Source: IMBA

IMBA Publishes Provides Funding for Freeriding, Downhilling, and Dirt Jumping with Support from Kona Bicycles 04-19-04

Thanks to support from Kona Bicycles, five IMBA clubs will receive $500 cash grants to help create new freeriding, downhilling, and dirt jumping opportunities. More than 30 IMBA clubs applied for a grant.

Funding for the program comes from Kona and the Kona/IMBA Bowling Party, an annual Las Vegas fundraiser held during Interbike, the bicycle industry trade show.

The 2004 winners are:

1) South Island Mountain Bike Society, North Saanich, British Columbia - The South Island Mountain Bike Society will use funds to build the first dirt jump park in the Victoria, British Columbia area. The project was initiated in 2002 by two young dirt jumpers and has gained full support from the North Saanich city council.

2) Gorge Freeride Association, Hood River, Oregon - Grant money will be used by the Gorge Freeride Association to build a beginner trail with drop-offs in the Post Canyon freeride area. The trail will feature four progressively larger drop-offs with safe alternative routes. For more info visit www.gfra.org

3) Ocala Mountain Bike Association, Tavares, Florida - The Ocala Mountain Bike Association plans to build wooden stunts, including an elevated bridge, two skinnies and a transition ramp, and a dirt jumping area within the Santos Trail System located on the Cross Florida Greenway. For more info visit www.omba.org

4) Friends of Breckenridge, Breckenridge, Colorado - The Friends of Breckenridge will use grant money to help create Four O'clock Freeride Woods, a beginner and intermediate freeride trail and stunt area. For more info contact Danica Rice: danica@ci.breckenridge.co.us

5) Peoria Area Mountain Bikers, Peoria, Illinois - Kona grant money will be used by the Peoria Area Mountain Bikers to create a bicycle skills course with jumps and berms at the Farmdale Reservoir Recreation Area. The course is for mountain bikers to improve technical skills in a controlled easily accessible area. For more info visit www.pambamtb.org

The Whatcom Independent Mountain Pedalers (WHIMPs) of Bellingham, Washington were chosen to receive a grant, but due to diligent fund raising efforts the WHIMPs secured funding from a private donor and opted to forgo the grant making it available to another worthy club. Other outstanding freeride projects were submitted by the Longwood University Cycling Club, the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association, the Keweenaw Trekkers and the Southwest Idaho Mountain Bicycling Association.