TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

Richmond won the East Coast region of the Dig This competition sponsored by Bell Helmets. The local project is one of three nationwide to receive an equal share of $100,000.

Developers of the Richmond Regional Ride Center will use the money to rehabilitate 15 miles of existing mountain bike trail and construct an additional 20 miles at Pocahontas State Park, offering trails at a variety of skill levels. That would help efforts to designate the area an International Mountain Bicycling Association Ride Center, of which there are only 17 currently in the country.

The city collaborated with the state and Chesterfield County to be designated as an IMBA Ride Center, the first urban-focused ride center by virtue of our great--and expanding--mountain bike trails. Pocahontas State Park will see additional trails, including some designed specifically for access by hand cyclists--with an emphasis on paralyzed vets. Getting greenways and on-road routes built will also be central to linking these amenities in Richmond and Chesterfield.