The IMBA is an organization that is concerned with land access issues. In many areas of the country, federal lands and parks have been closed to mountainbikes. The IMBA is attempting to prevent further closures and keep riding areas accessible to mountainbikers. Here are there guidelines: Ride on open trails only. Respect trail and road closures (ask if not sure); avoid possible trespass on private land; obtain permits and authorization as may be required. Federal and State wilderness areas are closed to cycling. Leave no trace. Be sensitive to dirt beneath you. Even on open trails, you should not ride where you will leave evidence of your passing, such as certain soils shortly after a rain. Observe the different types of soils and trail construction; practice low-impact cycling. This also means staying on the trail and not creating any new ones. Be sure to pack out as least as much as you pack in. Control your bicycle! Inattention for even a second can cause disaster. Excessive speed maims and threatens people; there is no excuse for it! Always yield the trail. Make known your approach well in advance. A friendly greeting is considerate and works well; startling someone may cause loss of trail access. Show your respect when passing others by slowing to a walk or even stopping. Anticipate that other trail users may be around corners, or in blind spots. Never spook animals. All animals are startled by an unannounced approach, a sudden movement, or a loud noise. This can be dangerous for you, for others, and for the animals. Give animals extra room and time to adjust to you. In passing, use special care and follow the directions of horseback riders (ask if uncertain). Running cattle and disturbing wild animals is a serious offense. Leave gates as you found them, or as marked. Plan ahead. Know your equipment, and the area in which you are riding - and prepare accordingly. Be self sufficient at all times. Wear a helmet, keep your bike in good condition, and carry necessary suppplies for changes in weather or other conditions. A well executed trip is a satisfaction to you and not a burden or offense to others. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Mountain bicycling continues to be one of the fastest-growing North American sports, and its popularity is rising in every state and province. Thankfully, opportunities for enjoying off-road cycling are expanding, too. Many state and provincial parks and forests have changes policies to allow bicycling on narrow singletrack trails, and cyclists, hikers and equestrians are learning how to share the trails. The sport is helping people discover the beauty and diversity of our spectacular continent. Mountain bikes can be ridden on trails and roads, as long as bicyclists respect fellow trial users and the environment, and obey local regulations and universal rules of etiquette. A cyclist on a fat-tire bicycle can pedal deep into a backcountry that reviles rivers, mountains, deserts, caves, and wildlife-natural treasures that just can't be experienced from a car on the road. But bicycling opportunities remain threatened in many locations. The reason for trail closures include conflicting philosophies of land management, rude or dangerous bicyclists, conflicts among users desiring exclusive trail use, and damage to trails or ecosystems caused by cycling. Citizen activists and land managers are working hard to resolve these problems in many locations across the continent. Resolution of these issues will depend to a large extent on the level of responsibility demonstrated by bicyclists. As an off-road cyclist, it is your responsibility to ride safely and considerately". ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMBA success stories: IMBA opened close to 1,000 miles of new trails to mountain bikers including singletrack in such diverse locations as the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey and Explore Park in Roanoke, Virginia. IMBA increased our individual membership by 30 percent, which means more clout for mountain bikers in the halls of government. We now have 14,000 individual members and over 300 member clubs. The IMBA Trail Care Crew led construction and maintenance sessions in more than 250 parks and forests in 49 states and 10 countries. The IMBA-directed National Mountain Bike Patrol has grown to over 60 patrol groups. IMBA actively promoted and supported the successful grassroots effort to produce substantial new federal funding for bicycle trails and facilities (TEA-21). IMBA revamped and improved our web site (www.imba.com). IMBA added 30 state representatives to our increasingly effective leadership network. IMBA is continuing to work with our member clubs to track volunteer hours contributed by mountain bikers and miles of trail that have been built or reopened to bikes by the work of IMBA and its affiliates. Help us track this information by keeping us posted on your progress. Meanwhile, IMBA club membership continues to cost only $30 per year. In light of all the services and benefits described above, we hope you’ll agree that this is an excellent value. Please call 1 888 442-IMBA to join the IMBA. You will be glad you did!  |
