IMBA 2012 World Summit a Celebration of All Things Mountain Biking
Santa Fe offers riders bountiful terrain and welcoming hospitality
October 1, 2012: If it can be done on a mountain bike, it will be going on at the International Mountain Bicycling Association’s (IMBA) biennial World Summit in Santa Fe, October 10-13. The sixth annual event will include a Vendors Expo featuring major bike and gear manufacturers, daily group rides in the Southern Rockies on the edge of Santa Fe, a fun criterium around the Santa Fe Plaza and daily sessions and workshops.
Photo Courtesy: The International Mountain Bicycling Association
The non-profit IMBA is recognized as a leader in low-impact biking advocacy and as an educational force promoting cooperation between varied trail user groups. More than 100 volunteers will help the hundreds of summit attendees find their way around the city, learn about Santa Fe, and discover the boundless riding on the city limits.
Educational sessions held at the Santa Fe Convention Center will cover topics about mountain bike tourism, creating youth initiatives, developing urban core trails, creating an urban wilderness, the evolution of bike-friendly land policies, and many more topics including a case study of Gallup, New Mexico and how it became the “Adventure Capital of New Mexico.”
The public is welcome to explore the Vendors Expo in and nearby the Santa Fe Convention Center on Thursday, and Friday from 3 PM to 7 PM. Then, on Friday evening, 10/12, downtown will come alive with events. A criterium will be contested around the Santa Fe Plaza on kid-sized Strider bikes–no pedals, all foot powered–during multiple heats. In addition, a trail cutting machine obstacle course will be set up, a demonstration urban bike park will be on display, and the Red Bull film, “Where the Trail Ends” documenting the most ambitious mountain biking expedition ever will be showing at the convention center. www.wherethetrailends.com/ . (All ages, tickets available to the public.)
Group rides will take place every afternoon and be led by the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society and the Santa Fe-based Pedal Queens. Motorists should be aware of increased bike traffic along East and West Alameda, Camino Cabra, Upper Canyon Road, Camino de Las Crucitas, and Camino de Los Montoyas as riders head out to the Dale Ball Trials and the La Tierra Trails. Ride times are:
- Wednesday 10/10 from Noon to 6:30
- Thursday, 10/11 from 3:00 to 6:30
- Friday, 10/12 from 3:00 to 6:30
On Saturday, 10/13 the Winsor Trail will be used by the cyclists from 8:30 AM to 1:00 beginning at the Santa Fe Ski Area parking lot trailhead down to the Chamisa Trial, Sidewinder Trail, and Little Tesuque Creek Trail, ending up on Hyde Park Road. Again, motorists should be mindful of the increased bicycle traffic while hikers and other trail users should be alert to the high volume of bicycle activity on the trails during these times. The National Forest Service will be posting notices and trail intersections will be manned with volunteers reminding users to be alert.
Santa Fe’s outstanding bike terrain and mountain biking infrastructure, small town feel, and ideal location against the foothills of the Southern Rockies were some of the reasons IMBA selected the city for the World Summit. They are also reasons bikers continue to discover Santa Fe as a perfect stepping off point for mountain biking in Northern New Mexico.
Local sponsors include the Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bicycle Technologies International, Outside Magazine, O'Leary Built Bicycles, Santa Fe Fat Tire Society, Santa Fe Brewing Company, Second Street Brewery, Santa Fe Spirits, Marble Brewery, Santa Fe Subaru, the Santa Fe REI store, 10,000 Waves, Hotel Santa Fe, Hilton Santa Fe, Santa Fe Conservation Trust, Century Bank, Wilson & Co., and santafe.com .
For more information; www.imba.com/world-summit
World Summit program:
