Bikes Belong is thrilled to award funding to seven great projects in our Winter 2010 grant cycle. These grants will help communities build bike paths, singletrack trails, and bike parks while leveraging federal funding and building momentum for bicycling nationwide.

The Bikes Belong Grants Program is funded by our Employee Pro Purchase Program. Thanks to participating members and their employees for making these awards possible.

Moab Trails Alliance—Moab Canyon Path (Moab, UT)
A $10,000 grant will go to the Moab Trails Alliance to help complete the Moab Canyon Path (aka The Old Highway), one of the key components of the North Moab Recreation Areas Alternative Transportation System. This paved path will link Moab's Lions Park Trail and Transit Hub with Arches National Park and the beloved singletrack trails north of town, providing a safe, scenic route for avid, recreational, and new riders alike. In fact, if 20% of Moab's visitors use an aspect of this active-transportation network once it's complete, roughly 500,000 people will leave 200,000 cars behind while they explore Moab's public lands! Bikes Belong's contribution will help provide a match for the many federal, state, and local grants that make up the funding package for this important paved trail network.

More about the Moab Trails Alliance...

Ohio River Way, Inc.—Ohio River Trail (Cincinnati, OH)
A $10,000 grant from Bikes Belong will help the Ohio River Way, Inc. to pave a segment of the Ohio River Trail that will link downtown Cincinnati to Lunken Airport. This scenic path with dramatic river views will serve as a beautiful transportation and recreation route, eventually connecting to the popular Little Miami Scenic Trail, when complete. Our grant will leverage private funding raised for this stretch of path; federal and state grants have been secured for adjoining sections of the trail. Ohio River Way expects more than 500,000 trail users to enjoy this route annually.

More about Ohio River Way...

Cuyuna Lakes Trail Association—Cuyuna Lakes State Trail (Crosby, MN)
A $10,000 Bikes Belong grant will help the Cuyuna Lakes Trail Association construct two sections of paved trail that will connect an elementary school, a senior housing facility, and a community center to the five miles of existing trail in Crosby, Minnesota. When complete, the 39-mile Cuyuna Lakes State Trail will link to the popular Paul Bunyan Trail as well as an IMBA Ride Center currently under development, enabling people to extend their rides and introducing bike-path enthusiasts to the sport of mountain biking. Our funding will leverage grants from several local foundations and trusts as well as a state bond for the trail system, which is a priority project for Congressman Jim Oberstar.

More about the Cuyuna Lakes Trail Association...

City of Redmond, Washington—Redmond Bike Park (Redmond, WA)
Bikes Belong's $10,000 grant will help the City of Redmond build the Redmond Bike Park. The city has forged strong partnerships with the bicycling community—including the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, the Cascade Bicycle Club, and local bicycle shops and suppliers—to design and build this park. Roughly 2,450 mountain bikers live within 2 miles of the facility, which will be easily accessible by bike from several local schools and serve as a great destination for the Seattle Trips for Kids chapter. Our grant will help the city leverage additional funding from other organizations and foundations.

Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA)—CAMBA Singletrack (Cable, WI)
A $5,000 grant from Bikes Belong will support the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) in its effort to complete the final phase of development in the Cable, Hayward, and Seeley clusters, creating 28 miles of continuous singletrack at this well-loved mountain bike destination. Our funding will bolster significant contributions from CAMBA members and the community, as well as generous support from the state's bike industry.

More about CAMBA...

Watauga County Tourism Development Authority—Rocky Knob Park Trails (Boone, NC)
A $5,000 grant from Bikes Belong will help the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority (WCTDA) and Boone Area Cyclists to develop a mountain bike trail system at Rocky Knob Park near Boone, North Carolina. Though Watauga County and the town of Boone are emerging as fast-growing destinations for outdoor enthusiasts, residents and visitors must drive outside of the county to access legal singletrack trails—a situation the WCTDA's new outdoor recreation planner (an avid mountain biker) is determined to change. Our grant will help leverage additional funds and serve as a match for pending grants from the state's Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and Adopt-a-Trail program.

More about the trail plan for Rocky Knob Park...

City of Middleton, Wisconsin—Middleton Bike Park (Middleton, WI)
A $5,000 grant will help the City of Middleton and the Capital Off-Road Pathfinders (CORP) to build a bike park adjacent to the city's public golf course. Middleton, a suburb of Madison, has been working diligently to improve its bike friendliness, and sees this facility as a key step in the process. The city will make the park a central element of its trails master plan, so mountain bikers can ride to trails instead of drive. Bikes Belong's grant will leverage funding from the city and help garner additional contributions from individual donors and the local bike industry.

Since Bikes Belong's Grants Program began in 1999, we have awarded 203 grants in 48 states and the District of Columbia, awarding nearly $1.6 million in cash and leveraging close to $550 million in federal, state, and private funding. Our facilities grants alone have helped finance more than 1,630 miles of bike paths and trails that link almost 7,500 miles of bike facilities.