In 2004 several Richmond mountain bikers wanted to ride more than the 2 or 3 miles of adopted/pirate trails on the south side of the James River in Richmond Virginia. Working with the park manager and MORE (Mid Atlantic Off-road Enthusiast) the IMBA club in the Washington DC area, they formed rvaMORE – Richmond’s trails advocacy group. Relying on volunteer efforts and donations, the trails grew from a few miles to over 38 miles of trail within the City of Richmond. These trails, built mainly in under-used wooded green spaces in the park and brownfields between the adjacent neighborhoods and the river, have received national praise and press from the outdoors community. In addition to the well known James River Loop, the trails extends into neighborhood parks on both the north and south sides of the river and include small dirt jump park and a bicycle skills area.
In 2012 the community again came together to build a legacy cycling project for Richmond 2015 – the UCI World Road Cycling Championships to be held in Richmond September 19th to the 27th. The proposal was to build a new system of trails at Pocahontas State Park. rvaMORE partnered with IMBA, Virginia DCR, City of Richmond and Friends of Pocahontas Park, developed a plan and raised the funds and make this vision happen. More than simply building more trails, the vision was to build types trails that did not exist in Richmond and to give access to handcycles. Over $325,000 was raised over the course of 2 years and this past year, 7 miles of new handcycle, family-friendly and beginner level flow trail were built at Pocahontas. These trail officially opened this past June.
The designation of IMBA Ride Center Bronze Level status makes Richmond the only true urban Ride Center where mountain bikers can access great single track trail from their home or office by bike. Richmond’s urban trails bring access to the community in a way that remote trail systems cannot – no need to get in a car to access trails in remote locations, just ride your bike from home. The Richmond Ride Center is about access to all levels of great mountain biking trails, pump tracks, dirt jumps and true access for offroad hand cycles.
For more information, visit http://rvaridecenter.com/
Contact Greg Rollins info@rvamore.org