4 TCoYT groups selected to receive Trail Grant

The proceeds of the this year’s TCoYT Bike Raffle will be divided among four groups that participatned in the Take Care of Your Trails campaign. The selected groups are from Slovenia, France, Scotland and Italy. Each group has a specific project that needs addtional support. Aberdeenshire Trail Association – Scotland The Aberdeenshire Trail Association is a fairly young group, established in 2018 with the goal of promoting, achieving and maintaining sustainable mountain bike trail networks in the North East of Scotland. ATA’s long term vision is to increase the quality and sustainability of the region’s mountain bike trail network by deploying proactive maintenance measures, through landowner liaison. With help of the trail grant, ATA will be able to enhance the existing trail provision by providing maintenance to existing trails making them safer & more sustainable. In addition ATA aim to support the creation of more link trails to ensure a fun, engaging multi ability route exists at this site. This is not currently the case as many trails do not connect to make a functional route. Where existing trails are recognised as environmentally detrimental, ATA will endeavour to create new more sustainable alternatives with a focus on providing more options for grass roots riders. These improvements will benefit local riders and further develop the links to the local village community. [[{“fid”:”1377″,”view_mode”:”media_responsive”,”fields”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”link_text”:null,”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“3”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:510,”width”:680,”class”:”media-element file-media-responsive”,”data-delta”:”3″}}]] Golovec Trails – Slovenia Golovec Trails is a sport association with the aim of encouraging and organising sport and recreational activities and maintaining mountain bike trails on Golovec hill in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. In 2016, Ljubljana won the titel Euroepan Green Capital. It’s part of the associations ambition to become the first European capital with a mountain bike trail park in its urban area. IMBA’s theme ‘trails close to home’ are certainly applicable on this group while most trails are within 20 minutes cyling of the city center. With the trail grant, Golovec Trails will be able to develop better trails, educate young trail builders and  volunteers, mimize user conflicts and encourage more people to enjoy the fine trails on the small wooded hills in & around Ljbuljana. [[{“fid”:”1378″,”view_mode”:”media_responsive”,”fields”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”link_text”:null,”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“4”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:453,”width”:680,”class”:”media-element file-media-responsive”,”data-delta”:”4″}}]] Mountain Bikers Foundation – France Mountain Bikers Foundation is the leading national trail advocacy group in France, working on trail access and promoting sustainable and responsible mountain biking. MBF is famous for it’s Green Brigades, volunteer groups that maintain, re-open and reconstruct trails and make trails litter free. The trail grant will support MBF’s participation in ‘Act for the Outdoors’, an initiative to protect natural spaces and the sustainable development of sports practices in nature. MBF will conduct a series of trail maintaince courses including all kind of outdoor sports practitioners. From hikers to mountain bikers and equestrians. The goal is organize 7 field trainings across France with several user groups. Using the slogan ‘our trails need love’, MBF aims to change peoples attitude from consumers to active trail stewards.  [[{“fid”:”1379″,”view_mode”:”media_responsive”,”fields”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”link_text”:null,”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“5”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:453,”width”:680,”class”:”media-element file-media-responsive”,”data-delta”:”5″}}]] West Coast Trails – Italy A.S.D. West Coast Trails was officially established in 2012, in Massa, Tuscany. The first goal of the association was to create a network of permanent trails for mountain biking and trekking. The hilly area of ??Massa is rich in old paths used by quarrymen, shepherds and, during World War II, by the partisans, to connect and reach the countries of the various valleys.  Some of these paths then went as far as reaching the Lunigiana or the Garfagnana. Over the years, WCT have been able to rediscover and restore some abandoned paths by studying papers, exploring and gathering information. The good thing is that these paths and trails have a huge potential for mountain biking. The trail grant will be used to give the Massa Trail Center project a boost. The purpose of the project is the realization of all the necessary aspects to make paths and itineraries usable by the cyclist and mountain bikers – but also for trekking enthusiasts, involving the various existing activities: B & Bs, hotels, restaurants, cultural associations and other associations sports. It’s about creating a net of trails for mountain biking and hiking using old public trails, multitrack, dirt roads, and creating a group of people that will be able to maintain them. [[{“fid”:”1380″,”view_mode”:”media_responsive”,”fields”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”link_text”:null,”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“6”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:381,”width”:680,”class”:”media-element file-media-responsive”,”data-delta”:”6″}}]]