
Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast
How the Vermont MTB Association Got Nearly 10K Dues Paying Members
Nick Bennette is the Executive Director of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, a position he's held for a little over two years. The group recently put together a 5-year Strategic Plan to "ensure the sustainability of mountain biking in Vermont and thoughtfully promote exceptional riding experiences for all through advocacy, education, and community-driven stewardship."
- How did your experience as a consultant help you craft the VMBA 5-year Strategic Plan?
- Vermont was an early adopter of a state advocacy model apart from IMBA. How has the VMBA Chapter model evolved since it was first launched?
- How does Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion fit with trail advocacy? Aside from being the right thing to do, how does it benefit the MTB community?
- Is e-bike access a hot topic in Vermont? Do you think it's been framed properly in the past?
- How did VMBA get to 10,000 dues paying members?
- Is advocating for trails easier today than it has been in the past?
- Are there additional considerations involved when public trails are located on private property?
- Is relying on volunteers to help build and maintain trails viable in a state like Vermont where so many trail users live out of state?
- What's so great about mountain biking on the east coast of the US? Why is there a perception that the trails are better out west?
Learn more about the Vermont Mountain Bike Association at vmba.org and view their strategic plan here. Photo credit: Mark Clement.
The Singletracks podcast is brought to you by TPC -- The Pro’s Closet. Spring is the perfect time to upgrade, and TPC has an industry-leading selection of new and Certified Pre-Owned bikes, plus frames, wheels and accessories. Each Certified, Pre-Owned bike is inspected, tested and serviced, and every bike includes thirty day returns. Visit tpc.bike/singletracks and enter code Singletracks40 to save forty dollars on every order over two hundred.