Philadelphians "Rally in the Valley"

The Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association, in cooperation with the Fairmont Park Commission and the Friends of the Wissahickon will be hosting the first annual Rally in the Valley on April 28, a day of mountain biking in the Wissahickon section of Fairmont Park to raise money and awareness for ongoing trail preservation efforts.

Wissahickon has been previously cited as a success story by IMBA; mountain bikers have worked for years with other types of users of the park and park administration to preserve and legitimize mountain bike access. A campaign is underway to re-construct many older, unsustainable trails to better server all users.

The Rally in the Valley is not a race, but a ride on any of three courses. Half of the proceeds will be donated to the Friends of the Wissahickon to support their long term effort to repair, maintain and rebuild the trails. This event will serve as an opportunity to educate cyclists who use the park about rules, trail conditions, and how they can volunteer throughout the year. For more information and directions, visit www.phillymtb.com or contact David Haberstroh at david.Haberstroh@Verizon.net.

Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.