Biketown Premier
Austin Ridge Riders recently began revamping their social media presence to drive deeper community engagement, and there is no better example than the recent “Biketown” documentary premier at Oskar Blues Taproom which saw a massive turnout and was a universally well-loved event.
This whole thing was organized by ARR’s new social media director Cheyenne Dolin, and supported by local businesses like Oskar Blues, Bike Farm, Specialized Austin, and Tenacious MTB Coaching. They raised $2,137.49 for trail work in Central Texas and recruited 36 new members. This is a positive time for the sport in our local community and it feels like we are on the verge of having a breakthrough that could revamp our entire scene, including machine-built trails and skills parks. We can accomplish amazing things when we work together towards a shared goal, and that was the message of Biketown…
Produced by Freehub Magazine with support from Specialized and Soil Searching; Biketown takes us into communities that rallied hard to fight for acceptance and access to land for trail systems. We see stories of bandit builders who poured thousands of man hours into creating flow trail and features until the day when these trails would be discovered by landowners and torn down. Of course, regardless of the original legality of the trails, the shared heartbreak amongst the riders who loved and used this singletrack spawned discussions with city leaders, government officials, and land managers or owners to regain access in the proper way, and in doing so have put their towns on the map as mountain biking destinations.
The film was top quality and left me misty eyed during some moments. I could relate to the passion and drive of building features and flow trail, and the heartbreak of losing that access. None of the conversations in Biketown are filler; every bit of dialogue drives the narrative and is charged with emotion be it determination, disappointment, or the pride and satisfaction from the payoff of having these tough discussions with the powers that be. I am optimistic that we can make great progress in Austin, but it will take all of us.
If you are not yet a member of Austin Ridge Riders, please consider joining as your membership dues help fund new trail and riding events. Be sure to join the ARR Meetup Group to stay informed regarding build days and ride meet ups, as well as other special events and community action items. You can also subscribe to the MTBATX mailing list at the bottom of the page and keep an eye on the events page here.
Biketown premiers on YouTube on August 16, 2022, at 11 am Central. You can watch below.
