IMBA announces 2017 EPIC rides
New Zealand’s stunning Heaphy Trail is among the latest destinations to receive IMBA Epic status. Photo courtesy IMBA
The International Mountain Bicycling Association has announced its 2017 class of IMBA EPICS. Nine new trails and rides have been added to the list of demanding, mostly singletrack experiences in remote, backcountry settings.
The 46 current IMBA EPICS are each more than 20 miles in length and 80 percent singletrack. (Check out the full map of rides here.) They can be found in many regions of the U.S., plus Australia, Canada, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand and Wales. These “epic” routes are nominated by local riders and serve to offer inspiration. They should be on every mountain biker’s bucket list.
The new class of IMBA EPICS range from a 50-mile backcountry ride in New Zealand that winds its way through remote valleys, across mountain tops and down river gorges and should only be attempted by experienced, self-sufficient riders; to the well-loved and well-known Tsali Loops along North Carolina’s Fontana Lake.
The MTB hotbed of Aspen, Colorado, has joined the IMBA Epic list. Photo courtesy IMBA
Full List of 2017 Rides
- Aspen Snowmass Mega Loop, Aspen, CO
- Galena Grinder, Sun Valley, ID
- Heaphy Track, Nelson, New Zealand
- Johnson Pass, Kenai Peninsula, AK
- Mohican State Park MTB Trail, Loudonville, OH
- Old Ghost Road, Nelson, New Zealand
- Sininen Saavutus Trail, Hossa National Park, Finland
- South Boundary Trail, Taos, NM
- Tsali Loops, Bryson City, NC
For more than a decade, IMBA’s EPICS and Ride Centers designated through the IMBA Model Trails program have become iconic mountain bike destinations that influence communities across the country and the world to raise the bar on great places to ride. Local mountain bike groups have often leveraged their local IMBA EPICS as event locations for fundraising and community building, and as a way to secure dollars and volunteers to keep their favorite adventures alive.
How many of these trails have you ridden? Which are your favorites?
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