Category Archives: Regional Events

Knoxville Hosts a Tennessee School Team Mountain Bike Race

Plus a movie event with instructions on how to form a school team

236065_origKnoxville, Tenn. – The National Interscholastic Cycling Association brings a new Tennessee High School Cycling League mountain bike race to Knoxville for the first time on October 11, 2015 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. This is the third event in the state’s four-race fall series for both high school and middle school students.

“We’re using cross country school mountain bike racing as our tool to develop our youth,” said Rick Splitter, former president of NICA’s board of directors. “Our core values are building a strong mind, a strong body, a strong character. And we’re going to do that in the most equal and inclusive environment that we can.”

Working with Legacy Parks Foundation and the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club – a chapter of the International Mountain Bike Association – representatives from the Tennessee League say the Knoxville race will highlight Legacy Parks’ new purpose built flow trails for mountain biking that are ideally located in an urban area. The trails were made possible by a State of Tennessee Recreational Trails Program grant and built on Legacy Parks’ property.

In addition to the race, THSCL will present the movie “Single Track High” at Legacy Parks’ Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center, 900 Volunteer Landing Lane on Wednesday, September 2 at 7 p.m. The free movie showcases the incredible impact high school mountain biking has had in California and encourages more support for NICA and the movement. Information will be presented on how to form a team at your school and how individuals may also register to race in this year’s fall League series. Area bike shops will provide door prizes to be given away at the event.

Founded in 2009, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) develops high school mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States. NICA provides leadership, services, and governance for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events and supports development of every student-athlete.

For more information, visit the League’s website at www.tennesseemtb.org

Thanks to You, the #DowntownDownhill Dream Will Come True

You made this happen.

11325805_649842791826390_269021344_nThanks to the help of all our friends old and new, we won the nationwide race for the Bell Helmets Bell Built grant, by a truly overwhelming margin. This is a big deal not just for AMBC or Knoxville, but for the entire East Coast, especially the Southeast.

Thanks to Exchequer Riders Club and COGGS for inspiring us to carry out the campaign that we did. They were strong competition and we look forward to seeing their projects come to fruition, too. We encourage you to check out their great trail systems anytime you’re in Mariposa, CA, or Duluth, MN.

What’s next: We’ll be working with IMBA Trail Solutions to finalize the design of the trail, while also continuing work on the other trails in the new bike park with AMBC volunteers. Check back here and on AMBC’s Facebook page for an up-to-date work schedule and volunteer opportunities, and keep an eye on downtowndownhill.com for updates on the work-in-progress.

Now let’s get to work. Let’s get rad.

Bell Built Grant Update – AMBC is a finalist!

GOOD NEWS! Knoxville made it through the first round of voting for the $100,000 Bell Built trail building grant, representing the Eastern United States.

Now comes the big work. In this final round of voting, we need to rally more support than the West Coast and Midwest to win this. We’re underdogs here, but that’s never stopped us.

Here’s how you can help

  1. Go to Bellhelmets.com/bell-built and cast your vote for the URBAN WILDERNESS GRAVITY TRAIL. You can vote once per valid email address — just clear your browser’s cookies and vote again with every address you have!
  2. More importantly, SPREAD THE WORD. Go to DowntownDownhill.com and grab the social media profile pictures and other graphics and share, share, share! Post our videos on your Facebook profile, call your parents and ask them to vote, email all your friends and tell them how much greater we can make the Knoxville outdoor scene together!

Vote for AMBC to Receive a $100,000 Bell Built Grant

Bell Helmets is awarding $100,000 to fund a trailbuilding project, and AMBC is a semifinalist! Vote for us to make the #DowntownDownhill dream a reality.

Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness has over 40 miles of trails for biking and hiking. The proposed “Gravity Trail” – which will include rock gardens, drops, and constructed features –will put us on the map as one of the premiere outdoor recreation destinations. It will add a cool new feature to our trails, attract new riders and businesses, and increase the desirability of our community.

HERE’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU:

  • Recreational bicycling is a $200 billion industry in the US
  • One in 20 Americans makes a living off outdoor recreation – 70,000 in Tennessee
  • For every dollar spent on bicycling tourism, $7 more is spent in locations they visit
  • Property values close to trails and greenways are up to 30% higher

Just go to bellhelmets.com/bell-built to vote for AMBC’s Urban Wilderness Gravity Trail, or visit downtowndownhill.com for more information.

Big South Fork Epic Weekend 2015

Join AMBC for our annual National Trails Day work party and weekend campout!

Saturday: We’ll do some work to help improve and maintain the amazing trails of Big South Fork from 9-12 a.m. After lunch (provided by AMBC), we’ll break out for group rides all afternoon.

Come back to the Bandy Creek campground that evening for a low country boil, sponsored by REI Knoxville.

Sunday: Group rides of all varieties- including one of EPIC proportions.

Bring the family and camp all weekend!
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