Next Generation of Bike Park Plans Now Online
Time to get excited!
Detailed plans for Valmont Bike Park are now online, and you really have to see them to believe it - the Park designers have pulled out all the stops to dream up an amazing park, and you can clearly see their vision in these next generation site plans. The current plans including site maps marking feature locations and detailed drawings for individual features, but expect changes as additional design details are still being developed for the final package to guide the construction effort. Current plans include cyclocross sandpits and staircases, wall rides, banked turns, rollers and tabletops, log rides... everything you need to visualize Valmont Bike Park in your dreams.
Kudos go out to the team of designers from Alpine Bike Parks, IMBA, and Alta Planning & Design for their dedication to VBP. As far as we know, no trail builders in the nation have ever had to adhere to this level of detail. It is a big learning curve, but this is a big civil engineering project. The level of detail is necessary for proper bid and build without tons of change orders to the project. We can't thank Alpine Bike Parks enough for making their vision available to the rest of us.
Site Grading in September and October
First steps toward building Valmont Bike Park
Expect to see dirt moving around at Valmont Bike Park! The first step in making VBP a biking heaven is to move a lot of dirt, shaping it into hills and features which will then hold the trails and landscaping. The City has taken a very proactive step by creating a separate permit for the grading work at the park, so that this important first step can happen as soon as possible.
Valmont Bike Park Fundraising Hits $366K
That's right, to date we have raised $366,000 towards construction of bike features and trails at Valmont Bike Park! Thanks to a combination of individual donations from the community and generous grants from GOCO, Bikes Belong, The Dalbey Foundation and REI, we have increased the budget for bike park features by 50%.
One more time, thank you donors!
REI Grant Helps Fund VBP
$10,000 grant due to REI employees
REI employees work, play and volunteer in their communities. Because of this close relationship with the community, REI asks their employees to nominate non-profit organizations for REI grants. The Valmont Bike Park was nominated by the REI Boulder Store and we applied for funding this spring.
We are pleased to report that our grant request was approved and recently funded. Valmont Bike Park received $10,000 from REI to support trail construction and also ongoing maintenance. Some of these funds will be used for the purchase of hand tools and equipment that will be stored on-site and used by volunteers.
REI has been a long-time supporter of outdoor recreation and BMA. In fact, the 'REI Gives' Program has even provided a major grant for BMA's Volunteer Trail Work Program. Thanks REI for your support!
Groundbreaking Party and CX Race
October 17th at Valmont Bike Park!
Cyclocross Super Cup, 1998 - the last time a CX race was held at Valmont!
On October 17th, the VBP Committee and Boulder Parks and Recreation will host a groundbreaking event and party at the Park in conjunction with a cyclocross race. Details are pending, but hundreds of racers and spectators will be there to help us inaugurate the Park. The race will take place on temporary trails and under very unfinished conditions - the park and trail will not be indicative of the final product. However, this is a great opportunity to get VBP started, so that you, our donors, can see what the Park is like now and get ready for its transformation in 2010.
Mark your calendars, and stay tuned for details.
