Contact: Elizabeth Train, Bikes Belong Grants & Research Director (303) 449-4893

              Philip Pugliese, Outdoor Chattanooga Bicycle Coordinator (423) 643-6887

 

Boulder Colorado—February 8, 2006 Bikes Belong announced that it will award $9,850 to the Friends of Outdoor Chattanooga to help build the first of many new trails on Raccoon Mountain. This urban mountain bike facility will enable Chattanoogans to ride singletrack just five miles from their city’s center.

Raccoon Mountain represents an unprecedented partnership among Outdoor Chattanooga, the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TVA has committed to provide technical assistance and conduct environmental impact statements. SORBA will design and build the trails, and Outdoor Chattanooga will help with marketing, fundraising, and promotion of the facility.  

The first 10 miles of trail —called “Singletrack Mind”—at Raccoon Mountain will help SORBA reach its goalof building 100 miles of singletrack within 10 miles of Chattanooga by 2010.  Raccoon Mountain will also put Chattanooga on the map as a mountain biking destination in the Tennessee Valley and contribute to Chattanooga’s continued recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community.  Bicycling Magazine just named Chattanooga as one of the “21 Best Cities for Cycling” in its May 2006 issue.

Outdoor Chattanooga was formed in 2004 as a public-private initiative dedicated to the recreational use, education, and stewardship of Chattanooga’s natural areas.  Through initial funding by the Lyndhurst Foundation, Chattanooga’s bicycle coordinator has been working to leverage additional investment to promote bicycling for recreation, transportation, tourism and active living throughout the region.  SORBA is a nonprofit mountain bike group with more than 1,900 members and 19 chapters in the southeastern states. They work to promote land access, trail preservation, and new trail development in order to enhance mountain bike touring, racing, and fun. The Tennessee Valley Authority manages close to 300,000 acres of public land in six southern states and serves as a steward of the valley’s natural resources.  The National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program office is also providing technical assistance on this project.

Bikes Belong is the national coalition of bicycle suppliers and retailers working together to put more people on bicycles more often. Through national leadership, grassroots grants, and promotion, Bikes Belong strives to make bicycling safe, convenient, and fun.

The Bikes Belong grants program has funded more than 116 grant proposals totaling close to one million dollars and leveraging nearly $450 million dollars in federal, state, and private funding. The facilities projects alone have helped finance more than 1,500 miles of bike paths and trails and linked nearly 5,500 miles of trail facilities. For more information about the Bikes Belong Coalition, visit bikesbelong.org .

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