As the first-ever Ambassador for the Bike Borderlands program, I’ve been doing two of the things I love most: visiting amazing trail networks and talking to people about mountain biking! It’s truly a dream job, and it has its challenges! 

Bike Borderlands is a collaboration of nine not-for-profit trail organizations spread throughout three New England states and the Province of Quebec. To be their ambassador, I needed to be able to describe the nuances of trails and trail networks to folks that hadn’t ridden them before – and before this summer I hadn’t ridden many of these trails either!  

The only way to be able to describe these trails would be to know them firsthand, so I hit the road visiting Borderlands partners, riding trails, and talking to as many people as possible about what they loved about each network. 

The more I visited the Borderlands networks, the more I came to see that there truly is something for everyone. From raw, old-school, hand-built technical single track in densely wooded mountainside forests, to smooth, flowing, machine-built trails in old farm meadows, to rowdy enduro lines, to skills parks, jump lines, and everything in between — the Borderlands system has it all!  

I was wowed by the pride each and every person involved in the nine networks has for their home trails. Whether trail managers, land stewards, landowners, board members, maintenance staff, or loyal local users, all shared a deep personal connection to the trails they love and expressed a sincere desire to find a way to protect access to these trails, most of which cross private land with the generous permission of landowners.  

One of my missions is to tell people about the Ride With Gratitude campaign and efforts to maintain and expand access to world-class trail systems in the Northern Forest. People are thinking about the long game — how to protect access to trails, protect nature, and create welcoming, diverse, inclusive communities on their trails. If you haven’t already taken the pledge, check it out and sign up! 

I always say that amazing things happen when you adopt an “attitude of gratitude” in life and in biking. By starting a ride being grateful for land access and for the folks that made the trails you are riding on, you’ll likely be in a better mood because you’re acknowledging that you just received a gift. When that happens, when you “Respect This Gift,” you’re more likely to protect that gift and be willing to share the gift and that sense of joy with others.  

Promoting the Borderlands and the Ride With Gratitude campaign this summer has been an absolute blast. I’m grateful to everyone who visited the Borderlands tent at events, shared their favorite trails with me, their concerns, or their suggestions. Together, we are building an even stronger, more awesome mountain bike community! 

Joe Fox is the Bike Borderlands Ambassador. He is a passionate mountain biker, mountain bike coach, and mountain bike trails advocate, and Ambassador for Bike Borderlands initiative managed by the Northern Forest Center.