Foundations
Foundations are in-depth workshops designed to catalyze the next generation of great places to ride mountain bikes. Attendees will learn what it takes to create a model trail community and return home with the knowledge and guidance for how to make it happen.
Join Us May 7-8
For 2025 and 2026, Trail Labs Foundations will be held Minnesota! This spring the team heads to Winona: Join us May 7-8, 2025!
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Want to create a great place to ride? We can help.
Foundations are two-day intensive workshops during which IMBA staff, trail industry experts and local stakeholders lead participants through the recipe for a model community trail system: planning, design, building, activation, promotion and measuring success. Attendees will also get a firsthand look at components of an intentional and diverse mountain bike trails community through field visits.
Individuals best-suited to attend the workshops are land managers, community officials, recreation professionals and tourism/economic development staff. In addition to helping you understand the benefits of trails and the experiences desired by mountain bikers, we will provide the knowledge you need to get started making great trails happen locally and help you identify the next steps needed to bring more trails to your own backyards.
Why Foundations?
“We attended IMBA Foundations to learn about mountain biking. We sort-of know about trails, but they’re a relatively new thing to us. We’re excited about economic development and a healthier lifestyle and, really importantly, the quality of life that trails close to home will provide." — Steve Arrison, Visit Hot Springs Arkansas CEO
What to expect: a sample schedule
Day one theme: The model trail recipe
Plan It
- Why mountain bike trails?
- What are sustainable trails?
- Visioning and community planning
- Building a dream team of experts
- Understanding the planning process
- Gaining project support and funding
Design It
- Developing the desired mountain biking experience
- What level of design detail is needed
- Operations and maintenance considerations in design
- Signage and risk management
- Phasing your plan
Build It
- Balancing desires with reality
- Working with volunteers and professionals
- Construction contracting
- Crafting procedural documentation
- Trail network public opening checklist
Afternoon tour of various mountain biking facilities, followed by an optional group ride and dinner on your own. (There will be no trail building.)
Day two theme: If you build it, will they come?
Activate It
- Creating a plan for sustainability
- Developing a programming strategy to take full advantage of the trails
- Activating and engaging partners
- Developing new riders
Promote It
- Gaining community support for the project
- Developing maps and websites
- Hosting events, festivals and races
- Engaging the wider community
Measure It
- Evaluating the impact of the trail facility
- Trail counters and on-site surveys
- Tracking volunteer hours
- Data collection and management
- Using data to improve the trail system
Afternoon tour of various mountain biking facilities, followed by an afternoon interactive session where attendees will begin to draft a plan for their community’s trail project while considering the six core ingredients alongside Foundations experts.
Sponsors
Generous local sponsors bring Foundations to their communities, to showcase the success they have experienced by investing in trails.
Have questions on Foundations? Connect with our team.
Whether you are after solitude or community I am not sure if there is a better avenue than wheels on dirt. It is my goal to see these opportunities become ever more accessible through education and development.
Meet our teamJohn Cox
Education Coordinator
