After putting out a call for nominations last month, Kitsbow, maker of premium cycling clothing and accessories, today announced the winners of its second annual Trail Advocate of the Year Program—Gabriel Amadeus Tiller (Portland, Oregon) Don Baumgart (El Paso, Texas) & Vernie Aikins (Tuscon, Arizona).
“Without trails, we have no mountain biking,” said David Billstrom, CEO of Kitsbow. “We owe everything to the people and communities who spend their time advocating for the trails we ride, day in and day out. We’re so honored to recognize these three outstanding individuals who are really going the extra mile to make a difference.”
The three Trail Advocates were nominated by their peers via an online vote. All are allied with trail organizations in their respective communities, with a passion for trail advocacy and building. The three recipients will receive a selection of awesome technical gear from Kitsbow, as well as Kitsbow’s help in spreading the word about trail advocacy in Oregon, Texas, and Arizona.
Meet The Trail Advocates of The Year:
Gabriel Amadeus Tiller – First Place
Gabriel Tiller’s passion for creating and sharing outdoor experiences has lent itself well to his leadership role in honing the narrative and collaborative process of the Oregon Timber Trail. In addition to creating and maintaining a better trail experience on the OTT corridor, Gabriel can be found sharing his passion through writing for Bicycle Quarterly, Outside Online, VeloDirt, Bunyan Velo, The Radavist, Stay Wild, BikePortland, and other industry publications.
Don Baumgart – Second Place
Don Baumgart has been a driving force behind his local mountain bike community in El Paso, a leader, a friend, and a guide – always with a smile and helping hand. After three years of leading guided hikes and rides in Franklin Mountains State Park and the surrounding area, he ventured out and launched GeoBetty Tours. His mission remains to share his love and knowledge of the trails, mountains and wild places in the El Paso Southwest.
Vernie Aikins – Third Place
The Vice President & Trail Wizard at Tuscon Off-Road Cyclists & Activists (TORCA), Vernie Aikins is a true Tucson trail connoisseur with a vision. Focusing his time and efforts on trail work and awareness, Aikins proposed resurrecting the CDO trail from the ashes in 2015. Because of his community leadership, this trail is now on par with the Whole Enchilada in Moab.
Kitsbow will start accepting nominations for its 2020 Trail Advocate program early next spring.
To learn more visit the Kitsbow website here.
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