SRAM Cycling Fund Boosts IMBA Europe

Strong support from the SRAM Cycling Fund has allowed the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)  to respond to calls for assistance from several European national mountain bike advocacy organizations. As a result, IMBA Europe has emerged and unites 16 European nations in a single mountain bike advocacy movement. Today, IMBA Europe serves as the umbrella for the following national groups: DIMB in Germany, Mountain Bikers Foundation in France, NOTS in Norway, IMBA Spain, NTFU in The Netherlands and IMBA UK. Other, organizations participating in IMBA Europe include groups from Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland In 2013, The SRAM Cycling Fund is offering a challenge to IMBA Europe to recruit support from other interested companies: SRAM has pledged $100,000 total—comprised of $50,000 in initial funds, with up to another $50,000 contingent on receiving at least $200,000 from other sources. Therefore, the IMBA Europe Development Fund was recently launched”At SRAM, we are passionate about the mission and goals of IMBA. We are especially excited about the growing involvement in pan European cycling advocacy off road,” said SRAM’s Global Marketing Director, David Zimberoff. “We have a deep and vested interest in growing trails access not only for our business but for our own employees who headquarter out of over 12 countries throughout Europe. This commitment of ours and the match by partner brands will help to turbocharge the development and set a strong stake hold into the fabric of European advocacy for quality trails.”Specialized Bicycles has already offered $50,000 in support toward the challenge grant’s goal. “The future of our industry is dependent on IMBA’s work, so supporting their move into Europe was an easy decision for Specialized,” said global advocacy manager Simon Dunne. “It’s definitely going to be a challenging environment for them with such a wide range of geographies and politics to navigate; we hope to see the rest of the bike industry get behind them now, in the early stages, so their influence across Europe can be felt immediately by the riders enjoying our products.”Since forming a board of directors in 2012, IMBA Europe has received NGO status in the European Union, opened an office in the Netherlands and hired Mark Torsius to serve as its director. In the last year, IMBA Europe, in conjunction with IMBA US, has conducted trail building schools in the UK and Athens, Greece and developed several trail projects in Italy and Switzerland.