Class is now in session Program teaches city leaders how to bring more trails close to home From International Mountain Bicycling Association W


hen you think of communities that have distinct identities, what cities come to mind? Perhaps Nashville and country music; Paris and high fash-


ion; Telluride and skiing. What’s the identity for your town? What could it be? More than ever, communities are looking at outdoor rec-


 embraced in cities like Roanoke, Virginia, a silver-level IMBA Ride Center, and small towns like Caliente, Nevada, a former mining town reinventing itself with mountain biking. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), has begun hosting IMBA Trail Labs to bring together community leaders interested in trail development, in loca- tions that have seen success through trails. Attendees will learn what it takes to create a model trail community and return home with the knowledge and guidance for how to make more trails close to home happen in their towns.  - - 


shown trails boost the economy by $137 million annually. And near North Carolina’s Pigsah National Forest, visiting mountain bikers spend $30 million a year, supporting nearly 400 full-time jobs.


Having an abundance of natural-surface trails close to city centers enables more destination tourism and spending with local businesses, and entices more people to move into those areas, stimulating the economy and improving quality of life. And, trails are awesome. IMBA Trail Labs bring together community leaders, park agency leadership and tourism professionals to catalyze the next generation of great places for mountain bikes, by teach- ing best practices for community trail integration and moun-  trail industry experts and local stakeholders, and lead partici- pants through the recipe for a model community trail system: planning, design, building, activation, promotion and mea- suring success. Attendees will also get a tour of a diverse mountain bike trail community by the groups who made the vision a reality. “We attended IMBA Trail Labs to learn about mountain biking. We sort-of know about trails, but they’re a relatively


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SPRING 2019 AmericanTrails.org


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