TRAIL NEW
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Fall
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Coverage from IMBA’s 6th
World Summit in Santa Fe, NM Plus: X-Fusion Trail Ambassadors announced
Warner Lake trail (BC), named one of IMBA’s 2012 Epics. Photo by Jordan Manley.
IMBA CROSSWORD
Puzzle
Try our trail-themed puzzle!
Well, it’s officially the time of year when we must all admit that summer has ended. And if you’re not out braving the cold on your cross bike, we hope you’re inside, cozied up by a fireplace, drinking a seasonal beverage. To rescue you from the doldrums, we’ve put together IMBA Canada’s first-ever crossword puzzle. Devoted readers of IMBA Trail News should have no problem deciphering the trailthemed clues. So find a safe spot to rest your drink and get to work. The first three correctly completed puzzles that we receive in the mail will each earn a $50 gift voucher to the IMBA Canada online store. Be sure to include your contact info and write “crossword contest” on the front of your envelope.
Mail to
IMBA Canada Crossword Contest PO Box 23034 Kitchener, ON N2B 3V1
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Hint: Keep your eyes peeled for a few U.S. specific spelling and references.
IMBA Trail News | Canadian Edition Fall 2012, Volume 2, Number 2
IMBA creates, preserves and enhances great mountain biking experiences STaff
Tiffanie Beal, Finance Administrator, tiffanie.beal@imba.com Jason Bertolacci, Marketing/Database Manager, jason.bertolacci@imba.com Chris Bernhardt, Director of Consulting Services, chris.bernhardt@imba.com Tony Boone, Trail Specialist, tony.boone@imba.com Terry Breheny, Events Manager, terry.breheny@imba.com James Brown, B.C. Coordinator, james.brown@imba.com Marty Caivano, TCC and NMBP Coordinator, marty.calvano@imba.com Aaron Clark, PLI Director, aaron.clark@imba.com Richard Cook, Development Director, rich.cook@imba.com Jenn Dice, Government Affairs Director, jenn@imba.com Tammy Donahugh, Trail Specialist, tammy@imba.com Rich Edwards, Trail Solutions Manager, rich@imba.com Mark Eller, Communications Director, markeller@imba.com Jeremy Fancher, Attorney, jeremy.fancher@imba.com Katherine Fuller, Communications Specialist, katherine.fuller@imba.com Igor Hoogendoorn, Ontario Coordinator, igor.hoogendoorn@imba.com Sallie Hoefer, Chapter and Membership Services, sallie.hoefer@imba.com Dan Hudson, Trail Specialist, dan.hudson@imba.com Hansi Johnson, Midwest Regional Director, hansi.johnson@imba.com Rod Judd, Membership Manager, rod.judd@imba.com Chris Kehmeier, Trail Specialist, chris.kehmeier@imba.com Leslie Kehmeier, Mapping Specialist, leslie.kehmeier@imba.com Patrick Kell, Southwest Regional Director, Patrick.kell@imba.com Wendy Kerr, Development Manager, wendy.kerr@imba.com Kristy Kibler, Government Affairs Coordinator, kristy@imba.com Joey Klein, Trail Specialist, joey@imba.com Ashley Korenblat, PLI Director, ashley.korenblat@imba.com Anna Laxague, Pacific Regional Director, anna.laxague@imba.com Deanne Lazaruk, Canada TCC Coordinator, deanne.lazaruk@imba.com Chris Leman, Trail Specialist, chris.leman@imba.com Eric Leonard, Quebec Coordinator, eric.leonard@imba.com Frank Maguire, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, frank.maguire@imba.com Stephen Mullins, Trail Specialist, stephen.mullins@imba.com Tim Peck, Finance Director, tim.peck@imba.com Rachael Raven, Canada Communications, rachael.raven@imba.com Kerri Salazar, Operations Manager, kerri.salazar@imba.com Tom Sauret, Southeast/SORBA Regional Director, tom.sauret@imba.com Daniel Scott, Canada Trail Specialist, daniel.scott@imba.com Jesse Seavers, Member Services Rep, jesse.seavers@imba.com Ryan Schutz, Affiliate Programs/Rocky Mountain Region, ryan.schutz@imba.com Randy Spangler, Trail Specialist, randy.spangler@imba.com Mike Van Abel, Executive Director, IMBA USA, mike@imba.com Tom Ward, IMBA CA Policy Advisor, tom@imba.com Jason Wells, Trail Specialist, jason.wells@imba.com Andy Williamson, Great Lakes Regional Director, andy.williamson@imba.com Shane Wilson, Trail Specialist, shane.wilson@imba.com Lora Woolner, Executive Director, IMBA Canada, lora@imba.com Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews
AJ Strawson and Rachael Raven, ajandrachael@imba.com Jesse Livingston and Lori Reed, jesseandlori@imba.com
Looking Forward fter traveling for eight months, from BC’s Sunshine Coast to Saint John, NB, fall offers a great time to take stock of the year. Our projects ran the gamut, from pin flagging local community riding areas to planning future international destinations. Trail Solutions has continued to improve upon our various design and assessment efficiencies through systems and technology, which has allowed us to conduct builds with a higher level of detail, in a similar timeframe, to past projects. This has provided additional time for other items like advocating at industry conferences and providing pro-bono work. One of the other major highlights of this year has been to revisit projects from past years and see them moving forward with momentum. Six years after IMBA Canada visited Burns Lake and developed a master plan for this small, northern BC community a vibrant, thriving bike culture has emerged. Move eastward to Alberta and the United Riders of Crowsnest are responding to land access challenges with “can do” attitudes, while slowly but surely constructing stellar trails. And in the heart of Ontario, Crothers’ Woods continues to draw Torontonian riders into the forest for singletrack fun. These are just some of the long-term success stories that IMBA Canada’s Trail Solutions program has had the opportunity to support. In 2013 we expect continued growth, with the potential for more staff to enhance our consultation capacity. Expanding support for past or current projects will remain a key part of our mission to ensure that any obstacles barring projects’ completion are removed so that Canadians can continue to lead the charge for mountain bike trails throughout the world. Thank you to all the volunteers, advocates, land managers, financiers, and generous hosts who have made 2012 another year of successes. We hope that you have all had a fantastic year and we look forward to building more and better trails for you in the future. — Daniel Scott, Trail Specialist
Designed by Sugar Design Inc. Images and stories available for re-use by permission only.
IMBA Canada
PO Box 23034 Kitchener, ON N2B 3V1 Canada 1-855-255-4095 canada@imba.com
Thanks
to IMBA Canada’s Trail Building Fund donors who have raised nearly $7,000 toward IMBA Canada’s trail building legacy. 3 3
Parks Canada Presented with Leadership Award at World Summit
Parks Canada has been awarded the 2012 IMBA Canada Leadership Award in recognition of its
throughout Canada and the world,” said Woolner during the presentation. Jager and Schmidt were also applauded for their commitment to IMBA’s Take A Kid Mountain Bike Day and Trail Care Crew
Canada affiliates, along with Specialized dealers and Parks Canada sites, hosted over 30 events in a five week period. From Victoria, BC, to Charlottetown, PEI, more than 2,500 kids participated — making
and management of mountain bike trails, IMBA has embarked on a new book project. Scheduled for release in 2013, the latest book has the working title Bike Parks: IMBA’s Guide to Creating New-School Riding
“Warner Lake, in BC’s South Chilcotin Mountains, was named one of IMBA’s 2012 Epic rides. When you arrive on a float plane, ‘epic’ is imbacanada.com/model-trails the only way to describe it!” progressive thinking and commitment to mountain biking. Executive director Lora Woolner presented the hand-crafted plaque to Parks’ Ed Jager, Director of Visitor Experience, and Mark Schmidt, National Trails Analyst, at the 6th IMBA World Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Parks Canada has opened doors for mountain biking
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by developing national guidelines that deem mountain biking an acceptable activity within our National Parks, and creating new trail tools and best practices that benefit trail users and mountain bikers
programs, which Parks Canada has partnered on since 2010. “Parks Canada deserves recognition from the Canadian mountain biking public, for the hard work and progressive stance it has taken in making a place for mountain biking in our National Parks and Historic Sites. Not only has it opened doors for our sport in Canada; it has set a precedent for other countries around the world,” said Woolner. “It is a real honour for myself and Parks Canada to be recognized by IMBA,” said Jager. “It has been fantastic working with such a great organization and I’m excited about the work we will do together in the coming years to continue to improve the trails in Canada’s National Parks and Historic Sites.” Take A Kid Mountain Bike Day Recap
Twenty-twelve marked the ninth annual Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day across the world. IMBA
2012 Canada’s most successful year yet! Around the globe, nearly 9,500 riders took part in the celebrations, bringing the total number of kids and parents engaged to 55,000. Special thanks go to Specialized Canada for encouraging its dealers to host events and by offering extra prizes and incentives. “TAKMBD is such a great event and we’ll definitely do all we can to support it next year,” said Sarah Moore, online content and community specialist with Specialized Canada. “It’s worth it just to see the pictures from the various events with happy kids out on bikes!” Look for exciting changes to the Take A Kid program in Canada next year, which will help to increase the number of kids getting involved with cycling in their local communities. IMBA Announces Bike Park Book
Following the success of two previous books about the design, construction,
Facilities. “There’s a clear need for this information,” says IMBA’s Chris Bernhardt. “As the director of IMBA’s professional trail building services, I know that we have been absolutely swamped with inquiries about bike parks, flow trails and other emerging categories of mountain bike facilities. Our organization’s goal is to support great riding experiences — publishing a book will equip mountain bikers, land managers and others to rapidly advance their projects.” The bike parks book will provide practical advice and best practices designed for professional land managers, volunteers and recreation providers of all kinds. As with IMBA’s previous titles, both IMBA staff members and a variety of experts from outside the organization will provide the information. To that end, IMBA seeks well-qualified contributors to write essays on related topics, including:
• Establishing the vision for a successful park • Site selection for small, medium and large bike parks • Understanding liability and risk management issues • Building realistic budgets and timelines • Creating professional renderings, schematics, and other vital graphics • The importance of landscaping, signage and amenities • Finding the best soil and construction materials • Designing and building features for all ability levels • Fundraising: How much money will we need? Prospective authors should contact IMBA Communications Director Mark Eller: markeller@ Imba.com. Most writing assignments will be compensated. Submissions will be selected, reviewed, and edited by IMBA staff. Apply to Host IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew in 2013
With the 2012 Trail Care Crew season coming to an end we’re looking ahead to next year and inviting all interested IMBA
clubs and retailers, Parks Canada sites, and other land managers to apply to host a visit. Visits are free to current members, and include IMBA’s acclaimed Trail Building School, a full-day workshop to teach trail design and construction. Apply online before December 1 to be given full consideration. Get more info at imbacanada. com/tcc News from Ontario
Reported by Igor Hoogendoorn, IMBA Canada’s Ontario Coordinator. Simcoe County is well known for stellar trails and riding opportunities, but as Jason Murray (former Ontario Coordinator) pointed out in his recent blog post, it is also known for a lack of organized representation from the mountain bike community for advocacy, land access and approved trail building. During previous meetings with the many stakeholder groups in the area (Couchiching Conservancy and the Copeland Forest area for instance), Murray has continued to recommend
that the mountain bike community rally together to work on partnerships to keep trails open to mountain biking in Simcoe County. The Barrie Cycling Club has done just that, including forging an agreement with Simcoe County to accept stewardship over one of the tracts of land that the County manages for passive recreational activities. While details are still being worked out, this is a major success for an area that has been screaming for organized efforts and local champions from the mountain bike community. IMBA Canada/Ontario was fortunate enough to have been involved with part of the process, largely due to our efforts in organizing the 2012 Trailblazing Festival that
was held at Hardwood Ski and Bike this past August. As part of the Festival, IMBA Canada’s Trail Care Crew hosted an IMBA Trail Building School on one of the Simcoe County Forest tracts, which garnered rave reviews and saw local recreationalists and mountain bikers putting McLeods and Pulaskis into the dirt together, perhaps for the first time. We’re hopeful that this event has forged a new path for the future of mountain biking in this region and has also set the stage for mountain bikers to be considered a valuable stakeholder group in the eyes of the community. Small, but monumental steps such as these, will lead to even greater successes, collaboration and partnerships.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 6TH IMBA WORLD SUMMIT
IMBA’s
sixth biennial World Summit ran from Oct. 10-13, 2012, in Santa Fe, NM. The international mountain bike advocacy and educational gathering opened at full capacity, with 350 delegates registered for the three-day program, plus close to 100 additional attendees signed up for preconference sessions. Representatives from several nations traveled to Santa Fe, including Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Israel, Singapore, Spain and Switzerland. Canada was particularly well-represented, with over 17 delegates in attendance, and 8 members of IMBA’s Canadian staff. It was our most successful international gathering ever! After a day of informative pre-conference sessions, such as Trail Solutions’ Bike Park Workshop, IMBA kicked off the summit on Wednesday evening by celebrating IMBA’s 25th birthday with founding leaders Jim Hasenauer, Michael Kelley and Ashley Korenblat. Day two of the Summit offered delegates a variety of breakout sessions, such as developing urban trail opportunities, opportunities for mountain bike tourism,
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and Singletrack for Social Change. IMBA U.S. also made announcements about the 2012 Model Trails program, and as well as a new partnership with the International Mountain Bike Instructor Certification (IMIC). The evening’s events included an informational poster session and a community mountain bike art show featuring New Belgium bikes, paintings and photographs from IMBA members, and several pieces from the SRAM pART project. Friday opened with an announcement from Bruno Maier of Bikes Belong that his organization is committed to increasing funding to IMBA U.S. by 50 percent in 2013. Additional speakers included IMBA Honorary Board member Hans Rey and REI Regional Vice President Rachel Litenburg. That evening, delegates were treated to the Santa Fe premier of “Where the Trail Ends.” Saturday featured 150 people rolling out for an epic shuttle ride of the Winsor Trail, which began over 10,000 feet in the snow and finished with a closing BBQ at the Santa Fe Convention Center, host to the week’s events. The Summit would not have been possible without the tireless volunteer efforts of the local IMBA chapter, the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 6TH IMBA WORLD SUMMIT, contd.
HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY IMBA WE’VE COME A LONG WAY! In 2013, IMBA will celebrate its 25th anniversary, but we got the party started early in Santa Fe with cake and a staff performance of Happy Birthday. IMBA founding leaders Jim Hasenauer, Michael Kelley and Ashley Korenblat were in attendance to reflect on IMBA’s origins and appreciate just how far we’ve come as an organization — and as a movement. Much has changed since 1988, when five mountain bike clubs got together to fight against the threat of widespread trail closures in California. Major milestones in IMBA’s history include cycling journalist Tim Blumenthal coming on as executive director in ’93, and the launch of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program and National Mountain Bike Patrol in ’97. In ‘98 IMBA expanded to a staff of 10, with a $1 million budget, and then in 2004, launched consulting-arm Trail Solutions and the first international office, IMBA Canada. So, let’s raise a glass to IMBA, and decide how we’ll shape the next 25 years in mountain biking!
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New Order Parks Canada’s new Trail Classification System
e all know there’s more to rating trails than slapping them with the labels “easy, moderate, difficult.” What do those labels even mean? A blue square in one trail system can look radically different from an intermediate trail in another. So how can we better classify trails to help both land managers and the visitors that use them? Parks Canada’s Visitor Experience team has set out to do just that. Launched this fall, Parks’ new Trail Classification System seeks to aid land managers and trail builders in answering the complex question, “How should trails be developed and managed?” Key elements in the classification tool include (but aren’t limited to) trail distance, time taken, grade, trail surface, quality of markings and obstacles. Once a trail type and rating are established, the classification system suggests best practices for management, including level of maintenance, trail descriptions, risk mitigation and targeted users. The tool also goes a step beyond simply establishing a rating; it allows trail builders and clubs to better prioritize maintenance, plan future system development and market trails more effectively. The classification system was developed for internal use, but Parks’ VE team is currently sharing documentation with clubs and other land managers. For more information and to get a copy of the Parks Canada Trail Classification System, contact trails analyst Mark Schmidt at mark. schmidt@pc.gc.ca. PDFs are also available for download at www.imbacanada.com/ resources/maps
COULDN’T JOIN US IN SANTA FE?
Find resources and notes from more than 20 breakout sessions online at imbacanada.com/ resources/world-summit.
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2012 X-Fusion Trail Ambassador Awards Hats off to the folks who make Canada a better place to ride
Made possible by corporate member Renegade Cycle Solutions (RCS), the X-Fusion Trail Ambassador Awards seek to recognize advocates across Canada who go above and beyond their volunteer roles to give back to the mountain biking community. “We are so proud to be able to give a small thank-you to two, hard working, communityoriented individuals like Igor Dragoslavic and Jim Lucas, our East and West 2012 X-Fusion Trail Ambassadors,” says Brian Kuhn from RCS. Without visionaries like you, there would be fewer places to ride and fewer quality trails. Please ride these X-Fusion forks with pride. Jim Lucas, Western Canada
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IMBA-affiliated club United Riders of Crowsnest Pass (UROC) is nothing if not ambitious. The group, established in 2009, is currently working to put its region on mountain bikers’ maps with a 150km trail system in the works. You might have heard about the small town of 5,500 residents, because its ever-growing trail system has been featured on pinkbike.com, Canadian Cyclist and in Decline magazine. Jim Lucas, trail director for the club, is a large part of UROC’s effort to turn Crowsnest Pass into a mountain biking destination. “People used to drive right through the Pass on their way from Calgary to ride in Fernie. Now, with ten kilometers of trail built on Pass Powerkeg, we’re already seeing lots of riders stopping,” said Jim. Though he’s been cycling his whole life, Jim says he didn’t really get into “real” mountain biking until moving to the Pass. And it wasn’t until 2010 that the semi-retired engineer got started trail building, after taking part in a workshop run by IMBA Canada’s Trail Solutions. Since then, there’s been no stopping him. “Over the last three summers, Jim has donated countless hours to flagging, clearing and building new trails in Crowsnest pass,” said Darcy Neniska, a member of UROC. “He has jumped at every opportunity to bring together the municipality, the bike club and various land owners in an effort to show them the economic impact of this project.” Volunteering more than 100 hours of field work a season, Jim also assists the club by running trail building days, organizing volunteers and summer students, and working on marketing. But as much as he loves getting his hands dirty building trail, Jim says he sees his contribution to the administrative side of the club as more valuable. With additional trails slated in the area’s IMBA-designed master plan, Jim’s goal is to raise enough money to hire
professional builders to see the job done. “The Trail Ambassador Award is completely out of the blue,” said Jim. “The fork is a great gift, but the recognition — personally and for the club — is the best reward.”
Igor Dragoslavic, Eastern Canada If you’ve ever ridden Kitchener-Waterloo’s Hydrocut, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard Igor Dragoslavic’s name mentioned. Member-at-large with the Waterloo Cycling Club, he is the person largely credited with building, maintaining (and perfecting) a 25km-long loop of urban singletrack that starts a few hundred meters from the local Wal-Mart parking lot. A former Canada Cup racer, Igor started building 11 years ago when the trails were nothing more than a maze of ATV tracks. Today, he’s proud to say that every meter has been designed specifically for mountain biking. To put it simply, “They flow,” Igor says. From spring to fall, as long as there’s not too much snow on the ground, the graphic designer spends an average of 8 hours per week on the trail mostly doing maintenance, but also rerouting problem sections and adding connections to streamline the network. He also helps the club run four or five build days each year, which usually get 40-50 volunteers showing up to tackle larger projects. It is a labour of love — bordering on obsessive compulsion, he says. “When I don’t get to build, my family suffers. When I get cranky, my wife tells me to ‘go get your fix.’” “This year the trails have improved massively with new sections added and resulted in a now 100% one-way trail system,” writes Morten Schmidt, who nominated Igor for the title.
As steward of the land, the Waterloo Cycling Club (WCC) has been much applauded for its dedication to the trails, which often see as many as 300 users a day. “The regional forest manager is very happy,” said Igor. “There is no more shortcutting or rogue building and the community self-polices itself.” In the future, Igor says he hopes to get access to adjacent private lands so they can expand the network to 100km long. “No one expected our current situation ten years ago, so who knows?” “I’m very pleased to win the Ambassador award. It’s great that people show appreciation for the trails,” Igor said. Learn more about the trail system on Igor’s personal website, hydrocut.ca, complete with maps, videos, blog and trail updates.
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Mapping the Rattling Creek Epic IMBA’s mapping specialist visits Pennsylvania
IMBA Mapping Specialist Leslie Kehmeier has been busier than a one-armed paper-hanger laying the groundwork for IMBA’s mapping program. Launching this type of venture is no small task, but one that will provide valuable resources for IMBA’s grassroots network in the years to come. In addition to a vast amount of planning and research, Kehmeier has spent time in the field mapping selected trail systems in different regions. During those efforts, she’s had the opportunity to work with local chapters and advocates collecting information, refining techniques and developing the process for acquiring data on the ground. “Our volunteer network will be a key aspect in building a comprehensive trails database. The knowledge they can provide about their local trail systems is invaluable and we look forward to working with them as the mapping program continues to grow,” says Kehmeier. In March, Kehmeier traveled to Lykens, Pennsylvania, home of the Rattling Creek Trails that were designated as an IMBA Epic in 2011. Until recently, this exceptionally well-designed and built trail system has remained largely unknown. Alongside local rider Mike Kuhn and Mid-Atlantic Region Director Frank Maguire, Kehmeier collected GPS data for the entire trail system and facilities, resulting in the map on these pages. In upcoming weeks and months, IMBA will release a small sampling of additional Epics maps. But there’s much more to come with IMBA’s mapping program. For advocacy work, maps provide an effective way to communicate with local land managers and decision makers. Maps can showcase the need to develop trail maintenance plans, inform public comment for protecting trails and help plan routes for future riding opportunities. In the near future, IMBA’s network of chapters, members and supporters will have access to a robust set of GIS and mapping tools to help them create great maps in their own areas and trail systems. Kehmeier will conduct trainings and help our grassroots network create customized maps that suit their local needs. In Lykens, as with many communities, trail systems have proven to be a powerful economic driver. The new Rattling Creek Trails map will be used for more than just a navigational guide. The local city council is leading the charge to develop more trail opportunities in the area, including a rail trail. The map will become a useful tool in future fundraising campaigns and grant cycles and will illustrate the potential for trail opportunities and connections in the area. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a map could be worth thousands of dollars. MAPMAKING IN THE FIELD Mapping a trail system on a mountain bike is a challenge, but if you do it right the results will be worthwhile. Keep in mind the more comprehensive the acquisition effort, the more potential it has to generate different maps. This data I collected for this Rattling Creek map can be spun into other versions that highlight needs like trail maintenance or funding requests. Once in the field, try to be patient — you won’t set any ride-time records while gathering trail data. Be ready for the process to require multiple days, frequent stops and constant backtracking. Be sure to focus on the components of the trail system and its supporting facilities, like trailheads and parking lots. Remember to capture points for notable bike-specific features like rock gardens, switchbacks and ladder bridges. I like to jot down lots of notes in the field that I can refer back to when I’m drafting a map on my computer screen. It’s usually possible to acquire existing map data that covers vegetation, waterways and road systems, so those things shouldn’t be the focus of your field mapping efforts. Consider rounding out your documentation by capturing photos, videos and other materials that you might use to create a memorable, multi-media map for online presentations. When you assemble all the elements you’ll have a map that truly tells a story. — Leslie Kehmeier, IMBA mapping specialist
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Cut here and ride there.
Rattling Creek Epic
The Rattling Creek Epic offers flowy trails punctuated with rock gardens, creating classic East Coast riding that rewards bike handling as much as fitness. Trails don’t get more sustainable than the Rocks Ridge section — a 3/4-mile boulder field that’s featured on the IMBA website under the heading “Toughen Your Trail With Rocks.” Unforgiving, yes. But it’s rideable if you’ve got the chops. More info at imba.com/epics.
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IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew Devon, AB, is Bike Town
ocated roughly 20 minutes south of Edmonton, the town of Devon, AB, may not be the first destination that comes to mind when you think about cycling, but the city’s recent rebranding of itself as “Bike Town” is very quickly changing that. The new initiative, launched in October 2010, sets Devon apart from local towns and municipalities by advocating for cycling and active transportation, and engaging and supporting members of the community on those two issues. Though the town has only 6,500 residents, its cycling infrastructure rivals that of much larger cities. In addition to a large network of paved pathways and natural surface doubletrack trails, Devon has a brand-new, full-service community bike park, complete with skills area, progressive dirt jump lines and a large pump track with plans to build flow trails and other gravity-assisted features in the coming years.
Funded in part by the city, the bike park was championed by kids from the Riverview Middle School Mountain Bike Club. The group wrote and secured a $25,000 grant from the Kraft Celebration Tour last summer. The context for our visit to Bike Town was to be the catalyst for the development of a singletrack network using Devon’s extensive elevation along the riverside. Our trail building schools educated both town and municipal staff, along with local advocates and members of the Devon Bicycle Association, the foundations of trail design, construction and maintenance. As a result of the support from city staff and council, and thanks to the motivation of the tight-knit bike club, Devon is becoming a fantastic cycling destination and a great place to live and raise an active family. The successes in Devon showcase the potential for partnerships within communities to provide awesome trail experiences. — AJ Strawson
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IMBA CANADA TRAIL CARE CREW SPONSORS
TCC leader AJ Strawson riding in Banff National Park’s first snow of the year with the Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance, October 2012.
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IMBA Canada’s Corporate Members These supporters provide essential funding to fuel IMBA’s work
NATIONAL PARTNERS
Above and Beyond Supporters Companies in this group go beyond their annual membership dues with support for IMBA programs and initiatives. Mountain Equipment Co-op Norco Outdoor Gear Canada Renegade Cycle Solutions Ryders Eyewear The North Face Canada Trek 24 Hours of Adrenalin Chico Racing CANADIAN CORPORATE MEMBERS A TO Z Big thanks to all of our current corporate supporters. 24 Hours of Adrenalin / Twenty4 Sports Inc. Alpine Bike Parks Axis Gear Company Ltd. Boreale Mountain Biking Bruce County Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park Capilano University: Mountain Bike Operations Program Chico Racing Chromag Bikes Cobequid Trail Consultants Community Futures Crowsnest Pass Conservation Halton: Kelso/Hilton Falls/ Mountsberg Creative Wheel/La Rocca XC MTB School Cycle Ontario Devinci Cycles Dirt Series Mountain Bike Camps Ltd. Geomatics Data Management Inc Hardwood Ski And Bike Hoots Inc. Inter-Mtn Enterprises Inc Joyride150
Medical Data Carrier IM Inc. Mont-Sainte-Anne Mountain Equipment Co-op Norco Oasis Outdoor Adventure and Sport Insurance Ontario Trails Council Origin Design + Communications Ltd Outdoor Gear Canada Renegade Cycle Solutions Rocky Mountain Bicycles Ryders Eyewear Ryeka Sport Sentiers Boréals Inc. Sir Sam’s Ski and Bike Smith Optics Specialized Canada Subaru Canada Substance Projects Sustainable Trails Ltd. Thule Canada Township of Georgian Bay Township Of King TrailFlow Outdoor Adventures TransRockies Inc. Trek Bicycle Corporation Canada The North Face Canada Valhalla Trails Ltd. Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association Whistler Mountain Bike Park Zeptechniques Mountain Bike Camps and Instructor Training
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PO Box 23034 Kitchener, ON N2B 3V1 Canada
Support the IMBA Canada Annual Fund and get your
2013 25th Anniversary Calendar
Imagine what tomorrow’s trails will look like. Help shape them by visiting imbacanada.com/af Support the IMBA Canada Annual Fund Give today for better riding tomorrow