International Mountain Bicycling Association

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a non-profit educational association whose mission is to create, enhance and preserve trail opportunities for mountain bikers worldwide.

IMBA was formed in 1988, when five California-based mountain bike clubs created an alliance to fight widespread trail closures. The founding clubs were the Concerned Off Road Bicyclists Association, Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay, Bicycle Trails Council of Marin, Sacramento Rough Riders and Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers. Gibson Anderson, of Sacramento, was elected IMBA's first executive director.

In 1993 IMBA hired Tim Blumenthal, a former IMBA board member and cycling journalist, as its executive director. When Blumenthal began, the organization had roughly 1,200 individual members and about 60 affiliated clubs. The headquarters moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1994.

In the late 1990s, IMBA's membership grew in Canada, Europe and Australia. An international summit was held in Switzerland in 1997. Educational outreach programs such as the Trail Care Crews – traveling trailbuilding schools sponsored by Subaru

Subaru

; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...

car corporation – helped expand IMBA's reach. At the end of 1999, IMBA had more than 28,000 individual members, 14 staffers and a budget of $1.2 million.

In 2006, IMBA's membership grew to 32,000 members, with more than 600 affiliated clubs and patrols and a staff of 26. International programs, including IMBA Canada, are continuing to grow. In the US, IMBA has established partnership agreements with most major federal land management agencies, and is widely recognized as a leading source of information for trail-based recreation.

IMBA affiliated organizations

Australia
- Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA)
Canada
- Association pour le Développement des Sentiers de Vélo de Montagne au Québec
Europe
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Spain
- United Kingdom
North America
- United States
  - Bicycle Trails Council of Marin
  - ROMP :: Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers
  - Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay
  - Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association
    SORBA
    SORBA, the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, is an organization that builds and maintains mountain bike trails in the Southeast region of the United States. It also promotes mountain bikers' interests, such as access to trails...
  - Jersey Off Road Bicycling Association
    JORBA
    The Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association is a mountain biking association in New Jersey, USA, founded in 1999. Their activities include trail maintenance, sustainable trail building, group rides and skills clinics. JORBA is a 501 non-profit organization. JORBA is an affiliated club of the...
  - Michigan Mountain Biking Association
  - Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC)
    Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists
    Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists is a non-profit mountain biking club dedicated to gaining and maintaining trails in Minnesota. MORC has approximately 700 members.-About:...
  - MORCA :: Monterey Off Road Cycling Association

- Mexico

Sources

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.