PeopleForBikes Extends Partnership with International Mountain Bicycling Association

December 21, 2020

BOULDER, COLO. (December 21, 2020) — PeopleForBikes, the nation’s leading bicycle advocacy organization, is proud to announce a renewed partnership with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), the world leader in mountain bike advocacy since 1988.

“Our mission is to make biking better for everyone. Partnering with IMBA is a natural extension of our work to help improve trails, access and safety for mountain bikers nationwide,” said PeopleForBikes President and CEO Jenn Dice. “We’ve worked with IMBA for nearly twenty years and we admire their decades-long efforts to make mountain biking better and more accessible. We look forward to continuing our work together toward a better future for biking and bike riders.”

As part of their renewed partnership, PeopleForBikes will provide funding to support IMBA’s Trail Accelerator grant program. Helping speed up the pace of trail building to grow the quantity and quality of mountain bike trails and trail networks across the U.S., Trail Accelerator grants provide a jump start to communities that have the public interest and political support to develop trail systems, but need assistance getting projects off the ground. The grants offer awardees professional trail planning and consultation services, often leveraging additional investment and support from local, regional and national partners.

IMBA will support PeopleForBikes’ Community Grants program by providing bike park grant recipients with technical assistance, educational books and the opportunity to attend an IMBA Trail Lab. Bike parks and pump tracks are eligible for grant funds and are a central part of any mountain bike community. These important facilities showcase the benefits of bicycling and can help communities see the vision for more trails close to home.

“Our longstanding partnership with PeopleForBikes has helped so many communities realize their goals for biking, mountain biking and trails,” said David Wiens, executive director at IMBA. “Our combined reach helps our complementary programs advance trails nationwide, and the strength of our shared advocacy efforts benefits riders across the country. It will be a pleasure to continue our work together on behalf of riders everywhere.”

Originally partnering in 2001, PeopleForBikes has long been a major supporter of IMBA’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. In 2010, PeopleForBikes was a lead donor in IMBA’s Public Lands Initiative, which generated $600,000 to help power IMBA’s bike and public land policy work nationwide.

The partnership’s advocacy efforts for preserving and supporting access to public lands continue in 2020. Earlier this year, the two organizations collaborated in support of the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law on Aug. 4. Fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million annually to buy land, build trails and address maintenance backlogs on existing public lands, the Great American Outdoors Act marked a huge win for outdoor recreation and the preservation and upkeep of public lands across the U.S.

About PeopleForBikes

PeopleForBikes is making biking better for everyone by uniting millions of Americans, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities to make every bike ride safer, more accessible and more fun. When people ride bikes, great things happen. Join us at PeopleForBikes.org.

About IMBA

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) creates, enhances and protects great places to ride mountain bikes. It is focused on creating more trails close to home to grow the quantity and quality of mountain bike trail communities across the U.S., so everyone has access to close-to-home rides and iconic backcountry experiences.