June 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 53

Valmont Bike Park -
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is an outdoor recreation enthusiast's paradise, with plenty of
opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking and
more thanks to its prime location on
the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. But until 2011, options for intown mountain biking were limited,
leading Boulder's underground community of riders to establish their
own trails in abandoned lots and other unsanctioned venues.
Fortunately, a long-awaited opportunity was in the works. In 1995,
City of Boulder voters approved a
public bond referendum to buy land
for active recreational use, and the

following year, the City purchased
132 acres of land and called for public input for future development that
would benefit the community. Three
major Boulder bicycling advocates
- Bobby Noyes, Chris Grealish and
Pete Webber - quickly made it their
mission to turn part of the land into
a public bike park. During the next
15 years, they worked tirelessly with
Boulder Parks and Recreation officials to push the plan forward.
When the park finally opened in
2011, mountain bikers were thrilled
to find 42 acres featuring more than
four miles of trails, more than three
dozen terrain park features, a beginner-friendly skills park and pump
track, a children's play area with a
mini trike track, cyclocross race features and a lot more. Park planners
designed the entire area with irrigation, landscaping and erosion controls to minimize its footprint, and

they included safety and informational signage throughout to engage visitors. The park has also trained more
than 175 volunteer bike park hosts
and bike patrollers, who encourage
use of the park and assist Boulder
Parks and Recreation staff with daily
operations and maintenance.
Without the contributions of the
original three visionaries, as well as
IMBA and other groups, the park
wouldn't have come together anywhere near as well as it did, and it
may not have happened at all, according to Valmont Bike Park Project
Manager Mike Eubank. " This element of input was critical and paramount to the success of the project, "
he says. More than 15 organizations,
from trail builders to engineering
firms to fundraisers, helped bring the
project to completion.
The park has received international attention for its innovative design

Valmont Bike Park

(mountain biking, hiking, equestrian,
etc.), noting that it's worth the upfront investment and is the best way
to mitigate issues of user conflict
down the road. Much of the research
the group has amassed regarding
shared use, conservation, sustainable
trail design, the economics of bicycling, risk management and related
topics can be found at www.imba.
com/resources.
What was once seen as an " outlaw " sport practiced by rogue bikers
has undergone a major shift in perception, with parks nationwide now
encouraging young children, older
skeptics and everyone in between to
give it a try. " I think the main thing
is that we've been able to create success stories, " Eller says. " As much as
our educational materials and theoretical writings about shared-use trail
systems have had an influence, nothing has a bigger impact than when
you see it happening in a real-world
scenario. That's been basically two
and a half decades for IMBA - our
whole 25-year history has been creating these success stories one at a time
and holding them up as models. "

Riders test out dirt jumps at Boulder's Valmont Bike Park, a unique urban venue that
offers mountain bikers of all types and ability levels the chance to practice their sport.

W W W. N R PA . O R G | J U N E 2 0 1 4 |

Parks & Recreation

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June 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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