Portugal chosen to host 2017 IMBA euro MTB summit
Águeda, Portugal has been chosen to host the April 7th to 9th meet of the International Mountain Biking Association.
To be held in the famed art city, the Aveiro region boasts new mountain bike infrastructure adorning its rugged landscape. The area is also home to Bike Value – a project designed to attract cycling related trade to the area, including the integration with technology centres, universities and local authorities.
“I have met Mr. Edson Santos, the Sports Alderman of Águeda, two years ago at our summit in France and we’re excited to see how this municipality embraced mountain biking since then by investing in better trails and an urban bike park”, said Harold Veldkamp, IMBA Europe’s President. “Águeda is standing on the threshold to become that mountain bike friendly community we all hope for. Not only by investing in new trails but also by their objective to grow local participation”. That why I believe this is the right momentum to organize our annual Summit in Águeda.”
Representatives from mountain bike advocacy groups, land management agencies, tourism operators, municipalities and the bicycle industry are now invited to register for a program of idea exchange and best practice presentation.
The IMBA Europe Summit program includes keynote speakers, educational sessions, networking and of course, time to explore some of the best local trails.
New this year are optional site visits on Friday afternoon as part of the pre-conference program. Attendees can either sign up for a visit to Águeda’s brand new urban bike park to oversee live construction, or go for a factory tour to learn more about the Portugal Bike Value project.
Saturday evening’s program features the award ceremony of the pan-European Take Care of Your Trails Weekend. As is tradition, the summit finishes with a ride on the Sunday.
