Primal Gives Back

PrimalThis week cycling apparel maker Primal announced that it had donated more than a million dollars to the cycling community last year. The Denver, Colorado-based company said this is part of its ongoing commitment to the progression cycling and cause-related organizations. Through its dedication to sponsoring events and organizations that benefit people’s lives, Primal contributed more than $300,000 in cash and over $800,000 in product last year alone.

Primal has been a long standing supporter of organizations that include the League of American Bicyclists, Bike MS, NICA, IMBA, Tour de Cure, Bicycle Colorado, People for Bikes, US Military Endurance Sports, Rails to Trails, the Alliance for Biking and Walking and Trips for Kids, among many more.

“Giving back is a part of our culture here at Primal,” said Dave Edwards, founder and president of Primal, “and as we’ve grown we have been able to drastically increase our commitments and support of organizations that make a difference in the cycling community and around the world.”

A major part of Primal’s contributions come through the Primal Gives Back Program, which is open to all teams who participate in a charitable cycling event. For 2014 Primal has already announced several new and continuing sponsorships that will include partnerships with NICA, Bike MS, Tour de Cure, the National Bike Summit, Colorado Bicycle Summit, Sea Otter Classic and the Bicycle Leadership Conference.

Primal Community Official Website

Bell and IMBA Give Trail Grants

Mountain bike riders in Vermont, Colorado and Michigan will see some trail improvements thanks to a new grant. Bell Helmets and the International Mountain Bicycling Association announced the first recipients of its Bell Built Grants, which are awarding a total of $100,000 in trail building assistance to fund new mountain bike trail projects across the country. The winning projects were chosen from 12 finalist by public vote.

The winners are Bear River Bike Park, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in the grant’s “pump track/bike park” category; The Burke Bike Park in Burke, Vermont, in the “Flow trail” category; and the Overflow Trail in Copper Harbor, Michigan in the “Downhill trail” category.

IMBA Bell Built Grants Official Website

Fatbike Summit Talks Snow Riding

Last month saw the second annual Fatbike Summit where land managers and bike advocates talked about banding together in an effort to promote the sport of winter cycling. In recent years mountain bikers have been increasingly hitting the trails and unfortunately this has resulted in some concerns over trail usage. But the recent summit ensured that the trails can be shared by skiers, bikers and even those on snowmobiles.

“We hit one out of the park,” said Gary Sjoquist, advocacy director for distributor QBP, a major supporter of the event. “Our Friday session was attended by about 40 land managers and included folks from Yellowstone (National Park) and various U.S. Forest units. They all got to ride fat bikes and learned how minimal their impacts are to groomed Nordic ski and snowmobile trails.” Continue reading Fatbike Summit Talks Snow Riding