Ride On: Support VMBA and Get a Chance to Win an Ibis Bike

Vermont has some stellar riding, and it’s only getting better.

A new statewide membership program managed by the Vermont Mountain Bike Association (www.vmba.org) aims to increase rider membership, thereby leading to more trails. To sweeten the deal, VMBA has partnered with Ibis to offer a chance to win the bike of your dreams in exchange for every $5 donation. Whether you’re a resident rider living in Vermont, a visitor, general supporter or just plain lover of new bikes, $5 is easy to part with to support more trails and for a shot at that new ride. Every $5 donated gets you a chance to win.

VMBA is the umbrella non-profit organization serving 15 mountain clubs around the state of Vermont. VMBA coordinates state level land-use agreements and landowner liability policy and provides insurance and trail grants programs, all of which directly benefit the chapters working on the ground to build more trails. When VMBA is strong, there are more resources for all of us, and that just means more riding.

Head over to VMBA (https://vmba.org/civicrm/event/register?id=17&reset=1) to make that donation and get a chance to win the bike of your dreams – you choose the model, size, color – everything! For only $5, what do you have to lose? Every $5 donated increases your odds. And even if you don’t win the bike, you get more trails, and that’s always winning.

The folks at Ibis are excited to partner with VMBA on this raffle along with RockShox, SRAM, and MTBVT. For more information about Ibis check out this recent article on Pink Bike: The Ibis Story.

Trails for the Future: VMBA Trail Building Workshop, Day One

Our local mountain bike club joined other clubs from all around the state this past weekend to attend the annual Vermont Mountain Bike Association sustainable trail building workshop. Attendance at the workshop is one of the many benefits offered to clubs that join VMBA.

The workshop was held at American Flatbread in Waitsfield, host to one end of the new Mad River Riders' Revolution Trail. We spent the morning in a classroom setting, getting to know each other and learning from some of the best: Brooke Scatchard and Mariah Keagy of Sinuosity, a local mountain bike trail design/build company.

We learned how to build trails that are environmentally sustainable and that last into the future. We took our new skills to the Revolution Trail to work on some problem spots. 

For more on sustainable mountain bike construction, you can check out the book "Trail Solutions: IMBA's Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack" and visit the International Mountain Bike Association website, where they host a variety of resources related to trail design, construction and sustainability.

Also, stay tuned for an upcoming article from me on sustainable hiking and biking trail construction in the Active Vermont section of the Sunday Rutland Herald / Times Argus on July 26, 2014.