Help MORCA Sustain the Ride for Monterey
MORCA Invites Sea Otter Classic Attendees and Bike Advocates Worldwide to Sustain the Ride for Monterey
Monterey is home to one of the world’s biggest MTB events, but after the Life Time Sea Otter Classic the slalom course gets bulldozed and the downhill closes to public access. Local support for MTB fades along with the many community benefits that cycling brings to Monterey every April. MORCA and our partners are working hard to fix that!
Help our local community keep the MTB momentum going year-round by stewarding Fort Ord & Sea Otter Classic trails, getting more kids on bikes, and building a permanent space for MTB with the kind of trails we all love to ride – berms, jumps, and progressive skills features for all ages and ability levels.
More Kids on Bikes
It all comes together at MORCA’s annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day event in the fall, but MORCA’s support of youth cycling comes through in our support of local high school mountain bike teams, and our popular Bike Rodeo that we bring to events and elementary schools.
Thanks to support from Montage Health, local businesses, donors, and volunteers, Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day continues to grow and become a favorite among local families and kids. Through this event, we’re equipping the next generation with confidence and a passion for outdoor adventure and stewardship. With partners like the Community Bike Collective, even kids who don’t have a bike or helmet can show up and try out bicycling in a safe and supportive environment.
More MTB Trails
Monterey deserves a bike park and dedicated MTB trails with features that attract riders, build enthusiasm, and improve skills. Fort Ord is a special place with an amazing trail network, but the Bureau of Land Management’s multi-use protocols prevent the building of bike features like berms and jumps. And outside of Fort Ord, despite thousands of trails throughout Monterey County, bikes are prohibited on most of them. Creating a dedicated space for mountain biking is our chance to turn that around.
Community input and surveys have shown that our community wants a bike park and dedicated MTB trails. MORCA worked tirelessly throughout 2024 to try and win over local government’s support for a bike park and mountain bike trails within a new City of Monterey park space. Sadly, the Parks & Recreation Commission voted unanimously against mountain bikes, citing environmental impacts and costs.
Though discouraged, MORCA and our greater Monterey MTB community are not deterred. We are keeping the momentum going by actively seeking a site and willing partners to make it happen. Raising funds, increasing membership, and growing our volunteer network through our Sustain the Ride campaign will help get us there.
More Awesome
When communities embrace mountain bike trails and invest time and money in maintaining, improving, and growing trail networks, the resulting benefits are undeniable. Across the U.S. and the globe, bike parks and trail networks are fostering stewardship, community connection, youth empowerment, improved bike safety, skills enhancement, and even a boost to tourism.
The benefits of a vibrant mountain bike community and trail network reach far beyond the trail and across user groups. With the right plan and partners, building new outdoor recreation opportunities and amenities can even help communities and land managers achieve their conservation goals. There have never been more planning, funding, building, and maintenance resources to support mountain biking projects. Let’s work together and build something awesome for Monterey’s locals and visitors.
We are building an MTB movement in Monterey, and we need your support.