of Copenhagenize Consulting, a firm that advocates for taming urban spaces, and publisher of a popular blog by the same name.

Dan Powell

Hometown?

Born in Detroit, Michigan. But I grew up in Lansing and went to college in Marquette, so really I consider the entire state of Michigan my hometown. Michigan is America’s high-five you know.

Current location?

Portland, Oregon.

What do you do for/with/to bicycles?

by Nat and Rachael Lopes

The National Bike Summit, held this week in Washington D.C., is a gathering of voices from the bicycle industry, advocacy groups and concerned citizens to make their case to Congress for making "strategic transportation invenstments that foster healthy people and healthy communities."

By Adam Newman

The Bellingham Herald is reporting that the owner of more than 3,000 acres on Galbraith Mountain near Bellingham, Washington, is ending the recreation use agreement with a local mountain bike organization and will close the trails.

Snow might still be falling in British Columbia, but spring is just around the corner and Whistler Mountain Bike Park is slated to open on Saturday, May 20.

After a public outcry and thanks to lobbying on the part of trail advocates, the 44 miles of trails outside Bellingham, Washington, will remain open to mountian bikers and hikers as negotiations continue between the land owners, the city, the county and a land trust.

Editor’s note: In “Brain Sprain” (issue #153) we examined the after-effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post-Concussive Syndrome (PCS) from a medical standpoint. That’s only half the story—Jason Carter shares his first-hand account of living with the effects of severe head trauma.

by Jason Carter

Illustrations by Kako

It took years of waiting and countless hours of volunteer work, but the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont is finally welcoming mountain bike riders.

Cyclone Trail, Waitsfield, Vermont.

By Patrick Kell

Photos by Ryan Thibault courtesy of MTBVT.COM

By Gregory A. Cummins, D.O., M.S. American Board Internal Medicine Fellow Candidate, American Academy of Wilderness Medicine

Illustrations by Andy Jones

By David Alden-St.Pierre, MS, PA-C, Illustration by Molly Feuer

You’re on the ground. You’re not sure why. There are a few people standing around you, talking to you, talking about you. Someone keeps asking if you’re okay, but you don’t know how to answer. Why are you on the ground? What happened? Are you hurt?

IMBA has joined forces with the Let’s Move! campaign to get 30,000 kids on mountain bikes on October 1.

More than 20,000 kids participated in coordinated events in 2010 and IMBA hopes the support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign will get even more kids on bikes on October 1.

Just two short months ago, Windham, New York, welcomed the international mountain biking community for the excitement and festivities of the seventh race of the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series.

Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighborhoods to remind the world that we don’t have to accept our car-dominated society.

By Greg Galliano and Melanie Strong

Virginia Mountain Bike Trail from Scott Wootten on Vimeo.

Portland isn’t know for being the most accomodating city for mountain bikers, but finding a place to ride is about to get a bit easier with the construction on a new indoor park dubbed the Lumberyard.

Pedal-Driven: The Official Trailer from Howell at the Moon Productions on Vimeo.

By Jon Pratt

Inspired by Hans Rey and his determination to give back to the sport that has done so much for him, Crankbrothers created the Dreambikes program to benefit his charity, Wheels4Life.

With online registration for the 2012 Edition of Dirty Kanza 200 fast approaching (registration opens Saturday, Jan. 14th), Dirty Kanza Promotions is announcing an exciting opportunity for race participants to join the fight against childhood cancer. For 2012, Dirty Kanza 200 will join forces with the Pablove Foundation’s Shutterbugs program, in memory of Adrian Lewis Solano.

The 2012 crankbrothers dreambikes auction is off to an exciting start. The total raised for Wheels 4 Life is already up to $19,227. Thatʼ s enough to purchase 192 bikes for people in third world countries to use as transportation to work, to school, or to receive health care. We are already at 38 percent of our goal to raise $50,000, and we still have nine beautiful dreambikes that will be auctioned over the next few months.

Thanks to the year-long efforts of many dedicated individuals and Mountain Bike Idaho, the state is the first in the nation to feature a mountain bike-themed license plate. Under the law passed by the Idaho Legislature, this new mountain bike-themed plate will benefit all trail users of Idaho’s 17,000-mile recreational trail system.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) chose Santa Fe for its 2012 World Summit, October 10-13, 2012. Coming to town will be 400 of the most dedicated, experienced, and well-traveled mountain bikers in the country including national cycling journalists, bike manufactures, and IMBA members.

CLIF Bar’s Meet the Moment program invites outdoor enthusiasts to inspire and be inspired, empowering them to Protect the Places We Play by shar

Portland Design Works and the Northwest Trail Alliance recently to announce the grand opening of the Ventura Park Pump Track in Northeast Portland. The facility is the latest effort by the NWTA to increase access to and awareness for mountain biking in the Portland region. Late last year PDW donated $4,500 to the NWTA and Portland Parks and Recreation to pay for construction of the track.

Tom Ritchey participates in the first Wooden Bike Classic race in Rwanda, September 2006.

By Gary J. Boulanger

A 1983 Cunningham R1 built in Fairfax, Calif., for Charlie’s future wife, multiple NORBA champion Jacquie Phelan. Weight is 27 lbs.

By Gary J. Boulanger

The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship employes 15 full-time trail builders, has clocked in more than 30,000 volunteer hours, maintains 30 trails, has built 25 miles of new trails in the past year, and serves more than 200,000 riders each year in the Downieville and Lakes Basin areas of California. 

Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky and Saguaro National Park in Arizona are the two most recent National Park Service properties to allow mountain biking on both existing and future trails.

The regulation at Mammoth Cave opened two existing and two future trails to bicycle use on October 12, 2012. Mountain bikers now have access to the Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike and Hike Trail and the White Oak Trail, and will have access to the planned Connector Trail near Maple Springs and Big Hollow Trail north of the Green River.

Dirt Rag has been supporting IMBA since Day One.

Words and Photos by Gary J. Boulanger.

More than 350 devoted mountain bikers from 20 countries gathered for the 2012 International Mountain Bicycling Association World Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 10-13, rallying the troops to advocate increased trail access for all in a celebration of IMBA’s 25th anniversary.

Better head on over to your local shop and make nice. Some bike shops attending Interbike in 2013 will be allowed to invite their favorite customers to the annual tradeshow in Las Vegas, opening the door to consumers for the first time.

The limited-access initiative, called Interbike by Invitation, will allow registered retailers to invite customers to attend. These special invitees will be treated as special guests of that shop and will be afforded preferential treatment at the show.

One of the biggest gravel grinder races of the year, the Almanzo 100, will get a big boost January 5 as riders and fans will gather in Minneapolis for a party to offset some of the cost of organizing the race which charges no entry fee. 

Intermedia Arts will host the party from 6-10 p.m. Tickets are just $10 at the door. Expect a family-friendly event for cycling fans from fanatic to casual. 

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association Awards were established in 2010 to honor student-athletes, coaches, volunteers and partners that have made outstanding contributions toward the development of high school cycling and the national high school mountain biking movement. This year, awards were awarded to 13 individuals in 10 different categories that were selected from a field of more than 222 nominees from NICA Leagues across the

The exploding popularity of fat bikes has led the International Mountain Bike Association to put together some "best practices" for fat bike riders when using the bikes on Nordic ski trails, snowmobile trails, or in the backcountry.

The Puppies & Rainbows Ladies Jump Jam at the San Francisco Bike Expo was a skills clinic and practice session that brought the joy of dirt to San Francisco’s Cow Palace. 

By Joh Rathbun. Photos by Shane Mckenzie.

Film by Adam Nawrot.

Selene Yeager, Kristin Gavin, and Kathleen Harding are part of the dominate Women’s Elite team. Photo by PJFreeman Photography.

Team CF, the rolling brainchild of cystic fibrosis researcher Dr. Jim Wilson is racing into its fourth year with some fresh faces and a new Club Team that is open to the public.

World record holder and mountain bike legend Jeff Lenosky has joined X-Fusion‘s growing team of athletes and brand ambassadors. In 2013, Lenosky plans to continue highlighting his head turning trials skills at multiple demonstrations across the country. On top of his national tour and dealer visits for long-time frame sponsor Giant Bicycles, he also plans on getting his competitive fix at select enduro events around the country.

The high school cycling movement continues to gain momentum in California

"Singletrack High", a documentary about a progressive approach to body, mind and character developmentthrough the sport of high school mountain biking premieres tonight in Mill Valley, California. The premiere is at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre, at 8 p.m.

Dejay Birtch at the 2012 Trans-Sylvania Epic. Birtch will represent Ride for Reading in 2013.

Ride for Reading is teaming up with professional mountain biker Dejay Birtch to create an innovative, professional mountain bike team. Birtch will not only represent Ride for Reading through racing, he will serve as an ambassador of the organization by collecting books, visiting classrooms, and spreading Ride for Reading’s mission as he travels from race to race.

By Adam Newman. Photo above by A.E. Landes, photo at right courtesy of Team CF.

By Estela Villaseñor, photos by Bob Allen Images

By Joh Rathbun. Photos by Brad Davies.

The Soquel Demonstration Forest is a unique forest located on Santa Rosalia Mountain about an hour away from San Jose, California. It’s unique not just for its amazing beauty and great riding, but because it’s owned by the California State Fire Department and it leases out the land for logging and recreational activity.

Join damn it. That’s the message Niner has applied to its limited edition run of nine custom painted Jet 9 RDO frames that will be auctioned off to raise funds for the International Mountain Bike Association. Each is paired with a painted to match RockShox SID XX fork.

Coldwater Mountain in Anniston, Alabama, is a signature project and the "southeast trails laboratory" of IMBA Trail Solutions, which is leading the design and construction of up to 75 miles of bike-optimized trails over the next three to five years. As of June 2013, there were already 25 miles of trail on the ground, including the Southeast’s longest continuous descent.

The Coastal Crew builds and films some of the best mountain bike trails in the Pacific Northwest, and now they’re taking the huge step to open a bike park of their own. Rather than adapt a ski area, they’re building one from scratch on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. The goal is to build a year-round, ...

Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Minnesota, has been named one of IMBA’s Model Flow Trails. This year, IMBA is recognizing five Ride Centers, four Epics, three Flow Trails and two Gateway Trails in locations from the Czech Republic to Kentucky. These trails should go on your short list of riding destinations. These are the trails worth ...

Voters in Steamboat Springs, Colo., overwhelming approved a new measure that will allocate a tax on lodging to building more trails and a new downtown riverfront promenade. Ballot Measure 2A was approved by 71 percent of the city’s voters, according to Steamboat Today.

“Bike Town USA” is in the news again. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) has announced that its 2014 World Summit will be held in Steamboat Springs, Colo., Aug. 20-24. The biennial event brings together mountain bike enthusiasts, volunteers, trail builders and thought leaders with bike industry representatives, land managers and government officials from across ...

Folks, the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, along with partners Santa Cruz Bicycles and Yuba Expeditions, is proud to announce another “5 Bucks A Foot” campaign. Up for grabs this time is the winner’s choice of ANY Santa Cruz bicycle, along with ONE YEAR’s worth of free shuttles courtesy of Yuba Expeditions! Every purchased foot of ...

Cyclocross season may be winding down, but if you’ve got Holiday Fever, the only solution might be MORE COWBELL. Moots is happy to obliged with the annual release of Ti Sticks, a noisemaker made from excess or scrap tubing from Moots frames. The titanium tubes are cut and finished in just a way to provide ...

Last spring Bell Helmets and IMBA partnered to award a total of $100,000 to three trail projects in the first Bell Built Grants. With the hope of making it even bigger in 2014, Bell and IMBA hope to spread the word so riders all around the country realize the opportunity they have for a trail ...

Cold Rolled is an action documentary from Clear & Cold Cinema, Salsa Cycles and TravelMarquetteMichigan.com that will explore the history and progression of winter cycling culture in the adventure-loving Lake Superior harbor town of Marquette, Michigan. Marquette’s Noquemanon Trails Network has nearly perfected equipment and techniques used to launch its Snow Bike Route, a 15-mile winter singletrack developed for fat ...

Cold Rolled is an action documentary from Clear & Cold Cinema, Salsa Cycles and TravelMarquetteMichigan.com that will explore the history and progression of winter cycling culture in the adventure-loving Lake Superior harbor town of Marquette, Michigan. Marquette’s Noquemanon Trails Network has nearly perfected equipment and techniques used to launch its Snow Bike Route, a 15-mile winter singletrack developed for fat ...

Photos by Griff Wigley The Midwest Fat Bike Access & Grooming Workshop was held on January 9 and 10 in Cable, Wisconsin. This gathering brought together over 70 advocates from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin devoted to improving off-road cycling and fat biking in winter. The event was sponsored by Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) and hosted by Minnesota ...

Marin County, the birthplace of mountain biking, has suffered for decades with lack of good, legal singletrack. Access4Bikes is working hard to turn the tide in Marin and open up more riding opportunities for our vibrant mountain bike community. Funds raised from this campaign will go to building more trail miles at Camp Tamarancho, one of ...

Trails are useless to mountain bikers when they’re off limits. But that access also needs to be balanced with the needs of other user groups and especially the environment. “Crossing the Divide, Protecting the Places We Ride”, produced by Grit and Thistle Film Company, documents how IMBA and its chapters work with the conservation and ...

I recently got back from my first ride in Marin County, California, and I was blown away by how nice the trails were – especially in February! Access4Bikes is working hard to turn the tide in Marin and open up even more riding opportunities for our vibrant mountain bike community. They are selling raffle tickets to ...

Bell Bike Helmets and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) have announced the 12 finalists for the 2014 Bell Built Grants: $100,000 in technical assistance money put up by Bell for three bike projects to be built in 2014 by IMBA Trail Solutions. Public voting to choose the winners is open now and ends May ...

Even if you don’t live in Colorado or might never have the chance to sample its sweet singletrack, it’s hard to pass up an opportunity like this. The Routt Country Riders – a local IMBA chapter – is raising funds to purchase some new trail building equipment, and Moots is pitching in to help. For ...

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), the governing body for interscholastic mountain biking, announced recently that Alabama and Virginia will be the newest states in its growing nationwide school cycling program, bringing the number of leagues in NICA network to 13. One of the key features of NICA is its structural ability to work in ...

$100,000 in prize money? Split between three winning trail networks? That’s what’s at stake in the annual Bell Built Grants. Bell Helmets and IMBA have teamed up to build three dream trail projects and after whittling the contenders down to 12 finalists in three regions, the West Coast winner has been decided by popular vote.

The Marin Museum of Bicycling recently announced it would begin construction on the Mt. Tamalpais Legacy Wall in Fairfax, California, that will be fitted with brick titles funded by museum donors. The public can purchase bricks and help fund the museum, the future home of the Igler Collection and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.

The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship in Northern California, along with partners Santa Cruz Bicycles has announced another “5 Bucks A Foot” campaign. Up for grabs this time is the eventual winner’s choice of any complete Santa Cruz bicycle with a value up to $10,000. Every purchased foot of singletrack for $5 is an opportunity to win, ...

By Karl Rosengarth and Eric McKeegan. Photos by Justin Steiner and Jon Pratt. For all of Pittsburgh’s endearing qualities, its wet, pre-spring weather sucks. There are weeks on end when the trails are just too wet and muddy for responsible riding. The optimal solution is to load Dirt Rag’s “trusty” Ford E-Series van with test ...

With voting live for the past two weeks in the Central region, Bell Helmets has announced that the Cottage Grove Bike Park in Cottage Grove, Minnesota pulled in the most votes out of the four Central region finalists to earn a share of the 2014 Bell Built Grants. The project, headed up by the Minnesota ...

With 13,896 votes being accumulated in the last two weeks, the Richmond Regional Ride Center in Richmond, Virginia, will take home the final slot as the winner of the East region.

One of our favorite rides every year is the Mt. Tam Dirt Fondo that samples some of the sweet singletrack where mountain biking was born on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California. The original, 46-mile ride will still take place September 7, but this year the Marin County Bicycle Coalition has added a Summer Solstice ...

The old-school, East Coast riding that make the trails at Slatyfork famous more than two decades ago are back with an expanded race weekend at the Pocahontas Trails in West Virginia. The new, three-day format features a short track race, an XC race and an enduro August 22-24. The weekend of racing showcases what the ...

The rapidly growing popularity of e-bikes on trails is ruffling a lot of feathers in the mountain bike community. We took an in-depth look at the issue in Issue #179, and below you’ll find the International Mountain Bicycling Association‘s position on “motorized” bicycles. Your feedback How do you feel about electric-assist bikes both on the ...

Dirt Rag contributor Brice Shirbach not only writes words and shoots awesome photographs, he also does a fair share of videoing as well. His latest is an expose’ of the amazing trails in Beacon, New York. “Welcome to Beacon stands to showcase some of the amazing trails that descend from the summit of the town’s ...

For the fifth year, Niner has created a special IMBA themed bike in support of the non-profit’s mountain bike advocacy efforts. This year’s version is a custom painted ROS 9 Plus complete bike with special detailing and components throughout. The ROS 9 Plus is a brand new addition to the Niner line up – an ...

Elected by a vote of past inductees and current Hall of Fame members (including our esteemed Publisher, Maurice Tierney), the latest members of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame will be formally inducted September 10 at Interbike in Las Vegas. The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame & Museum was founded in 1988 in Crested Butte, ...

By Joh Rathbun, photos by Inga Beck. Don’t take out the disco ball and the pumps—high heels—because this is Ladies Night at Northstar California. Bring a bike pump instead, as NorCal’s favorite mountain is notorious for it’s rocky and dusty conditions. And with the drought that California is experiencing, the mountain is living up to its ...

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Dirt Rag #178. Order a subscription to make sure you never miss an issue. By Kristen Jones Neff, Photos by Forrest Arakawa Construction on the much-anticipated Stafford Lake Bike Park in Novato, California, has begun—with  some dramatic twists along the way, and a whole cast of characters working ...

We’ve spent many an hour around Dirt Rag headquarters talking about how valuable an online trail database would be to the mountain bike community. Throughout the years there’s been a multitude of attempts, but few of those efforts gained lasting traction. That is, until now. In May of this year, MTB Project celebrated its first ...

If mountain biking is going to continue to mature and grow, it’s essential that we prepare the next generation of riders to be good shepherds of the trails. IMBA does its part each year by hosting Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day—an opportunity to share your passion with some little rippers. The event always takes ...

IMBA Trail Care Crew Jordan and Lani.  Courtesy of IMBA. Photo by Joshua Lawton. IMBA is now accepting applications for Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew (TCC) visits in 2015. This is one of IMBA’s oldest and most successful programs, now entering its 18th year. Trail Care Crew visits present an opportunity for land managers, trail organizations and ...

Smith is excited to dedicate the month of October to honoring the Strong. Beautiful. Unstoppable. women in action sports by not only highlighting some of its most decorated female athletes, but also donating to First Descents, giving young women fighting cancer the opportunity to “out live” their diagnosis through outdoor experiences. In addition, Smith will donate ...

Courtesy of Access4Bikes Marin County Bicycle Coalition and Access4Bikes want to expand Marin’s bike trail network and increase access to singletrack trails. Support their efforts by purchasing raffle tickets and you could win a 2015 Marin Mt. Vision. Marin Bikes, MCBC and A4B are giving away a XO1/Fox equipped Mt. Vision XM9 (click here for specs) ...

  By Joh Rathbun Torrential rain was driving out of the sky and pooling in the soft, welcoming dirt. Washing away a dry summer, the rain didn’t let up, but it didn’t stop some of mountain biking’s luminaries from teaching women of all ages at the Truckee Bike Park at the annual Little Big event. ...

Earlier this year the Richmond Ride Center was awarded one of the Bell Built Grants, a huge influx of cash that will help the network of trails near Richmond, Virginia, continue to expand. The project focuses on improving the existing trails on-site to diversity trails and depth of experience, along with developing a new gateway trail ...

This is an opinion essay from our editor-in-chief. Let’s call this what it is: a mass murder. On June 7, a 50-year-old Michigan man drove his pickup truck into a group of cyclists outside Kalamazoo, killing five and injuring four more. The tragedy has garnered national news but despite the horrific violence committed on these ...

Several brands including SRAM, Liv, United Bicycle Institute (UBI), Quality Bicycle Products, Pedro’s, and Park Tool have joined together to offer ten scholarships for women to attend United Bicycle Institute. Recognizing the bike industry needs to reach out to more women, these industry heavyweights have collaborated to fund a scholarship program for women. Additional support ...

Courtesy of the International Mountain Bicycling Association: The MTB Project website and mobile apps have been updated and improved with new functionality. The apps are available in both Android and iOS versions, and are completely free. MTB Project continues to grow in popularity, with a catalog of user-generated content that now exceeds 34,000 miles of trail. ...

For the fourth time, fat bike riders and advocates will meet to discuss land access issues, best practices for the emerging market, and ride some bikes at the Global Fat Bike Summit. QBP, along with Fitzgerald’s Bicycles, Hoback Sports, Wyoming Pathways, and Mountain Bike the Tetons/IMBA are hosting the event January 23-25 at the Snow ...

Attendees of the Fat Bike Summit and Festival who register at the $35 level will have a chance to win some juicy fat bike product from SRAM and Race Face. SRAM will also be offering a technical clinic on its Guide brakes and Bluto forks as part of the festival on Saturday. The festival is ...

As part of the continued US Topo maps revision and improvement cycle, the USGS will be including mountain bike trails to upcoming quadrangles on a state-aligned basis. The 2014 edition of US Topo maps covering Arizona will be the first maps to feature the trail data, followed by Nebraska, Missouri, Nevada, California, Louisiana, New Hampshire, ...

Don’t hang up your bike for the winter just yet. The Old Man Winter Bike Rally (OMW), a winter cycling celebration for bike aficionados and beer lovers, will debut in Boulder County, Colorado, on February 8, 2015.  The OMW is a 31 or 62-mile adventure ride and race that promises dirt, snow, sweat, and beer, a ...

By Joh Rathbun. Photos courtesy of Jessica Klodnicki. Still in its infancy, the Girls Rock ride, organized by Jessica Klodnicki, general manager and executive vice president of Bell and Blackburn, hosted its monthly ride at Ibis Cycles last month. More than 70 women showed up to take advantage of the free Ibis demo fleet and to ride ...

The Bell Built trail building project, a partnership between Bell Helmets and IMBA, will award a $100,000 grant to a single mountain bike project in the USA this year to construct an advanced and aggressive technical trail. The award is a departure from previous years where the grant was split into three winners, one in ...

By Jeff Lockwood. Ilustrations by Stephen Haynes One should never dwell too deeply on any polarizing statement frivolously tapped out in the comments section of any online article or posting. The stunning language, poorly argued opinions, hilarious misspellings and ill-informed “facts” expressed by virtually anonymous people can boil the blood of even the most level-headed, stable ...

Photo courtesy of the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative It’s hard to imagine mountain biking being a priority of the United States military, but without the sacrifice of men and women in uniform, it’s possible many of us would not be able to enjoy our favorite sport the way we do today. Former President George W. ...

It’s the end of an era. The Aptos Post Office Jumps and the accompanying pump track in Aptos, California, are being razed in February. Earning notoriety for their death-defying vert doubles and the local kids that have grown up with these jumps—both the jumps and kids are now internationally-known entities. While on Saturday, February 14, ...

Courtesy of the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association. Photos by Kelly Randolph. Through the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers and enthusiasts, winter fat biking has really begun to take off in the Chequamegon area of northern Wisconsin. The most visible evidence is the Fat Bike Birkie, put on by the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation ...

Riding fat bikes in the snow isn’t as simple as many folks might believe. Just like skiing, different conditions can make for vastly different experiences, as anyone who has pushed their bike while post-holing through deep snow can tell you. 45NRTH is hoping to help, with a new website called Ride Groomed that tracks trail ...

Courtesy of Sarah Galbraith, Ambassador to Vermont Mountain Bike Association. Photos courtesy of the VMBA.  When most folks think of Vermont they might think of maple syrup and skiing, but the Green Mountain State has seen an explosion in mountain biking in recent years. The Vermont Mountain Bike Association is leading the charge thanks to a ...

Words by Sarah Galbraith. Photos by Tristan Von Duntz. The notion of flow exists in all kinds of sports,” says Mark Eller, Mountain bikers have, of late, seen the development of communications director with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). Eller has worked in skiing, snowboarding, surfing, and climbing, and now mountain biking. He points out ...

Video courtesy of KMTR News Cycling can be a competitive pastime, but trailwork days are one time when everyone can come together and unite to improve their experience. That doesn’t mean a little friendly competition can’t still have a role to play however, as the Disciples of Dirt in Oregon demonstrated. Last month the club, based ...

Editor’s note: We will be updating this post at the bottom as news develops. Photos by Adam Newman Portland, Oregon, has a reputation as a progressive and welcoming city for cyclists. It has one of the highest rates of bicycle commuting in the country and it supports a huge road and cyclocross race scene. In ...

Words by Frank Maguire. Photos by Scott Schoen. Since you’re reading Dirt Rag, it’s a safe bet that you think bikes are a pretty great human achievement—right up there with sliced bread, space travel and Saturday morning cartoons. As with all great inventions, bikes should be measured by their ability to change and improve people’s daily ...

By Lani Bruntz Everyday it happens like clockwork: I meet another rider on the trail, or am just pumping gas, and I get asked, “So, where do you live?” I still stumble over the answer, which usually ends up being, “On the road,” or, “In that there Subaru.” Before I can explain, I am interrupted with, ...

Here at Dirt Rag we’re huge fans of classic steel hardtails, and today we got an introduction to a new brand with a unique business model that is giving back to the associations that support cycling. Advocate Cycles is a new venture from industry veteran Tim Krueger and its first product is the Hayduke, a ...

The Bell Built Grants are an annual endeavor from Bell Helmets that awards $100,000 to a local trailbuilding project, and you get to pick who wins it. In the central region, where voting is live now, there are three projects vying for your vote: Red Rock Park – Gallup, New Mexico Red Rock Park is best ...

Bell Helmets is awarding a $100,000 grant to the trail network that earns the most votes in its annual Bell Built Grant program. Exchequer Mountain Bike Park in Mariposa, California, was chosen in the West bracket and Spirit Mountain Bike Park won the Central division. Now the East voting is live through May 24 and ...

The three 2015 Bell Built finalists have been named, and the final voting period is now LIVE through June 4. Unlike prior years, only one finalist will be dubbed the Bell Built grand prize winner, where they will take home the full $100,000 to build their dream trail. See the finalists below and cast your vote at bellhelmets.com/bell-built. ...

Joe Breeze has been a busy guy. In addition to popularizing the very concept of mountain biking back in the early 1970s, he also steers the ship at his own brand, Breezer Bikes, and has taken stewardship of the original Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Breeze has brought the collection to his home—and mountain biking ...

After an exciting vote, Bell Helmets and IMBA have announced that the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club of Knoxville, Tennessee, is the 2015 Bell Built champion. Situated in the heart of Knoxville, the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club will receive the full $100,000 grant to build their Urban Wilderness Trail Project. The bike park is being constructed with ...

Have you noticed any of your favorite pro cyclists sporting tattoos in the shape of the Crankbrothers logo lately? They’re certainly fans of the brand but rather than make a permanent mark on their skin the temporary tattoos are a way to raise awareness for their favorite cycling-related charities. Participating athletes span the disciplines of downhill, enduro, ...

It’s that time of year again—Voting is now open for the nominees in the next class of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. This will be the first class since the Hall of Fame moved to the new Marin Museum of Bicycling, in Fairfax, California, which opened in June. There are six nominees, but you can ...

Courtesy of IMBA For more than a decade, IMBA has recognized trails and trail systems around the world that stand out as models for the best that mountain biking has to offer. From rugged, long-distance treks to front-country networks that challenge and excite riders of all ability levels, the Model Trails program is designed to ...

Allow me to set a scene for you: It has been a long and arduous journey for women in cycling, from those who work with bicycles for a living to those who simply find joy when riding them. For decades, we haven’t been seen as equals or deserving of either employment or representation because we ...

Cover story from issue #187 Words by Chris Milucky Photos by John Shafer   Amanda Batty gained a degree of notoriety earlier this year, not because of her race results as a professional downhill and enduro racer but because she abruptly resigned from a position as an online columnist due to sexism, double standards and ...

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) announced that its 2016 World Summit will be held November 10-12, 2016, in Bentonville, Arkansas. “Bentonville, specifically, and Northwest Arkansas, regionally, have shown a commitment to developing world-class mountain biking trails,” said IMBA President and USA Executive Director Mike Van Abel. “I look forward to introducing mountain bikers from around ...

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is now accepting applications for 2016 visits from the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, IMBA’s grassroots educational program. Featuring a traveling team of two as well as nine regional staff members, the program offers everything from sustainable trail building schools to high-level land manager trainings, as well as organizational support ...

Charlie Cunningham gave a lot to the world of cycling. From custom frames to roller cam brakes, 135 mm axles to the founding of Wilderness Trail Bikes, he has shaped the sport of cycling as much as anyone. Now it’s time for us to give back. After suffering a serious brain injury as a result ...

Female mountain bikers, take note: There is only one week left to apply to be a Bell Helmets Joy Ride ambassador! If you are excited about welcoming more women into mountain biking and wouldn’t mind doing it with significant support from one of the sport’s most recognizable brands, get your application in by November 1. ...

Editor’s note:  It’s been over 50 years since the Wilderness Act was enacted, 30 years since mountain bikers were banned from Wilderness, and over 10 years since Ted Stroll wrote his article in the Penn State Environmental Law Review showing that the original congressional act had no intention to kick bikes out. Last year Stroll ...

Editor’s note: In 2005, Philip Keyes interviewed Theodore Stroll for an article on the legal issues surrounding Wilderness access that ran in Dirt Rag Issue #112. Stroll is the author of the law review article: “Congress’s Intent in Banning Mechanical Transport in the Wilderness Act of 1964.” Theodore J. Stroll; Penn State Environmental Law Review (Volume ...

“Adventures of Slowmo Bro” is a video series produced for the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) that features professional mountain bikers teaching lessons on trail etiquette and trail maintenance. NICA oversees middle and high school mountain bike racing and launched this series with the support of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). Episode 2 features Greg Minnaar and ...

“Adventures of Slowmo Bro” is a video series produced for the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) that features professional mountain bikers teaching lessons on trail etiquette and trail maintenance. NICA oversees middle and high school mountain bike racing and launched this series with the support of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). Episode 3 features ...

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) just released the latest edit from its “Slowmo Bro” video series, in which pro mountain biker Matt Hunter rips berms and learns a few things about trail stewardship. NICA and IMBA’s tips for showing your trail love: Participate in local trail maintenance and trail building days. The more you ...

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) may not be the kind of organization you would expect to be facing vocal opposition from mountain bikers. But some are calling on IMBA to take a stronger stance on mountain bike access after the upstart Sustainable Trails Coalition has grabbed headlines with its mission to undo the blanket ban on ...

Photos: Josh Sawyer and Emily Walley A community is a village, a town or a city, but a sense of community is not defined by proximity. It’s the nurse and the lawyer, the photographer, designer and the park ranger; it’s the social media specialist, the bike shop salesperson and the mom all pursuing a common goal. ...

For more than a decade, IMBA has hosted Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day in October. This year, for the first time, it has added a spring event on June 11. You’re invited to register a ride, sign up for an existing one, or simply spend the day enjoying dirt on two wheels with the kid(s) ...

Words and photos: Leslie Kehmeier Originally published in Issue #192 There’s a lot cooking these days in the world of mountain biking. And contrary to what you might think, it’s not necessarily about the construction of progressive trails or constantly improving bicycle technology. At the core, it’s about the communities that have embraced this type ...

Press Release from IMBA: The board of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) announced [August 30] that it has accepted the resignation of Mike Van Abel as the Executive Director of IMBA, effective September 2, 2016. IMBA’s board is working to select a permanent replacement for the position. “Mike has been an outstanding steward for IMBA ...

At Interbike 2016, 30 representatives from 11 U.S. cycling organizations joined together to launch the Youth Cycling Alliance. They discussed how to work more cooperatively to enhance and expand youth cycling programming across the country, including identifying opportunities for strengthening partnerships and aligning programming efforts. Engaging women, kids, minorities, physically challenged individuals and underserved populations were ...

Press release from QBP The Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) Women’s Bike Mechanic Scholarship Program is back for its fourth year. QBP and its sponsors are pleased to offer 16 scholarships for an all-women’s class of Professional Repair and Shop Operations at UBI. The scholarship was created with the recognition that the bike industry needs to ...

CycloFemme is a grassroots organization of women on bikes, created in 2012 by Sarai Snyder of Girl Bike Love, and Tanya Quick and Jenn Cash of Language Dept. The socially-driven, volunteer-based community works to empower women and girls through cycling in order to create social change. CycloFemme hosts an annual ride, which takes place on Mother’s ...

We know the bike and the rider aren’t the only components for an exhilarating ride – it takes some great trails, too – and that’s why the work of trail builders is so important. The spectacular and rugged trails in Northwest Arkansas are among the best in the world because of the skilled riders who ...

Access4Bikes and Specialized are giving away a 2017 S-Works Stumpjumper to support trail access in the birthplace of mountain biking, Marin County, California. A $10 donation gets you a chance to win a top-of-the-line Stumpjumper in your choice of 29” or 27.5” wheels, valued at $8500. The S-Works build comes with a Sram Eagle drivetrain ...

Epic Rides is hosting a fundraiser called Hail the Trails to benefit the trail systems on which the Epic Rides Off Road Series events take place. The public can purchase as many raffle tickets as they’d like at $4 apiece. Each ticket purchased equals an entry into a raffle for one of three bikes, a ...

This fall, hundreds of kids, their parents, youth leaders and bike enthusiasts will gather in Arlington, Virginia for the seventh annual Youth Bike Summit to help shape the future of cycling in the United States and around the world. For a weekend, participants will gather to listen to seminars, take part in a group ride, ...

Earlier this month, almost 200 women gathered at Burke Mountain Resort and the neighboring well-known Kingdom Trails for the first New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) Women’s Summit. The goal of the Summit was to identify obstacles to leadership that women face in the cycling world, bring together female NEMBA members and leaders and ultimately ...

Words by Ben Davis, photos by Eddie Clark Being told “no” and “that’ll never happen” and “you’re wasting your time” several times a day is a uniquely deflating experience. You’re sharing an idea—a great idea, an innovative whopper of an idea—with friends and decision makers and community leaders. You’ve got energy and passion in your ...

The International Mountain Bicycling Association’s Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day (TKMBD) will take place on October 7 this year. This annual event seeks to introduce the joy of mountain biking to the next generation of enthusiasts and activists. Mountain bike clubs, IMBA chapters, youth groups, community organizations and schools all over the country host ...

By Leslie Kehmeier  If there is one thing that government agencies and advocacy organizations are known for, it’s acronyms. I call it the alphabet soup. In my 15 years of combined experience working for both genres, I’ve been through my share of meetings filled with full sentences of fake words that actually mean important things. ...

The Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) launched its “Ante Up for Trails” campaign today to raise money for trail construction and maintenance projects and cycling events in Santa Cruz County, California. Some current projects include: New 30+ Mile Trail Network in San Vicente Redwoods: MBOSC took a leading role on the design of a ...

Confessions of a World Bicycle Relief Cynic Words by Joe Parkin, photos courtesy of World Bicycle Relief  The year was 1986 and I was back from my maiden voyage to Belgium, where I had been attempting to become a professional road bike racer. I’d spent a spring and summer ingesting pig shit sprayed from the ...

By Evan Gross Know someone who regularly gives back by doing trail work? Here are some gift ideas they’ll love and use. Stihl KM 111 R KombiMotor – $350 The Stihl KombiSystem is a motorized head with multiple quick-release attachments to sweep, cut, blow or trim. Attachments vary in price and function but with thirteen ...

Bryan Rowe, an avid cyclist and craftsman from the Salt Lake City area, has recently been diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gerhig’s disease. His friend Tony Pereira of Breadwinner Cycles is raffling off a custom frame in order to help raise funds for Bryan’s medical expenses as well as an ADA compliant home. Bryan and Tony met ...

Words by Nick Legan, photos courtesy of Trips for Kids As a reader of Dirt Rag, you may have taken the opportunity to ride a bicycle early in life for granted. I did until I spoke with two people who are working to ensure that more kids get the chance to ride bikes and appreciate ...

By Katherine Fuller If we could all just live by the great commandment of “Don’t be a jerk,” mountain biking wouldn’t need an etiquette guide. But we have met the enemy and he is us. Recent IMBA surveys indicate even mountain bikers recognize that the biggest threat to access is … mountain bikers. The good ...

The Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition (VVCC) is launching a Ride-for-Five fundraiser drive today to help raise money for the Western Gateway trail construction project in Sedona, Arizona. This project will contain the first true beginner-level trails in the area. From the VVCC: Construction on the Western Gateway will begin in fall 2018. It will be a ...

The Skull 120/60/30 Gravel Grind highlights Harney County, Oregon’s rugged character, from long mountainous ascents to teeth-chattering and eye-watering descents, to breathtaking vistas, open rangeland and alpine forests. With two stream crossings and cattle guard after cattle guard, this gravel grind is a feat to finish and a testament to the rider’s grit and determination. The Skull 120 ...

Words by Adam Newman, photos by Howard Draper This is it. The Big One. The Cascadia Subduction Zone has shifted, resulting in a massive earthquake and tsunami that has devastated the Pacific Northwest. In Portland bridges are unsafe to cross, gasoline is being rationed and electricity is spotty. Luckily the city is filled with cyclists who can ...

This year, Kitsbow launched its inaugural Trail Advocate Program, which recognizes local leaders in trail advocacy through a crowd-sourced nomination process. The first Trail Advocate of the Year recipients were announced yesterday: Joe Lopresti (Homer Glen, Illinois), Tim Kugler (Gunnison, Colorado) and Erik Mickelson (Northvale, New Jersey). Kitsbow’s hope with this program is to build community and maintain awareness ...

So many of us ride bikes past the pavement to escape into the magic of the woods, the desert, or the plains where our imaginations can still take off and our adult stresses relax. Most of us started that early exploration and adventure by reading books, whisked off to alternate realities where we could see ...

For perhaps the first time in modern history, government officials beyond the highest-ranking are household names in the United States. People who are not very involved in politics and invested in policy-making likely had no idea who was Administrator or Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prior to the recently-resigned Scott Pruitt. And ...

International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), SRAM Cycling Fund and Ohio University have teamed up to create a survey that aims to gain insight into how riders use both our local and destination trails, and how we interact with our advocacy groups. While mountain biking enthusiasts are often engaged in their communities, providing information about their ...

A few months back, we broadcast the announcement that Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) was again offering up its Women’s Bike Mechanic Scholarship. The time has come, the winners have been chosen, and we are so friggin pumped. Each of the 32 scholarship recipients will attend a two-week Professional Repair and Shop Operations class at United Bicycle ...

Last September, the town of Macon, Georgia installed a network of temporary bike lanes. In the two weeks that the lanes were up, bike traffic increased by nearly 900 percent, more city residents were inspired to ride instead of drive and many residents also visited places that they normally wouldn’t because of the ease of access.

If you mountain bike, you likely ride outside (unless you are extra special). While East of the Mississippi, public lands aren’t quite as common, they’re much more a part of the riding experience for our Western readers. The difference between public lands and state or county lands may sound confusing, because it is. We talked ...

In Montana, mountain bike advocates seek continued access to the Lionhead by David Tucker Halfway up the final climb to Targhee Pass, our progress grinds to a halt. From the high side of the trail, a ball of earth the size of a VW bus hovers suspended in midair, propped up by six 50-foot beams ...

by David Tucker It’s late afternoon and the air has a bite to it. The heat of summer is gone, replaced by the angular and indirect sunlight of fall. Four grade-schoolers huddle together while their mate sits on his bike, poised above a miniature tabletop, waiting anxiously to drop in. “Can I send it?” he ...

In issue #210 of Dirt Rag Magazine, we spoke with people of varying backgrounds about their experiences learning to mountain bike, build community among riders and use bikes as a tool of self-discovery and self-reliance. Bikes and wilderness both have proven positive effects on our psyche, from destressing after a hard day at work to ...

Editor’s Note: This feature first appeared in issue 210 of our print edition of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe today to catch issue 212, in production now and soon to set sail. By Carolyne Whelan, illustrations by Stephen Haynes Anissa Lamare may be the only female downhill mountain biker in India. She ...

Do you use public lands? If you’re a mountain biker, then it’s likely that you do — especially if you live or ride west of the Mississippi. The Forest Service is proposing big changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA has two major functions. For one, it requires informed decision making regarding public ...

How catering to mountain bikers is helping small towns Editor’s Note: This feature first appeared in issue 205 of our print edition of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe today to catch issue 212, in production now and soon to set sail. Photos from this web edition taken by Brett Rothmeyer in Copper ...

By Eric J. Wallace West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed a groundbreaking new mountain biking bill into law earlier this year. Known as SB 317, the legislation effectively extends ski resort-style liability protections to private landowners — so long as they join a group like the Mountaineer Trail Network Recreation Authority. Comprised of public organizations, ...

As you may have read in our Issue Announcement, for issue 212 of Dirt Rag Magazine, Access editor Leslie Kehmeier focused this issue’s column on public lands. Her focus was primarily on Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park, as those are the federal lands she was visiting, but the column covers ...

A temperature-based guide for cold weather mountain bike riding By Keith Huff Now that fatbiking has become a popular sport, more riders, both skinny and fat tire, are riding through the winter months. This has allowed not only extended (or continuous) seasonal recreational riding, but it also promotes base mileage achievement for competitive riders. Winter ...

By Melonee Hurt Steve Kasacek’s handiwork stretches from the woods of Maine to the remote hills of Arkansas. Most days his workspace is five miles deep in the woods somewhere. His home address consists of a storage unit and a mailbox. He has been known to sleep in his car or next to it, regularly ...

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in issue 210. If you like what you are seeing and reading Subscribe and help support independent mountain biking journalism. By Leslie Kehmeier “But is it foldable?”   I am told this was a question that was raised when the SQZBX (pronounced “squeeze-box”) Brewery and Pizza Joint was about to ...

Santa Cruz Bicycles commits to giving away $1 million to projects that increase access to trails Santa Cruz Bicycles is making a commitment to increasing access to quality trails. They are pledging to give $1 million over the next three years to trail development projects, local and national advocacy organizations, events, and programs geared toward ...

For the better part of 20 years, I called myself a cartographer. So what nerdier thing could I do to pay homage to a career that eventually merged with my mountain bike life than to travel to the last-mapped region in the United States? Even though I knew that Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capitol ...

I had been in the town of Quincy, California, for no longer than an hour before I was perched atop Mount Hough, beer in hand, peering down at the deep-blue waters of Crystal Lake alongside Mason Werner and Garen Becker. Werner, a resident, and Becker, a native of Santa Cruz, were here to guide me ...

We just received the following access alert from the fine folks at IMBA. Now it’s up to you to make a difference: IMBA urges all mountain bikers to support new singletrack at Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park. As part of their Comprehensive Trail Plan update, the park has included an option to build 6 miles ...

This just in from IMBA: Mountain bikers stand to lose access to many spectacular rides in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in southwest Montana. The forest wants to institute a blanket ban on bicycling in backcountry areas managed as “recommended wilderness.” These areas contain some of the best singletrack in Montana. Local cyclists have proposed companion ...

The following message is from an email sent by Central Pennsylvania IMBA Rep. Frank Maguire: OK, OK, so it has been tried before, but now more than ever it seems important for mountain bikers in Pennsylvania to get organized. There has been some chatter on PA forum at MTBR.com about this as well. And being ...

The Transportation Research Boards’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 18, Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Bicycles provides strategies that can be employed to reduce collisions involving bicycles. The 177-page report contains information that may be useful for bicycle advocates and ...

The IMBA Summit is the biannual international gathering of mountain bike advocates, this year held in lovely Park City, Utah. With around 350 advocates in attendance, it’s a virtual who’s who of advocacy. Wednesday Night’s opening ceremonies took place at Olympic park, where a team of top-level freestyle skiers put on a show for us ...

Cannondale Sports Group President and CEO Jeff Frehner has pledged an additional $200,000 to support Bikes Belong and its mission to get more people riding bicycles more often. This contribution will be an annual donation of up to $200,000—in addition to membership dues—that will begin in July 2008. “We are very grateful for this additional ...

Andrew Purrington and Harry Zinn of Penn State University—Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management—are conducting a study of mountain bikers’ perceptions of trail access. They need mountain bikers to help by completing a quick painless 15-minute online survey. Purpose of the Study: In the past few decades, mountain biking has increased in popularity and ...

For the fifth consecutive year, IMBA will be providing support, schwag and publicity for clubs that host “Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day” events. This year’s celebration will be held on Oct. 4, 2008—with help from Schwinn, Smartwool, CLIF Organic ZBar and Trips for Kids. Participating is as simple as organizing a kid’s ride in ...

The Gallatin National Forest, near Yellowstone in Montana, has proposed a ban on mountain biking that would affect the popular trails in the Lionhead area. The deadline for comments is today, Friday, July 18th – click over to IMBA’s site now and let your voice be heard! The word from IMBA:With one day left before ...

Delegates, party officials, and the national media attending at the Democratic and Republican national conventions later this year will have the opportunity to borrow free loaner bikes to use during the events. Bikes Belong, in partnership with leading health insurance provider Humana, will bring 1,000 bicycles to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO, August ...

The Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) has set up the first ever public meeting between the Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) land managers and the mountain bike community—scheduled for Tuesday, August 19th, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Jefferson County Administration and Court Building, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO. The planned agenda ...

When: September 13th, 2008, 10:00 a.m. until ? Where: Waterloo Concert Field adjacent to Allamuchy and Stephens State Parks, NJ. Why: The goal of the “fest” is to promote responsible trail stewardship and cycling advocacy and awareness in New Jersey. Wuzzupwidat? Free admission. Guided trail rides in Allamuchy, Deer Park and Stephens State Park for ...

To celebrate National Public Lands Day the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Salida Mountain Trails group are coordinating a massive volunteer effort on the Monarch Crest trail, outside of Salida, CO on Sept. 27th. Anna Laxague and Jason Wells of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew ...

Marilyn Price, Trips for Kid’s founding director, was recently awarded the Jefferson Award for community service. The Jefferson Award spotlights ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward. Trips for Kids is a non-profit organization that provides mountain bike outings and environmental education for kids who would not otherwise be exposed ...

A few weeks ago, we told you that the Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) had set up the first ever public meeting between the Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) land managers and the mountain bike community. COMBA board member Gary Hatton tells us that the meeting with JCOS went well. Below is a meeting report ...

Bikes Belong has announced four grants that will help construct community paths in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Oklahoma—and build some beautiful Colorado singletrack. Centre Region Bicycle Coalition–Musser Gap Greenway (State College, PA)A $10,000 grant will support the Centre Region Bicycle Coalition’s (CRBC) Musser Gap Greenway project in State College, PA. The greenway will connect the Penn ...

The Rails to Trails Act of 1983 may rank as the best thing to happen to American cycling in the last 25 years. Technically section 8(d) of the National Trails Systems Act, this landmark legislation greases the skids for the conversion of abandoned and unused railroad corridors into recreational trails. According to the Rails-to-Trails Conservency, ...

Would you like to travel the continent, building  cool singletrack, teaching, building relationships with land managers, and spreading the IMBA love? Here’s the skinny on the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew job opportunity, as reported on imba.com: The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is searching for a full-time, professional two-person team position in the highly successful ...

The following information is provided in addition to the original article, IMBA Update: Working With the National Park Service – Interview with Jenn Dice, that appeared in Dirt Rag issue #138. List of 44 National Parks with dirt trails and dirt roads open to mountain biking:http://www.imba.com/resources/agencies/nps_dirt_roads.htmlhttp://www.imba.com/resources/agencies/nps_dirt_trails.html Check out IMBA’s site for more information about Take ...

The New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) is holding their annual raffle, which offers a chance to win some awesome prizes, with the proceeds going to NEMBA’s Trail Grant Program and ongoing advocacy efforts. Grand prize is a Giant Trance XO mountain bike, and other prizes include your choice of any of Western Spirits cycling ...

We previously reported on Bike Belong’s project to provide delegates, party officials, and the national media attending at the Democratic and Republican national conventions the opportunity to borrow free loaner bikes to use during the events. Bikes Belong teamed with Humana to bring 1,000 bikes to the Democratic and Republican national conventions, with two goals ...

We received the following news from IMBA: For Immediate Release10-15-08Contact: Mark Eller, IMBA Communications [email protected] proposed National Park Service (NPS) regulation change will benefit Americans by improving mountain biking experiences in national parks. The new policy would empower park superintendents to manage trails for bicycles, without sacrificing environmental review or public comment opportunities. “Bicycling is ...

The IMBA State Rep program is being restructured as IMBA Regional Leadership Councils (RLC). IMBA RLC will work within a region, generally consisting of several states, to increase community support for mountain biking, enhance grassroots club capacity, and access untapped economic resources through events, training, and active networking. IMBA says that the RLC will be ...

Shimano and five top-notch frame builders have produced five custom bicycles that are being auctioned to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. The Shimano Alfine Pink Ribbon Auction runs through October 30th, 2008 and 100% of the proceeds support the Young Survival Coalition, devoted to improving the quality of life for young women affected by breast ...

Bicycles for Humanity–Ottawa is: “a grassroots initiative which aims to empower disadvantaged communities in developing countries through the provision of sustainable transportation. Bicycles for Humanity sends used bikes to developing countries to improve access to healthcare, education, food, water and employment.“ A recent article in the Ottawa Citizen chronicles how Seb Oran and Sandra Gattola ...

We previously told you about an upcoming National Park Service regulation change that will benefit Americans by improving mountain biking experiences in national parks. We just received  additional information and clarification from IMBA: Expected Rule Change Would Benefit Bicycling in National Parks For Immediate Release11-19-08Contact: Mark Eller, IMBA Communications Director303-545-9011 An upcoming National Park Service ...

The International Mountain Bicycling Association’s (IMBA) Gateway Trails initiative is a new model for community-based mountain bike trails. IMBA will apply its decades of accumulated trailbuilding expertise and leverage its extensive club network to bring mountain biking recreation closer to millions of potential riders by developing trail systems in urban and suburban settings. Gateway Trails ...

As you’re gathering gifts for family and loved ones this year, consider giving to the DOUBLEbikeMATCH campaign. An angel donor will double all funds that World Bicycle Relief can collect from Wednesday, Dec. 17th (12:00 p.m. CST) to Friday, Dec. 19th (12:00 p.m. CST) up to a maximum of $750,000. They hope to raise enough ...

Mountain bikers got involved and made their voices heard, speaking in opposition to a proposed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plan that would lease land parcels for oil and gas extraction near iconic trails such as Porcupine Rim, Amasa Back, Barlett Wash and Tusher Canyon, turning sections of trail into heavily used access roads. Public ...

Ed note: the following Action Alert comes via imba.com. At long last, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has proposed a rule change which will make it easier for parks to open trails for mountain biking. IMBA urges mountain bikers to register comments in support of the rule change. IMBA has been asking for this ...

Join cycling advocates, industry leaders, and retailers on March 10-12th, 2009 in Washington, DC at the National Bike Summit, as they lobby for expanding Federal support for bicycling—for active transportation and recreation. With the new congress beginning to write a new federal transportation funding bill, now is a crucial time for bicyclists to be heard. ...

The Indiana Bicycle Coalition will host a “Winning Campaigns” training program, conducted by the Thunderhead Alliance For Bicycling and Walking, during the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), scheduled for Feb. 27th through March 1st, 2009 in Indianapolis, IN. Show founder and director, Don Walker, said, “The NAHBS has always been about growing the market. ...

The SRAM Cycling Fund announced that it will make a $200,000 donation this year to the Bikes Belong Coalition to develop an unprecedented broad-based political network of Americans who support government investment in bicycle facilities. Bikes Belong will partner with America Bikes—the national coalition of eight leading national cycling non-profit groups—to develop a network of ...

Cyclists Inciting Change thru LIVE Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.) announced that it will begin plans for an innovative new Bicycle Community Center in northeast Los Angeles, thanks to initial funding from New Belgium Brewing Company. The Bicycle Community Center will house an extensive bicycle education program, and provide a comprehensive set of resources designed to get more ...

Dirt Rag #129 Readings: Highbridge Trails in Manhattanby Stuart Schrader and Harlan Price A three-mile network of technical singletrack recently opened on a wooded promontory in northern Manhattan called Highbridge Park, not far across the river from Yankee Stadium. In the 1990s, before a crackdown, urban cyclists looking for some dirt often rode (illegally) on ...

The 8th annual Worst Day of the Year Ride presented by SKS Germany—to be held in Portland, OR on February 15th, 2009—features an 18-mile urban tour and 40-mile challenge route in one of the world’s top cycling cities. The 3,000 participants will enjoy five stops along the route—with warm drinks, snacks, soup and brew. This ...

The League of American Bicyclists announced the 2008 Clubs of the Year, as determined by the League’s staff and Board. The League’s Club of the Year program recognizes outstanding clubs for their hard work and dedication and for encouraging cycling and providing a forum for their community to ride.2008 Clubs of the Year: Narragansett Bay ...

Join fellow cyclists on March 14th as they celebrate the life of mountain bike legend Brent Thomson on the Bootleg Canyon, Nevada trails that he built and made famous. Brent succumbed to complications of heart bypass surgery last month, and will be honored with a ride, bonfire and toast from his friends, after a day ...

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has now been passed by Congress and signed into law. The law provides $789 billion in spending and tax cuts to stimulate the economy, including highway funding and transportation enhancements. A total of $26.8 billion of the highway funding is distributed to states based on surface transportation ...

Bikes Belong, in partnership with the League of American Bicyclists and with financial support from Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), awarded five REI/Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) grants of between $10,000 and $20,000 to grassroots groups in Boston, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Denver and San Diego. The winning groups were recognized at the National Bike Summit on March 10th ...

Lobbying at all, especially at the highest level of American government, is not something I ever thought I’d be involved in. But after 20 years in the bike “business” (and I use that term loosely) it becomes clear that there’s more to it than just slaving away and hoping you make a profit. Advocacy. The ...

The following news item comes via the IMBA website… On Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law an economic recovery package that contains funding for bicycle facilities, trails, public land recreation and improvement projects. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar estimated that the funding could create as many as 100,000 jobs and help ...

It’s a well-known fact that Portland, Oregon is easily the most bicycle-friendly major city in the United States. Bikes are everywhere, and seem to be woven into the fabric of every aspect of the community. In the few short years since Jonathan Maus launched it, BikePortland.org has managed to become the principal source of bicycle-related ...

The Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association (PMBA), in cooperation with the Fairmount Park Commission and the Friends of the Wissahickon, presents the 3rd annual Rally in the Valley on Saturday, April 18th, 2009. Join Philly area bikers for a “fun ride” in the Wissahickon Valley section of Fairmount Park, followed by a pig roast and a ...

Paradise Royale, a purpose-built mountain bike trail in California’s King Range National Conservation Area (NCA), will receive $600,000 in federal funding from the 2009 omnibus appropriations bill (H.R.1105), which became law on March 30, 2009, (P.L. 111-8). The appropriation follows years of work by IMBA California Policy Advisor Tom Ward, who lobbied representatives in both ...

The Western Chapter of the Michigan Mountain Bike Association is hosting the 2009 Midwest Mountain Bike Summit on May 29th-31st, 2009 at the Cannonsburg Ski Area near Grand Rapids, MI. A Welcome Reception will take place at the Comfort Suites North, from 7:00pm until 10:00pm on Thursday, May 28th. Feast on a roast pig from ...

As a part of the 2009 Pennsylvania bike summit, hundreds of cyclists will assemble at 8:30am on May 5th, 2009 at the Farm Show Building in Harrisburg for a 9:00am ride to the Capitol to show their support for cycling issues in Pennsylvanian and influence policymakers. A rally will take place at the Capitol (Thrid ...

May is National Bike Month, and the League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike to Work Week 2009 from May 11-15th and Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 15th. The League’s website has a list of Bike Month events taking place around the country. If you would like to post your event on this ...

The Squamish Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) announced that the Squamish-Whistler section of the Sea to Sky Trail is the newest registered section of the Trans Canada Trail (TCT).  The TCT Foundation has committed $300,000 in funding support for Sea to Sky Trail development. At this time the Sea to Sky route from Whistler to the ...

Congress is writing a bill that will define our national transportation system for the next six years, and now is the time to contact your Member of Congress and ask them to support bicycling and walking. Representative Daniel Lipinski (D, IL) is circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter proposing that the upcoming Transportation Bill, which is currently ...

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) reports that California State Parks has announced a proposal to open a singletrack trail for mountain biking in Marin County, on the shoulders of Mt. Tamalpais. The agency plans to allow bicycle use on the four-mile Bill’s Trail segment, and is soliciting public comments on the project. The commentary ...

Bikes Not Bombs, non-profit organization in the Boston area that works to expand alternative transportation and promote community development, will be holding their annual Bike-A-Thon and Green Roots Festival fundraisers on Sunday, June 7th, 2009. The Bike-A-Thon offers 15, 25 or 62 mile bicycle rides that are fully supported with food, mechanics, maps, road markings, ...

The Pennsylvania Senate’s current budget plan (Senate Bill 850, now in the House as Bill 1416) reduces the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) budget by about $19 million beyond the reductions Governor Edward G. Rendell proposed in February. If enacted, DCNR acting Secretary John Quigley said the Senate proposal will force the agency ...

Augusta, GA will host the 2010 International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) World Summit on May 5-8th. The summit is open to the public, and topics will include: destination and urban trail networks, land conservation and sustainable trails, youth outreach and new programs designed to grow local capacity for the 700+ clubs and patrols in IMBA’s ...

On Wednesday, July 1st at 5:30 p.m. the City of Santa Barbara, California’s Front Country Trails Multi-Jurisdictional (FCTMJ) Task Force will hold the first public hearing since the Jesusita Fire. The agenda for this meeting, which will be held at City Hall, will include a review of trails affected by the Jesusita Fire and discussion on when they ...

The New York State Office of Parks is accepting public comments for a draft master plan for the future management of Allegany State Park in Western New York. IMBA urges mountain bikers to speak out to improve the trail system at Allegany State Park. IMBA asks mountain bikers to support proposals from the Western New ...

Thanks to on-going sponsorship from Subaru of America, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program continues to crank along. Two teams of trail experts are rolling throughout North America, leading trailwork sessions, meeting with land managers, and working with IMBA-affiliated clubs to improve mountain biking opportunities. Most Trail Care Crew visits last four days, allowing the ...

  We are less than two weeks away from the 5th annual BikeFest here in Pittsburgh. What is BikeFest? Probably best to let BikePGH explain it: “BikeFest is Pittsburgh’s biggest cycling event for cyclists by cyclists. It’s BikePGH’s annual celebration of bicycling, showcasing Pittsburgh in all of its uniqueness and beauty. It is not an ...

The following information is courtesy of IMBA. IMBA will celebrate its sixth annual International Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on Saturday, October 3, 2009. This is a great opportunity for you to pass your passion for pedaling on to kids! We’re sure this year’s event will be even bigger and better than ever. Here ...

The 2nd Annual JORBA Bike Festival will take place on Saturday, September 12th at the Waterloo Concert Field in Stanhope, NJ. The goal of the festival is to promote responsible trail stewardship and cycling advocacy and awareness in New Jersey. The festival will feature guided rides, events and activities for all ages: Guided trail rides ...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a revised fiscal year 2009-2010 state budget that contained a $14.2 million cut to state park funds. More than 100 state parks could be closed as a result of the reduced funding. Below is a statement from California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) President Elizabeth Goldstein: “This is a dark ...

The Chileno Valley Cycling Classic—a fundraising ride benefiting the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League—will take place on Saturday, September 26th, 2009 at the Baumann Ranch near Petaluma, California. The ride will offer both recreational and competitive cyclists the opportunity to participate in a well-organized ride with options of 40, 60 and 100 miles. ...

Speedgoat’s annual bike raffle to support the Breast Cancer Fund is now open. As in prior years, 100% of the proceeds from the $10 raffle tickets sales will go to the Breast Cancer Fund in their search for environmental links to cancer, and their promotion of consumer awareness. The big change is that the “pink ...

Enter your best biking or walking photos in the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s “People Powered Movement Photo Contest,” and you could win an all-expense-paid 10-day bike tour of Tuscany courtesy of VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations. The grand prize winner will receive a year’s supply of CLIF Bars, and their local biking or walking ...

The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame will welcome its 2009 inductees in a ceremony on Wednesday, September 23rd at 6:00 p.m. at the Sand’s Expo and Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV in conjunction with the annual Interbike expo. The class of 2009: Anne-Caroline Chausson, the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association (COPMOBA) , Dave Garoutte and ...

The following information is courtesy of IMBA: The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is looking to hire a full-time, professional two-person team for the highly successful Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program. This position requires a passion for mountain biking, excellent communication and volunteer organizational skills, basic knowledge of trailwork, and team compatibility. The Crew will ...

In a previously published story we told you about Zach Adams, the motivated and successful young man who runs the Pennsylvania Scholastic Cycling League for high schoolers, puts on mountain bike events, and also coaches young racers. Zach has been promoting youth cycling and healthy living since he turned 16 years of age (the past ...

Once again we took advantage of the Interbike video studio, and the ample supply of cycling industry luminaries roaming the trade show hall, to record several sessions for Dirt Rag TV, hosted by Karen Brooks. To celebrate Dirt Rag‘s 20th anniversary, we brought together our publisher Maurice Tierney, access editor Philip Keyes and the “Old ...

IMBA is now accepting online applications from groups interested in scheduling a Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew Visit in 2010. The application deadline is Nov. 1st, 2009. When selecting Trail Care Crew visit locations, IMBA consider many factors, including IMBA staff, IMBA representatives, and land managers input; past crew visits; and IMBA member involvement. IMBA can ...

The Bitterroot National Forest is currently taking comments on the proposed Bitterroot Travel Management Plan. This TMP could close many trails currently open to mountain bikes and will determine future mountain bike opportunities in the forest. The Montana Mountain Bike Alliance urges mountain bikers to submit a personal comment to the Forest Service, and request ...

Competitive Cyclist is hosting Turner Trail Day at the Syllamo trail system near Mountain View, Arkansas on Saturday, November 7th. The event will include trail maintenance, Turner mountain bike demos, lunch, and an opportunity to meet and ride with Dave Turner, namesake and founder of Turner Suspension Bicycles. This is a free event. The Syllamo ...

We’re proud to introduce the Advocacy Action Pack in conjunction with IMBA. For $50 you get a one-year subscription to Dirt Rag, a one-year membership to IMBA, and a limited edition IMBA/Dirt Rag T-shirt: Check out IMBA’s membership benefits here. Click here to order! Click here to order if you live in Canada or Mexico! ...

 The U.S. Forest Service recently announced its updated comprehensive management plan for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST). The plan states that mountain biking is an acceptable use of the trail, and emphasizes that forest service offices should formulate strategies appropriate for their districts. During the comment period, the Forest Service received more than ...

A $10,000 grant from Bikes Belong will help the Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) construct the first phase of the Golden Bike Park in the city of Golden. This project has received great support from IMBA as well as the local bike community and promises to get lots of use from mountain bikers across the ...

The holiday season is a time for counting one’s blessings. As mountain bikers, we can count IMBA among our blessing. Speaking of counting, IMBA recently published a list of 10 things that they did for mountain bikers in calendar year 2010. Additionally, IMBA is already looking ahead to 10 more things that they will do ...

The draft Los Angeles City Bike Plan was recently released and mountain bicyclists should be concerned with the direction it has taken. We need comments not only from L.A.-based riders, but from anyone who has positive stories about relationships with equestrians and other trail users on California trails. Public comments can be submitted online or ...

Six-time Leadville 100 winner, and former US Mountain Bike team member, Dave Wiens, will lead a new annual cycling event for the San Francisco Bay area. The Dirt Bowl will be held on Super Bowl Sunday, February 7th, 2010. The Dirt Bowl is produced by Marin County Bicycle Coalition in partnership with the The NorCal ...

Scheduled for March 9-11th in Washington DC, the League of American Bicyclists’ annual National Bike Summit is where advocates, industry executives and education experts gather to speak up for bicycling on Capitol Hill. The League believes in getting more people on bikes more often, for a number of reasons. Whether it’s obesity, health care, climate ...

The National Park Service is looking for public input for a proposed trail network at New River Gorge, one of the premier recreational areas in the Mid Atlantic. The proposal includes the construction of two new stacked-looped mountain bike trail systems and the reclassification of certain existing trails to be open to bicycles. This has ...

The 4th annual 50 Mile Ride for Project Rwanda will be held on Saturday April 10th, 2010 in Orange County, CA. This event is a “ride”, not a race. Riders will be treated to a challenging day of mountain biking with an estimated 500 participants, while they raise funds for Project Rwanda. The 50 Mile ...

Adventure Cycling Association announced that it has received two new grants in support of the organization’s work to establish an official United States Bicycle Route System (USBRS). The grants were awarded by Bikes Belong and New Belgium Brewing and will enable Adventure Cycling to continue its organizing and cartographic work with federal and state agencies ...

Dirt Rag Magazine would like to invite you to our own event: Dirt Fest. Mark your calendars for the weekend of May 21st-23rd, 2010 and head over to the Allegrippis trails at Raystown Lake in Hesston, PA. Dirt Fest will be a fun mountain biking festival, featuring 32 miles of prime singletrack for a weekend ...

Slated for Augusta, Georgia on May 5 – 8th, 2010, the 2010 IMBA World Summit is expected be the largest yet. Seminar topics will include destination and urban trail networks, land conservation and sustainable trails, youth outreach and new programs designed to grow local capacity for the 700+ clubs and patrols in IMBA’s global network. ...

Just because you haven’t seen a brightly colored Subaru, emblazoned with the IMBA logo, roll into your neighborhood lately, it doesn’t mean that IMBA is napping. Quite the contrary. IMBA is hard at work on the front lines of the mountain bike access struggle—namely, Washington, DC. IMBA recently conducted several meetings with key congressional leaders ...

The good people over at Bikes Belong recently showed us 55,000 reasons why they’re so cool. Several cycling organizations and projects (catering to those who love non-paved as well as paved cycling) have just benefitted from the award of $55,000 worth of grants.Of particular interest: Moab Trails Alliance will get $10,000 to help complete a ...

Philadelphia-area mountain bikers of all shapes, sizes, experiences and abilities will again have the opportunity to fraternize, ride, eat and buy stuff when the Fourth Annual Rally in the Valley goes down on April 17th in Wissahickon Park. The Philadelphia Area Mountain Bike Association (PMBA) is putting on the event, which brings together riders, local ...

We have some fantastic news coming out of the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC this morning. The League of American Bicyclists is reporting that Google Maps has finally added a “bike there” option to the choices of directions between to locations. According to the press release from the League of American Bicyclists: “This new ...

We have some bad news coming out of Montana today. Our fellow cyclists there just got word, as of May 1st, it will be illegal to ride 150 miles (out of 170) of trail in Montana’s Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area (WSA), which includes the amazing Gallatin Crest Trail. The trail access restriction is the ...

Mountain bikers in the New York/New Jersey area…and beyond…can look forward to another mountain bike celebration this June. The Jersey Off-Road Bicycle Association…better known by the JORBA acronym…is throwing down for the 3rd Annual JORBA Bike Festival – A Celebration of New Jersey Mountain Biking on June 5th, 2010. They’re partnering with mtbNJ and IMBA, ...

Pedro’s recently announced they’re stepping up their dedication to mountain bike access by pledging $20,000 to IMBA’s Public Lands Initiative. By committing to such a big chunk of change for mountain biking, Pedro’s is reinforcing their dedication to the sport. “20 plus years ago, Pedro’s was founded with a mission to support the mountain bike ...

April is just about over, so I figured I’d get you the May version of the Dirt Rag/Bicycle Times Events List a couple days early for your enjoyment and/or planning purposes. While you’re planning, don’t forget to get ready for Dirt Rag DirtFest on May 21st, 22nd and 23rd! 5.1.2010 KS Wilson Lake Wilson Lake ...

Cleveland has Ray’s Indoor MTB Park, Camp Woodward has expanded their empire to a few locations in the United States, and you can find a velodrome in a few cities around the country. But did you know there are already two permanent cyclocross courses in our country, and a third one is coming? While enjoying ...

If you live in Colorado, don’t have plans this weekend, want to meet some mountain bike celebrities, you’re hungry, itching to ride and have $100 laying around to give to a good cause, maybe you should roll up (or down) to Denver and Boulder to check out the inaugural Colorado High School Cycling League CycleFest. ...

Dust off that camping gear and pack up your bike(s). The 2010 Dirt Rag Dirt Fest begins next Friday, May 21! This is one weekend of riding you won’t want to miss. We’ve got a great weekend on tap, with over 30 miles of singletrack riding at the Allegrippis Trails, advocacy workshops, night rides, live ...

Augusta Georgia was the hostess with the mostest  and had a lot to show during the biennial (Every two years) IMBA Summit last weekend. The southeast is a stronghold for IMBA due to their merger with the Southern Off Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) And Augusta is a fine venue to show this off. The moment ...

By Chris Swarr Within the world of dog breeders, there is a psychological condition known as “kennel blindness.”  Those affected by it are unable to see any imperfections in the genetic stock of the dogs that they breed.  They can, however, still easily pick out flaws in dogs from other breeders’ yards.  Therefore, in certain ...

This is part 2 of a two-part series about rides in and around the Mid-Ohio Valley. You can read Part 1 here. By Chris Swarr The Wayne National Forest Many folks have a misconception about the Ohio landscape.  A sort of flat, open topography with little elevation gain is the picture people often have about ...

What biycle events are are YOU planning for June? How about you use our handy  Dirt Rag/Bicycle Times Events List for your enjoyment and/or planning purposes. Don’t forget the Dirt Rag/Bicycle Times World Tour rolls into Austin, Texas for the New Belgium Urban Assault Ride on June 27th. 6.12.2010 ID Fairfield Soldier Mountain www.knobbytireseries.com 6.12.2010 ...

Aside from bicycles, of course, the main reason I choose to continue my futile search for fortune in the bicycle industry is because of the people I know and meet. There’s no shortage of extremely smart and passionate people who are insanely interesting, individualistic personalities. Sure it’s cool to be around famous athletes from time ...

It’s that time! Break out your calendar, Franklin-Covery binder, Palm Pilot, iPhone, Day Planner, Trapper Keeper and/or a stone tablet. You know…all those things sitting on top of your pile of old Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times magazines! We have a nice pile of bicycle events from around the US and Candada for you. 7.10.2010 ...

David Mark Clark was arrested and charged with running down four cyclists in San Francisco on June 2nd.  A few people and at least one company in the Bay Area are using this unfortunate event as a springboard to raise funds to help increase awareness for bicycle safety. Specialized Bicycle Components has pleged $4000 to ...

Let’s just say this writer has a bit of an attitude problem when it comes to racing. Like why pay to ride your bike with your friends? I have not paid to ride with my friends in many years, and I didn’t want to start now. But I am in Downieville at the Downieville Classic, ...

It’s a great day when BMXers, mountain bikers, a mountain bike advocacy organization, city planners, concerned citizens, Chicago politicians and a landscaping supply company all come together to build Chicago’s first ever bike park. The Garden is a bicycle playground for children of all ages, featuring a set of dirt jumps, 3 jump lines and ...