Arizona’s MTB mecca now #geofenced for donations

Prescott, AZ – Talk to any avid mountain biker and mention the names Sedona and Prescott their faces light up. These towns are known by many – even far beyond the borders of the United States – as the mountain bike mecca of the Southwest.

Thousands of mountain bike enthusiasts annually travel to Sedona to ride the network of trails over the iconic red rocks of this Arizona region. For many Sedona is the perfect location for mountain biking in the off-season months when the rest of the country’s trails are covered in snow.

Sadly, though, when you ask those same trail lovers who they think are responsible for taking care of the vast trail network of Sedona, Prescott, and Flagstaff, only a handful would even care to know. Flagstaff Biking Organization (FBO), Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition (VVCC), and Prescott Mountain Bike Alliance (PMBA) won’t even ring a bell.

These three non-profit volunteer trail organizations together are responsible for the maintenance of nearly a thousand miles of soft-surface trails. And in reality that work is done by a small percentage of the organizations’ members. Many pay their annual membership fees, and ride the trails weekly, but never actually pick up a trail tool to clear the trails, fix drainage problems or remove downed trees.

For that thankless job, they are largely dependent on money from the public in the form of fundraising events and donations. And both of those sources could dry up at any time, like when a pandemic abruptly ends all events and thousands of regular visitors don’t travel to far-off “meccas” to ride.

All of the trails of Flagstaff, Sedona, and Prescott are geofenced for per-mile donations.

Now, all three organizations have joined forces with LuvTrails-Trailcare to support their fundraising efforts. FBO and VVCC have signed up as partners some time ago and are two of the more active groups on the App. The past week their ranks were joined by the volunteers of Prescott.

With their trails being listed on LuvTrails App and geofenced for per-mile donations  (Trailcare) it is now possible for trail users on that nearly thousand miles of trails to donate directly to these organizations from the trails itself.

Users of the App will have the option to make a one-time donation on the App or sign up at www.trail.care to pledge an amount per mile ridden on any of the region’s trails.

This could be a game-changer for the three groups to reach into the pockets (even if just by way of a small user donation) of the thousands of trail users who would otherwise never pay a membership, contribute to trail workdays, or participate in regular fundraising events.

With the use of the geolocation functionality of the user’s mobile device the App makes it extremely easy to locate the rider, and link them to the local trail group for a small donation on the App.

When the user opts to sign up for per-mile donations by linking a Strava account to the Trailcare tool, they receive a friendly “nudge” (notification) in an email or on the LuvTrails App to donate. That donation value is calculated based on the miles ridden on any of the three groups’ trails multiplied by the pledged amount.

All the trails are currently open for a ride and a donation. It’s now over to enthusiastic trail users (biking, hiking, and running) to help share the burden of keeping those trails in ship-shape form for all to enjoy.

For more information on LuvTrails App visit luvtrails.com

For per-mile donation, sign-up at trail.care