Media contact: Eleanor Blick
IMBA Director of Communications
(720) 900-4622

(Boulder, Colo., April 27, 2021) — The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and the California Mountain Biking Coalition (CAMTB) are pleased to announce their efforts to partner together to help better address statewide advocacy efforts in the state of California.

“For many years California has set the bar for mountain biking advocacy challenges and successes, and we’re excited to help support a more organized and cohesive voice for mountain biking in the state.” said Anthony Duncan, IMBA’s Director of Local Programs.

IMBA and CAMTB will work together to provide advocacy education opportunities for grassroots mountain biking organizations in the state and together implement mutually beneficial strategies that advance mountain biking. The IMBA Local program includes 18 Partners in California, and CAMTB has 20 member organizations.

“The California Mountain Biking Coalition is delighted to forge this new partnership with IMBA and we look forward to collaboratively supporting sustainable trail systems in California and beyond. We see IMBA and CAMTB as vital links in the chain of advocacy, and in cooperation, we will be more effective in our state and federal conversations with land managers and legislators. Support services provided by the IMBA Local program will give many of our member organizations here in California the necessary footing to expand their capacity and reach,” said Michael Anzalone, Executive Director for CAMTB.

IMBA and CAMTB have already partnered to bring a two-part advocacy workshop to the mountain bike community of California. The virtual workshop consisted of two parts: 1) understanding advocacy and the legislative process, and 2) how to put that knowledge into practice for mountain biking. In addition to the advocacy topics the group delved into current legislative proposals which specifically benefit mountain bikers in California.

Trail use and mountain biking has grown considerably in the past year, a trend that many communities have been noticing for much longer. This trend of more people enjoying riding bikes on trails benefits the community in a variety of ways, but also presents challenges as trails become more crowded. Helping address these challenges by strategically connecting local efforts to state planning can help drive an increase in funding, access and trails in California and in communities across the country.

About IMBA
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) creates, enhances and protects great places to ride mountain bikes. It is focused on creating more trails close to home to grow the quantity and quality of mountain bike trail communities across the U.S., so everyone has access to close-to-home rides and iconic backcountry experiences. Since 1988, IMBA has been the worldwide leader in mountain bike advocacy and the only organization focused entirely on trails and access for all types of mountain bikers in all parts of the U.S. IMBA teaches and encourages low-impact riding, grassroots advocacy, sustainable trail design, innovative land management practices and cooperation among trail user groups. IMBA U.S. is a national network of local groups, individual riders and passionate volunteers working together for the benefit of the entire community. https://www.imba.com/

About CAMTB
The California Mountain Biking Coalition (CAMTB) is a 501c4 nonprofit organization, incorporated in 2019 in the State of California. CAMTB grew out of the recognized need for a state-wide voice for mountain bikers in California. CAMTB’s growing member organizations represent over 13,000 riders across the state of California, and exist to ensure that their voices are considered by state-level policy makers, legislators, and government agencies. https://camtb.org/