International Mountain Bicycling Association

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a non-profit educational association whose mission is to create, enhance and preserve trail opportunities for mountain bikers worldwide.

IMBA logo
IMBA logo

IMBA was formed in 1988, when five California-based mountain bike clubs created an alliance to fight widespread trail closures. The founding clubs were the Concerned Off Road Bicyclists Association, Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay, Bicycle Trails Council of Marin, Sacramento Rough Riders and Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers. Gibson Anderson, of Sacramento, was elected IMBA's first executive director.

In 1993 IMBA hired Tim Blumenthal, a former IMBA board member and cycling journalist, as its executive director. When Blumenthal began, the organization had roughly 1,200 individual members and about 60 affiliated clubs. The headquarters moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1994.

In the late 1990s, IMBA's membership grew in Canada, Europe and Australia. An international summit was held in Switzerland in 1997. Educational outreach programs such as the Trail Care Crews – traveling trailbuilding schools sponsored by Subaru car corporation – helped expand IMBA's reach. At the end of 1999, IMBA had more than 28,000 individual members, 14 staffers and a budget of $1.2 million.

In 2006, IMBA's membership grew to 32,000 members, with more than 600 affiliated clubs and patrols and a staff of 26. International programs, including IMBA Canada, are continuing to grow. In the US, IMBA has established partnership agreements with most major federal land management agencies.

Trail support and maintenance

The IMBA strives to promote mountain biking, trail building, and trail maintenance in a way that enhances the local community, and in a way that considers and minimizes the ecological impact to the environment. The IMBA has developed a set of principles known as the "Rules of the Trail" which promotes responsible and courteous conduct on shared-use and singletrack trails.[1]

Affiliated organizations

Ride Centers

IMBA has created a "Ride Center" designation whereby IMBA recognizes and rates sites that feature extensive trail networks.[3] IMBA staff selects candidates for "IMBA Ride Center" recognition on an invitation-only basis.[4] Ride Centers are the organization's strongest endorsement of a trail experience.[3] As of December 2013, the following is a list of IMBA Ride Centers.[5]

On July 9, 2013, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced that a Richmond Region Ride Center would open in 2014 in the Richmond, Virginia metro region as the first legacy project of the Richmond 2015 Bike Race.

World Summit

Each year IMBA has a bike race showcasing different trail systems all across the world. Some locations have included Steamboat Springs (2014)[7] and Bentonville, Arkansas (2016).[8]

See also

References
  1. https://www.imba.com/rules-trail Archived 2014-02-18 at the Wayback Machine IMBA "Rules of the Trail".
  2. Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance http://coramtb.org. Retrieved 30 April 2016. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Pocahontas State Park to Develop Regional Biking Center - Richmond.com: Outdoors". Richmond.com. 2013-07-10. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  4. "Ride Centers | International Mountain Bicycling Association". Imba.com. 2011-08-19. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  5. Archived December 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Forks Area Trail System | International Mountain Bicycling Association". Imba.com. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  7. "International Mountain Biking Association World Summit headed to Steamboat in 2014". 13 November 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  8. "Hundreds Hit NWA Trails During International Mountain Biking Summit". Retrieved 28 September 2017.
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