This Mountain Bike Organization Has 1,000 Miles of New Trails in Various Stages of Planning

Terry Palmeri is the Executive Director of the Southern Off Road Bicycle Association (SORBA). The organization has been around since 1989 and today SORBA is made up of 48 chapters spread across seven states. In this conversation we ask: Why and how did SORBA get its start? What sorts of issues were southern mountain bikers struggling with in the late 1980s? How is SORBA organized? How many miles of singletrack trails do SORBA chapters support? How many individuals belong to a SORBA club? How do you think that number compares to the number of active mountain bikers living in the southeast? How is SORBA funded? What is the relationship between SORBA and IMBA? What are some of the bigger trail projects that are currently in the works? Are there any unique challenges to trail building in the southeast? Is there much opposition to mountain bike trail access in the region? What does the current discussion around e-bike trail access look like for SORBA? What’s the biggest constraint SORBA faces in carrying out and growing the mission? What’s next for SORBA in 2022 and beyond? For more information about SORBA or to make a donation, visit SORBA.org.