Ripon College seeks support for proposed nearby trails

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A proposal by the Ripon College Red Hawks Cycling Team to build singletrack mountain bike trails in the wooded areas of the College's Ceresco Prairie Conservancy has been accepted for voting by the Pepsi Refresh Project. This is a competitive voting program in which the College is seeking US$25,000 to hire the International Mountain Bicycling Association's Trail Solutions Crew to design and build the trails so that they are both technically challenging and environmentally sustainable.

This fall will mark the third year of the Ripon College cycling team. The Red Hawks have experienced moderate success already, but the team has no mountain bike trails within 20 miles on which to train.

"Adding this resource right in our own backyard will make a tremendous difference in bolstering the success of our team and making our program one of the best in the nation," said Head Coach Ric Damm.

The College has been giving out more than 150 free mountain bikes a year to incoming freshmen who pledge not to bring a car to campus. These trails will give those students, as well as all mountain bikers a place to ride in Ripon.

"There are many deserving projects competing for limited dollars. Only the 10 projects with the most votes will be awarded grants. Therefore each and every vote is critical," said Damm.

To vote for Ripon's mountain bike trail, visit www.refresheverything.com/biketrailripon. Interested persons can vote once every day through August 31.