IMBA CANADA Blog

The Trans Canada Trail, national partner of IMBA Canada, is in the running for a $100K Pepsi Refresh Grant to help fund the IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew.

Starting Sept. 1, Canadians have the opportunity to register, and vote once per day on Refresheverything.ca. The project with the most votes by Oct. 31, 2010, will be awarded $100,000 by Pepsi. If selected winner, the money would help to fund the Trail Care Crew program for 2011, including a portion of program staff salaries, travel expenses, trailbuilding supplies, and marketing and promotions.

Please show your support for trails by voting today, and voting every day until Oct. 31st!

IMBA will celebrate its sixth annual International Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on Saturday, October 2, 2010. 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 are some things you can do to participate:

1. Organize a ride in your local area. If you register your event by Sept 15, you will be sent a Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day Event-in-a-Box, which will include snacks, official Race Plates, and special kids stickers to give away as prizes. Your group will also be eligible for any raffled prizes.
2. Spread the word. This event is a great opportunity for kids and groups to experience mountain biking for the first time or to get back on the saddle again. We are updating our online toolkit to We’ve created an help you get the word out about your event. In our Toolkit, you will find Posters and templates for Press Releases and Fliers you can use to help publicize your event.
3. Plan to go mountain biking on the first Saturday in October — and bring a kid along for the ride! Check out these helpful tips for taking kids riding and learn about other kids’ cycling programs.

Go to imba.com to get more information, register your event, and download IMBA Canada’s Take A Kid Mountain Biking Guide.

Congratulations to Mark Battiston for winning the Chumba frame at the East Coast DH Open this weekend. Special thanks to Renegade Cycle Solutions, Chumba Racing and X-Fusion for donating the frame and shock, and raising $650 for IMBA Canada! Also a big thank you to Pete and the guys at Sirbikealot Racing who ran a great race and made the raffle possible.

“Renegade Cycle Solutions stands behind IMBA and it’s supporters. We offer a 10% discount to all active IMBA members on all our products.”

decline Symposium
Whistler, BC

Don’t worry folks, IMBA Canada is not actually falling behind, but rather was given the opportunity to participate in the decline Symposium that took place in Whistler, BC this past weekend in order to see how we can move ahead.  decline magazine, known within the mountain bike world for it’s stunning large format photographs and dedication to covering more of the gravity side of the sport, invited a group of people from throughout the bike industry to gather and discuss both the future of their magazine and that of the sport.

A variety of presentations were given regarding topics such as Whistler’s latest Bike Park user numbers study and decline’s new digital magazine format for the web / iPhone / iPad.  IMBA Canada presented on the Saturday morning to a packed conference room about our current projects, our programs and the state of information gathering within the industry.  This was followed by a brainstorming session on ways with which IMBA offices and the bike industry can do more to help one another in both gathering better data on who our ridership is and how the industry can better support IMBA.

All in all, a successful event for both decline magazine and IMBA.  We look forward to future Symposiums and the opportunities that such a fantastic event provide.

The IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew is a dynamic two-person team of professional trail builders, educators, and enablers. Supported by Parks Canada and the Trans Canada Trail, the Crew travels across the country year-round, getting Canadians of all ages outdoors, while educating them about sustainable trails!

Check out the 2010 schedule to see when the Crew will be in your area!

For more information on the program visit the IMBA Canada website, or contact Rachael Raven at Rachael.raven@imba.com.

IMBA’s Canadian office is excited to welcome Chad and Deanne Lazaruk as the first ever IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew! With over a decade of mountain biking and trails experience, the couple brings a broad set of skills to IMBA Canada’s newest program.

The Lazaruks will travel across the country in a Subaru Outback, leading trailwork sessions, meeting with land managers, and working with IMBA-affiliated clubs and other partners to improve trail opportunities Canada-wide. The 2010 building season will kick-off Canada Day weekend and will run until mid-December.

Chad and Deanne started their journey in mountain biking when they formed the Asessippi Mountain Bike Club in Manitoba, which led to hosting regular races, and weekend-long bike festivals. Since then, they have worked their way up as national level commissaries and mountain bike coaches, taking time to help with the Kids of Mud program based in Winnipeg, MB, the Rundle Mountain developmental cycling program in Canmore, AB, and formation of a women’s club called the Velodonnas.

Deanne is a graduate of the Mountain Bike Operations Program at Capilano University, and just finished a job as Trail Crew Supervisor and Trail Builder for the BC Off-Road Motorcycle Association. Chad will be taking a leave of absence from his position as a diagnostic imaging technologist. The couple also brings French language, and amateur vintner skills to the table. Together they have enjoyed many travel and outdoor pursuits, including a van trip through New Zealand and backpacking the Juan de Fuca Trail.

Coordinating the Canadian Trail Care Crew program will be Rachael Raven, IMBA Canada’s communications coordinator.

For additional information on the program, including the 2010 schedule, contact Rachael at Rachael.raven@imba.com. Check back soon for event details and the launching of a new IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew webpage.

Last week, over 220 delegates and mountain bike advocates met in Augusta, Georgia, for the 2010 IMBA World Summit.

The four day conference, which took place May 5-8, included keynote speeches by Mike Mercuri, SRAM’s vice president of product and marketing, and cycling legend Hans Rey. Delegates had the opportunity to attend a variety of breakout sessions, with topics such as funding trail projects, the environmental impacts of mountain biking, and connecting with the bike media.

“The Summit was a good opportunity to bring our eight staff members together, who are normally spread out across the country, and talk about Canadian mountain biking issues with international advocates,” said Lora Woolner, IMBA Canada’s executive director.

Woolner also used the backdrop of the Summit to announce the launch of the IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew program, a project being brought together by IMBA Canada, Parks Canada and the Trans Canada Trail.

Since no Summit is complete without riding- attendees had the chance to ride the Forks Area Trail System — better known as FATS. Named an IMBA Epic in 2008, FATS offers 25 miles of swooping turns and rolling hills in South Carolina’s Sumter National Forest.

Other events at the Summit included a premier of Awesomeland’s Women of Dirt, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly built Riverview Park Pumptrack.

The event wrapped up Saturday morning with an IMBA Epic Ride at FATS, and southern style BBQ hosted by the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA).

Looking for more photos from the 2010 IMBA World Summit? View them online, and download high-resolution files, by visiting the event page on Flickr.com.

Effective immediately, IMBA Canada’s mailing address has changed. Please send all membership packages and other documents to:

537 Frederick St.
PO BOX 23034
Kitchener, ON
N2B23V1

If you have any questions, please contact Canada[at]imba.com

Show that you know the difference between talk and action – donate now to protect the trails you ride.

Your donation funds our efforts in Ottawa and across Canada, where policies that influence what happens in your area are decided. Help us achieve our goal of $10,000 to keep our advocates at the table when issues surrounding mountain bike access arise.

Because of your support we’re able speak loudly on behalf of Canadian mountain bikers. IMBA Canada staff meet with political leaders, testify before decision making committees and conduct workshops on behalf of riders like you.

Just recently, we participated in Parks Canada’s National Assessment of Mountain Biking, to ensure our place in Canada’s national parks.

We also put advocacy staff on the ground in places like British Columbia where anti-mountain biking policies in the provincial parks are debated.

By donating you are empowering grassroots advocates to get the job done.

Think about the magnitude and the importance of challenges we face as trail users:

• Today there are threats from lawsuits to some of the best-loved trails in Canada, and we can’t let this legal action set negative precedents for future access.

• The inclusion of discriminatory language in land management plans could ban bikes from trails around the country — even though our low-impact use is compatible with land protection.

This week, IMBA Canada’s entire staff team will be heading down to Augusta, GA for the World Mountain Bike Summit - to meet with mountain bike leaders from across the globe, and sharpen our skills as trail experts, advocates, and ambassadors for our sport. This is our commitment to serving you better.

Take the lead with IMBA Canada today and help address these tangible, local issues:

• Giving input on the dozens of trail plans that will be decided in upcoming months
• Providing risk management education, so that potential lawsuits can be prevented
• Meeting with cities and municipalities that are considering new bike parks and trails

Make your donation today and help IMBA Canada achieve its goal — you’ll thank yourself on your next ride.

Every donation of $40 or more earns a FREE pair of FOX “Free The Trail” socks — while supplies last. Now is the time to make a difference…