Ready for adventure: SMBA athletes, students, coaches, alumni, and parents gathered under the Chipeta Park pavilion to celebrate the non-profit’s 30th anniversary. PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER KELLEY[/caption]

On Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 9 a.m., dark gray clouds threatened rain, as they had all week long. The wind carried a sharp coldness that blew down into Chipeta Park, where dozens gathered on their bikes in the mist, decked out in their gear, ready for an adventure.

“The ride today was spectacular; just great conditions,” Matt Tomasko, Executive Director of Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures (SMBA) said nearly three hours later, returning back to the park. “It was cloudy, it was cool; there was a little bit of rain up high and it was snowing to the north on Indian Peaks.”

As Tomasko and the last of the SMBA kids returned from their 30k ride, the clouds were beginning to open up and the summer sun beamed down onto the pavilion, the center of the day’s activities.

“The trails were a little wet, the routes a little slick, and we had a few sections of some mud with small rivers coming through,” Tomasko explained to The Mountain-Ear, soaking in the beauty he and the kids experienced out on the trails that morning. “We had outstanding, green, lush trail conditions and the wildflowers are out…it’s just a blast!”

The gathering of kids and adults who launched to endure a 7.5k, 15k, or 30k ride from Chipeta Park on Saturday morning were there to celebrate the 30th anniversary of SMBA, the non-profit mountain biking program for kids of all skill levels, started by Tomasko in 1993.

“I was teaching music and PE here in Ned at the elementary and high school 30 years ago, working with phenomenal kids, and at the end of school I asked ‘what are you guys doing in the summer? We need to start a mountain bike program,’ and the rest is history! And many of those kids came through the program and went on to do amazing things in life.”

Tomasko’s goal of getting the youth of the Peak to Peak to get out of their homes, onto their bikes and into the mountains has fueled SMBA to continue to be a success. That success was celebrated by kids, parents, coaches, directors, and alumni throughout the day in Chipeta Park, with an anniversary party of games, music, snacks, and prizes.

As folks entered the pavilion there was a guestbook for them to sign and write messages of love and reverence for SMBA and its various programs. Right next to the guestbook was a monitor that showcased a slideshow of pictures taken of the many adventures enjoyed by SMBA students and coaches over the last three decades.

“It’s amazing how much you can learn about yourself when you go out and ride on your bike,” Tomasko puts into words the facets of the SMBA philosophy. “One of the great things is that it teaches kids stick-with-it-ness and self-confidence.”

“As they learn to push their bikes up some of these incredibly steep, rocky, loose terrain knowing that they’re eventually going to make it to the top. And it’s just like in life: you’re going to have these challenges but if you just stick with it you’re eventually going to make it to that goal and you get the reward of flying down the hill…it’s pretty awesome.”

Attendees of the party were encouraged to purchase raffle tickets for incredible door prizes like helmets, jerseys, and other gear, as well as brand merchandise like GIRO hats. There were 30th Anniversary hoodies and shirts for sale to raise funds for the non-profit business, as well as custom glasses, which adults could have filled with a Very Nice Pale Ale with the purchase of a drink ticket.

There was a table of items, from backpacks and water bladder systems, to treats from Skratch labs, heavy-duty growlers, and a ROVR wheeled cooler, that guests could bid on in a silent auction. Behind the tables hung the many different custom SMBA bicycle jerseys that were created and have been worn over the years.

To find out more about SMBA, check out their website at https://smba. lertprograms.com/