2008 Boulder Mountainbike Alliance Gala Banquet & Auction

A room full of City Council members, land managers, County Commissioners, BMA business members, and riders just like you.  Add some fine brews from Oskar Blues and an auction with incredible items and we have a formula for a really great party.  Click here to see pictures from the event.

A regal event at the St. Julien Hotel and Spa to support Mountain Biking in Boulder County! The evening included a 3 course meal, silent auction, live auction & a door prize for a beautiful room at the St. Julien. We gathered to celebrate BMA’s achievements in 2007 and to get charged up to for 2008, which is shaping up to be the best year ever for mountain biking in Boulder County.

During the event, the BMA Board of Directors announced the creation of the BMA Hero Award, given to an individual that best exemplifies the the ideals we admire:

"A BMA Hero works tirelessly on behalf of responsible recreational access to our public lands.  A Hero furthers that which binds all BMA members together ? the desire to ride sweet singletrack, to push our physical and technical limits, and to enjoy the outdoors.  But a Hero does more than that.  A BMA Hero goes beyond the call of duty in recognizing the benefits of recreation to our entire community.  Recreation is how we bond with nature and renew our land ethic.  Recreation provides us with a healthy outlet to relieve stress, exercise our bodies, and renew our spirit.  A BMA Hero furthers this vision.  A BMA Hero can be an advocate, a land manager, a politician, or one of you.  What separates a Hero from the rest of us is that a Hero has improved all of our lives through his/her support of our passion.  It is this passion that drives the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance, and it is with this passion that we recognize a BMA Hero."

The 2008 BMA Hero is Mike Patton, Director of the City of Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks Department.  Mike's job of implementing the Visitor Master Plan can certainly be characterized as heroic.  Changing both the culture of his department and the expectations of visitors to the lands he is charged to manage has been a herculean task.  We thank Mike for his efforts and look forward to working with him and all of OSMP as we continue to roll out the VMP.