SCOTTS VALLEY, CA (BRAIN) — Bell Helmets and the International Mountain Bicycling Association announced the first recipients of its Bell Built Grants, which are awarding a total of $100,000 in trail building assistance to fund new mountain bike trail projects across the country. The winning projects were chosen from 12 finalist by public vote.
The winners are Bear River Bike Park, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in the grant's "pump track/bike park" category; The Burke Bike Park in Burke, Vermont, in the "Flow trail" category; and the Overflow Trail in Copper Harbor, Michigan in the "Downhill trail" category.
"The response to this program has been nothing short of overwhelming from the creative and comprehensive grant proposals to the groundswell of buzz and support from riders and everyday people in finalist communities," said Azul Couzens, Bell Helmets director of marketing. “IMBA has been a valued partner in this effort and its team has been instrumental to guide this grant process. IMBA will now work its magic to bring these trail projects to life with the winning organizations.”
The grant program received more than 100 submissions from IMBA chapters, clubs and land management agencies. Bell and IMBA narrowed the field to 12 finalists that were announced in early March. The public voted on the finalists through a Bell Helmets Facebook page.
"The Bell Built grants represent another big step forward for mountain biking," said IMBA executive director Mike Van Abel. "Bell has created an exciting and effective platform for delivering great riding experiences. It was great to see how the online videos and the voting created a strong sense of community — even the groups that didn't receive grant assistance will benefit from the experience of pulling together and raising awareness for their projects."
