Epic bike raffle to support trail building around Carson City

A new fundraiser, Hail the Trail, being launched by Epic Rides will give the public a chance to win one of three mountain bikes from Ibis, Salsa and Norco while also supporting trail-building organizations, including Carson City’s Muscle Powered.

“Hail the Trail is a terrific way to raise funds for trails while rewarding three supporters with three incredibly nice bikes,” said Todd Sadow, Epic Rides president and co-founder. “Our friends at the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship have proven this fundraising model with their 5 Bucks a Foot campaign, so we’ve put our own little twist on it with substantial support from event sponsors to help support three non-profit organizations that are critical to the success of the Off-Road Series.”

Raffle tickets are $4 each and can be purchased at epicrides.com/hailthetrail. All proceeds will be divided evenly between Muscle Powered, the Prescott Mountain Bike Alliance in Prescott, Ariz., and the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association in Grand Junction, Colo. All the organizations maintain existing and build new trails in each of their communities, which host Epic Rides mountain bike races.

“Single-track trails don’t just appear as if by magic,” said Randy Gaa, Muscle Powered secretary. “There are years of planning, permitting, and back-breaking work that go into building a trail system. When an organization like Epic Rides offers to help out with financial support, it’s always a big deal, helping move a lot of the process forward so that the entire community can enjoy the outdoors.”

Three winners will be chosen at random on June 24 and will receive either a Norco Optic C7.1, any Ibis Bike including the brand new Ripley LS, or a Salsa Deadwood 29+, fully equipped with components from SRAM, RockShox, Stan’s NoTubes and Maxxis. The bikes with components have a retail value of more than $6,000 each.

“When Epic Rides approached Ibis about donating a bike to benefit their Hail the Trail effort, there was no hesitation on our part,” Scot Nicol, founder of Ibis Cycles. “Giving back to the people who build and maintain the trails we all ride should be a foundation of every business involved in our sport. It is with Ibis and will continue to be. We are happy to participate and know that Epic Rides will do it right, like they do with all of their events.”