#valmont Valmont in Boulder... bike parks build better communities...DC would benefit from a bike park
Valmont Bike Park in Boulder Colorado
Valmont raises the bar...
bike parks are popping up in cities all over the country
pump tracks... skill lines... jump lines
lots of square footage
lots of acrage
DC NEEDS A BIKE PARK!
last week I went to Colorado to attend New Belgium Brewing Company's Bike Summit
bicycle advocates from all over the country gathered to discuss various aspects of bicycle advocacy as well as how to host a more successful Tour de Fat
The Tour de Fat is a philanthropic effort hosted by New Belgium
100% of the Profits at the Tour de Fat go back to the bicycle advocate groups that volunteer at each event
that is amazing
what a great opportunity for the 10 cities that host the tour de fat
they get to have this amazing-unique one day bicycle themed festival with bikes and beers
and then all of the money goes right back into the communities
WIN WIN!
but that was not my point
but rather that I went Boulder for a few days before heading to Fort Collins
while in Boulder I was able to spend some time riding at Valmont Bike Park
in between rides I snapped a few shots of some of the riders
my visits to Valmont were mid-day mid-week
yet there were still a diverse spectrum of people at the park
well... maybe not culturally diverse as Colorado is not the most culturally diverse part of the country
but it was diverse collection of people
people of all ages
men and women
there were mothers and fathers with their small children
clusters of small kids on push bikes
the park has a variety of terrain for different aspects of riding
several pump tracks... some smaller ones for the kids with their little bikes with tiny wheels
then a series of jump lines
for beginners and experts
a number of cross country lines for the land dwelling mountain bikers
then also some flat singletrack loops with rocks and log skinnies so that mountain bikers can work on their technical handling
very cool
what a dynamic contribution to the active community of Boulder Colorado
but really
bike parks should be as standard as baseball diamonds, tennis courts, soccer fields, and swimming pools
none are free
all are equally as vital
field of dreams
you build it... they will come
all ages
the multiple skill levels allows for people (kids) to progress and build up their skill level
it does not have to be jump lines
pump tracks and single track
technical loops and skill lines
but jump lines are cool for those who are into that sort of thing
people young and old
that guy in the last photo
he was in the air long enough that I could have painted that image
goto the gwadzilla facebook page for albums of images
