Defend Mountain Biking:
Support IMBA's Legal Fund!

Can you believe mountain biking is still attacked as an illegitimate use of trails? First, we were accused of speeding erosion. Then, we were labeled a "dangerous menace." IMBA is dispelling these false allegations and reopening trails-but a new danger looms.

Liability concerns now pose a significant threat to our sport. Frivolous lawsuits and land managers fearing the unknown contribute to knee-jerk risk management decisions that kick mountain bikers out of parks and off trails.

Please contribute to IMBA's Legal Fund today to help protect our sport. Contributors of $35 or more will receive the hardcover chronology, Stumpjumper: 25 Years of Mountain Biking, signed by Ned Overend.

IMBA is spearheading the development of risk management resources for mountain biking. We're interviewing lawyers, cataloging best practices, following current litigation and investigating insurance policies. This summer, IMBA will assemble a field of experts to present at the IMBA Summit / World Mountain Bike Conference in Whistler, British Columbia.

Our goal is simple: Use the clarity of the law and the power of IMBA's 35,000 members to defend mountain bikers' rights. We want our sport to be understood, respected and treated fairly by government officials at all levels.

We must defend against daily attacks on local trail systems. For example, world-class singletrack is threatened by oil and gas extraction in the riding destination of Fruita, CO. IMBA's network generated more than 900 letters from riders like you, lobbying federal decision makers to protect trails. To publicize an issue promptly, let alone organize an effective letter-writing campaign or legal intervention, we must be able to act quickly when threats arise.

Swift response takes preparation and money. Please donate to IMBA's Legal Fund today. Your donation will help ensure that IMBA's rapid response team is ready to act with an effective action alert when disaster strikes in your backyard.

We're making progress too. Even in contentious places like Marin, Boulder, Chicago and Philadelphia, mountain bikers are overturning discriminatory bans and gaining legal access to singletrack. That's right, building new singletrack, not settling for table scraps of old dirt roads and railroad grades. Yet,strong action and legal representation remain crucial.

Your gift of $35, $60, $100-or more if possible-will help support these critical projects:

• Negotiate to ensure that mountain biking access is protected as new Wilderness areas are legislated. IMBA believes trail access for mountain bikes and land protection are compatible-even synergistic-yet bicycling is categorically prohibited in all designated Wilderness.
• Prevent the full-scale sell-off of public USFS lands to fund a budget shortfall-a plan that is unsustainable, short-sighted and puts mountain bike trails on the auction block.
• Send IMBA staff to the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C., where decisions are made that affect land use, trail funding and ultimately access for mountain bikers.
• Help National Parks expand mountain biking opportunities, starting with Big Bend (TX), Fort Dupont (DC), Saguaro (AZ), Volcanoes (HI), Big South Fork (TN, KY) and Whiskeytown (CA).
• Defend against ill-founded claims that mountain bikers cause excessive environmental impact, are incompatible with other trail users or pose a liability risk.

IMBA has led the fight for fair trail access for the past 18 years. We've laid the political groundwork and are in the midst of a definitive time for protecting our public lands and mountain bikers' rightful access to trails. Now, we need you to help us stay at the table and leverage the work we've already done.

Your donation to IMBA's Legal Fund will help expand and improve our role as mountain biking's guardian. We're confident you'll feel your tax-deductible donation is a savvy investment in the future of our sport.

Thank you for your continuing generosity,

Hill Abell
IMBA President

P.S. Your support makes a dramatic difference. Please donate to IMBA's Legal Fund and help keep trails open for you and your fellow riders.

P.P.S. Contributors of $35 or more will receive a limited edition, hardcover Stumpjumper book, autographed by Ned Overend, compliments of Specialized Bicycles.