Join the SWAMP Mountain Bike Club

Invest in Your Future

The best protection against unfair land closures to mountain bicyclists is a local bike club that is committed to working with land managers and other users. We know from experience that bicyclists can safely share the trails with other users. We know that bikes need not damage trails or negatively impact resources. It is responsible riders and responsible clubs that make those facts a reality in any riding area. The challenge is uniting the individual riders into a group with common goals, a group with the power and authority to influence decisions on land access. We are constantly working toward this goal with land managers in and around the Tampa and Central Florida areas.

By joining SWAMP, you offer your voice to influence decisions that impact your riding!

To improve Club-wide communication of Trail conditions, ride-sharing, and other real-time information, the Club sponsors an e-Group, limited to Members only. You'll have access as Member!!

Here's an application form to join the SWAMP Club. Click here to use PayPal to join online.

International Mountain Bicycling Association

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to promoting mountain bicycling. Its goal is to support cycling groups and mountain bicycling opportunities through environmentally and socially responsible land use. Every IMBA member is a field representative, promoting the idea that we are not simply cyclists who happen to ride on trails, but environmentalists who enjoy the natural world on our bikes. It’s the IMBA that empowers all the individual riders by providing a united voice. A voice that says to land managers, “We have a common goal, the preservation of the environment for the enjoyment of everyone”.

The IMBA has provided SWAMP valuable support as an affiliated club. If you would like more information on land access, you can become a member of IMBA for $25 (basic). They need your support as much as we need theirs. Consider it an investment in your riding future.

As a member you will receive:

IMBA bikes fly free - you are eligible to transport your bike without charge on selected airlines.
This guide describes what IMBA can do for you... and what you can do to get more out of mountain biking.
IMBA Trail News- bi-monthly newsletter

IMBA’s mission is to promote open trails through responsible and environmentally sound cycling. IMBA distributes informational material as a resource for educating cyclists, land managers, and the media in the facts concerning the environmental impact and safety of mountain bicycle use on trails.

The IMBA provides:

data supporting multiple use trails
data disproving the rampant trail destruction often referred to matter-of-factly by those opposing mountain bikes
guidelines for trail construction and maintenance
suggested methodology for securing land access

The IMBA "Rules of the Trail" can help us in our day-to-day riding.

1. Ride on open trails only
2. Leave no trace.
3. Control your bicycle.
4. Always yield the trail.
5. Never spook animals.
6. Plan ahead.

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SouthWest Association of Mountainbike Pedalers
Tampa, Florida USA

Updated: March 4, 2008