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NEW WEBSITE!!
Press Release- for immediate release.
Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish mountain bike race organizers have taken the next step
to support grass roots mountain bike activities in British Columbia
by forming the Grass Roots Mountain Bike Association of
British Columbia (GRMBA). The not-for-profit association
is designed to fill a void in recreational grass roots mountain
bike event sanctioning.
The void was created when the official provincial sanctioning
body, Cycling BC, began to move toward supporting higher level
competitive events, and away from their past support of recreational
mountain biking. Newly created sanctioning policies led to the
need for GRMBA, which is spearheaded by Test of Metal and GearJammer
race directors Cliff Miller and Curtis Roberts.
The purpose of the newly formed association is to provide insurance
to grass roots mountain bike clubs and race events that concentrate
on providing race experiences to recreational racers. One goal
of the association is to encourage recreational clubs to hold
events where members of other clubs are welcome to attend.
With the advent of GRMBA, the potential opens for affiliated clubs
throughout British Columbia to organize regional race series,
where affiliated members from all over the province can join in
for no additional insurance cost. An example might be that an
affiliated club member from the Kootenays could join in to SORCA
events in Squamish, something that will be cumbersome and expensive
under new Cycling BC Policy.
GRMBA is not intended to replace the trail advocacy work that
clubs have done, but to encourage participation in mountain biking
for the sheer enjoyment of the sport. The Association will produce
only one event per year of its own - the Grass Roots Championship
- to be held in Squamish in September, 2007.
The Championship will be a weekend celebration of social mountain
biking. Some of the ideas being discussed are a race taking place
on Saturday afternoon, a barbeque Saturday evening, a pancake
breakfast Sunday morning, and guided group rides of favorite Squamish
trails (if any are left) on Sunday. The event will be open to
all members of GRMBA affiliated clubs at a minimal cost. Proponents
hope that this event will spur a re-emergence of grass roots mountain
bike events throughout BC.
The intial response from established mountain bike clubs has been
overwhelmingly positive. A number of organizations and events
are in discussion with GRMBA executive members to become affiliated
for the 2007 riding season. Both major Squamish mountain bike
races, the Test of Metal and the GearJammer, have committed to
GRMBA for the 2007 season.
For further information, please contact
Cliff Miller at testofmetal<at>shaw.ca
Curtis Roberts at curtisroberts<at>shaw.ca
Brad Walkey at xrat<at>telus.net.
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