Trail Flow is a roundup of all the mountain bike trail related news of the week including new trail builds, advocacy, and planning. Do you have trail news? Email [email protected] for possible inclusion.
Santa Cruz announces Paydirt Recipients
Santa Cruz Bicycles announced their 2024 recipients for the Paydirt program, the brand’s giving arm, supporting mountain bike nonprofits and trail projects. This year’s list includes these organizations:
- Indigenous Youth MTB Program; Trail Crew Mentorship Program; Vancouver Canada
- LA 8; The Black 8; Bourg Saint Maurice, France
- Richmond Mountain Trails; The Driving Range Trail Network; Richmond, Vermont
- Trailsurfers; Trail Crew & Operations; Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Molini MTB; Trail Work Support; Molini di Triora, Italy
- Barkeater Trails Alliance; Trail Network Support; Keene, New York
- Raasay MTB Trail Association; Dig Day Support; Isle of Raasay, UK
- Ride for Racial Justice; BIPOC Mentorship Program; Denver, Colorado
- NorCal League; Try It Out Program; Petaluma, California
- Tas Gravity Girls; Female Youth MTB Day Camps; Tasmania, Australia
- Melanin Base Miles Inc; BIPOC Micro Grant Program; Washington, DC
- Thrive Ballater; Thrive Event Support; Ballater, UK
- The Engine Inside; Film Support and Indigenous Youth Program; Squamish, Canada
- Ontario Adaptive Riders; Adaptive Mentorship Support; Ontario, Canada
- Lighthouse Youth Projects; “Get Stoked!” MTB Ride Days; Adelaide, Australia
- Burley in Wharfedale Pump Track Project, UK
Tennessee trails get grants for expansion and pump track
Hampton, Tennessee
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation granted over $6 million to expand the Hampton Watershed Trails. The expansion includes a new pump track and connecting trails from Hampton Watershed and the Tweetsie trail into Hampton.
T-Mac wins grant for Southern Utah Trails
Southern Utah
Freerider Tyler McCaul, who is an ambassador for Ford Motors and their new(ish) Bronco applied for a Bronco Wild Fund grant which will support the development of a new trail network on the east side of Zion National Park, according to an Instagram post. McCaul says the trails are expected to open in the spring of 2024.
2024 Cape Pioneer race sees fewer but harder stages
South Africa
For 2024 the Cape Pioneer stage race in South Africa is reducing the number of stages from seven to five, though each stage will be longer and more challenging than in previous years. In a press release race organizer Henco Rademeyer says the race “will maintain its UCI S1 grading, which means that elite riders will earn UCI marathon and stage race points by taking part, and it will continue to be built around the Race with Soul ethos which made the first Pioneer famous.”
Money for Buena Vista, Colorado Trails
Buena Vista, Colorado
The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) board granted $18,700 to the Town of Buena Vista to help build two new portions of trail. The Tater Tots loop will be a one-mile beginner trail and the Walton Loop will be an ADA-compliant trail.
Support Mad Rabbit Trails project
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The Routt County Riders, a mountain bike advocacy group based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado is looking to drum up support for a challenging trail development project. The U.S. Forest Service issued a final environmental assessment in August of this year, however it hasn’t gone unchallenged.
Check out the page on IMBA for a bigger scope and to submit support to the USFS. We’ll have a story on the project soon as well.
New trail opens in New Zealand
Manawatū, New Zealand
The Arapuke Mountain Bike Park has been on a roll with trailbuilding. The Manawatū Mountain Bike Club has raised about $2 million from donations and sponsors to build 35km of trails in total. A 5km trail recently opened, according to the Manawatū Standard.
