Bikes Belong is a national coalition of bicycle suppliers and retailers working together to put more people on bicycles more often. Bikes Belong works to maximize federal bike funding, awards grants to support innovative bike projects, promotes bicycling and its benefits, and sponsors key national initiatives such as the National Bike Summit and Bicycle Friendly Communities.
This summer, Bikes Belong has awarded four new grants totaling $33,000 to projects in Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.
The Colorado grant will support Team Evergreen Trailblazers’ trail work in the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area of the Pike National Forest. A major destination for mountain bikers from the Denver and Colorado Springs metro areas, the trail system at Buffalo Creek is well loved—and well used. Trail expansion there will help mitigate user conflict by giving equestrians, mountain bikers, and hikers more room to ride and roam.
The City of Enid, Oklahoma, will use their $5,000 grant to begin construction on its comprehensive multi-use trail system. Enid, a rural community north of Oklahoma City, currently has no trails for active transportation and recreation—and 98 percent of its street infrastructure is without sidewalks. Their “Master Trail” system, as it’s come to be called, will improve the quality of life in Enid by providing residents with a safe, inviting route for walking, running, and bicycling.
