GOLDEN, Colo. - Please join the 2009 Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) Board of Directors and the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew for an early start to the 2009 Front Range mountain bike season.
COMBA's 2009 Annual Meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28, at the American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., Golden.
COMBA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving mountain biking by building and maintaining trails, teaching proper trail use, and working with government on public land management decisions affecting mountain biker rights along the Front Range - from Buffalo Creek to Coal Creek Canyon - as well as serving as a strong advocacy voice for all mountain bikers. The annual meeting will be a chance to meet newly-elected COMBA directors and engage in a broad discussion about COMBA's 2009 goals and objectives.
"COMBA has fresh leadership and a renewed vision for 2009," COMBA President Terry Breheny said. "Our top priorities include seeking opportunities to build new trails and creating a real sense of community among Front Range riders. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, and we need help from the entire mountain bike community. "It is important that COMBA receive input from downhillers, dirt jumpers, all-mountain riders, cross-country folks and others as we develop our 2009 work plan. So if you're a COMBA member, thinking about joining or just hearing about us for the first time, I hope you'll attend the COMBA annual meeting and join a discussion about the future of mountain biking in our backyard."
COMBA, with a history dating back more than 15 years, is led by a 9-member board - a volunteer group of cycling enthusiasts who represent a cross section of the Front Range riding community. The 2009 board includes local bike industry representatives, gravity junkies, cross-country racers and folks who just like to get out and ride as often as they can.
An election was held from December 14 - 30, 2008, to select new COMBA board members. The results are as follows:
"There is a lot of talent on this board, and I'm excited about the energy each member brings to COMBA," Breheny said. "The board is committed to delivering results based on achievable goals, operating with transparency and being accountable to our members."
Additionally, David Rontal, an associate at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, has been appointed general counsel and AJ Beckman appointed treasurer.
In 2008, COMBA organized a successful National Trails Day event in conjunction with the Colorado Trail Foundation; coordinated a public forum with Jefferson County Open Space officials that was attended by more than 200 cyclists; and hosted their second annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, which introduced more than 30 local children to the sport. In addition, COMBA continued to advocate for mountain bike access to regional trails.
"We're definitely looking to increase COMBA's public profile in 2009," Breheny said. "We'll be working closely with land managers, coordinating volunteers, raising funds, aggressively seeking opportunities to spread the gospel and add to the stock of local singletrack."
Toward that end, the COMBA annual meeting will include a visit from two Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews. Each award-winning Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew features two full-time, professional trail experts who travel North America year-round. They lead IMBA Trailbuilding Schools, meet with government officials and land managers, and work with IMBA-affiliated groups to improve mountain biking opportunities across the nation. IMBA's Crews have led more than 1,000 trail projects since the program debuted in 1997.
The Crews teach "sustainable" trailbuilding, which means building trails that last a long time and require minimal maintenance. This helps reduce trail damage, protects the environment, and enhances visitor enjoyment for all trail users. The Crews travel in 2008 Subaru Outbacks provided by Subaru of America - the company that has been IMBA's leading sponsor since 1997.
The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program has inspired great volunteer trailwork across the U.S. and abroad - a big help to government agencies and land managers who have limited funding for trail construction and upkeep.
"We're fortunate to have not one, but two Subaru/IMBA Trail Crews stopping in to visit COMBA," Breheny said. "I hope the Trail Care Crews will inspire all who attend to get involved and do what they can to support COMBA and our local trails."
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CONTACT:
Kyle Henley
kyle@comba.org
(303) 717-2766
