National MTB advocacy organisation IMBA-UK looks to be hitting 2005 running, with a couple of big things on the calendar. First, and probably most important, is a national conference on mountain biking, bringing together leading land professionals and organisations to present and discuss trail design and build. Officers from land organisations such as the National Parks, National Trust and Defence Estates are to be invited, and they’ll be shown (and, optionally, ride) trails at Cannock Chase to get an idea of what its all about. Presentations from those running trail-building projects across the UK will focus on the economic benefits of new trails and the trail-building process.

The date has yet to be narrowed down further than “late April”, but all the details will appear on www.imba-uk.com.

At the end of April is another event that could almost be designed to answer critics who may wonder why IMBA-UK appears to spend all its time getting new trails built when there are so many “lost” rights of way around the place. The Trans-Cambrian Trail weekend (30 April – 2 May) celebrates the success of IMBA-UK’s rights of way activities by iding the new 150km Trans-Cambrian Trail, a new route across the heart of Mid-Wales on existing trails. We’re told that this will be the first of a number of national and regional rights of way events from IMBA-UK.

This is the first of a number of rights of way events to be organised by IMBA-UK. A number of other regional events featuring national and regional trails are also being planned.

Finally, IMBA-UK’s got its very own New Year’s Honours List, nominating Dafydd Davis and Kieran Foster in recognition of their tireless (as in without stopping, rather than on bare rims) trail campaigning. Dafydd, now running his own trail consultancy business, has been appointed IMBA’s first Vice President and Honorary Life Member.

Everything you need to know about IMBA-UK should be on www.imba-uk.com.