Bikepacking Roots

Last but definitely not least for our new Board Member intros is Shannon Orcutt from Richmond, Virginia!⁠
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Shannon (she/her) is happiest finding flow and community on the trail. She brings 15 years of advocacy experience across East Africa, the Middle East, and Washington, DC, and now focuses on conservation and outdoor access in her home state of Virginia.⁠
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We are excited to have Shannon's expertise and perspective on our Board, supporting our advocacy efforts and more!

📢Unveiling the BOLT Coalition report on long-distance biking trails.

After a decade of advocacy, the Biking on Long Distance Trails (BOLT) Act is law, and the BOLT Coalition just dropped a landmark report to help shape its future.

"Long Live Long Trails" catalogs 20 existing trails across and 13 potential routes covering over 10,000 miles across 17 states on federal public lands.

This isn't just a list. It's a roadmap for protecting and expanding the long-distance trails that define the bikepacking experience.

BOLT recognition can increase awareness, open the door for further resources to support the trails’ sustainability, facilitate relationships between land managers and other trail stewards, and bring increased economic development to the communities surrounding and connected by the long-distance trails.

Long trails connect riders to wild places and communities to opportunity.

🔗 Check out the full report: https://bikepackingroots.org/2026/06/bolt-act-long-live-long-trails/

That's a wrap on our Mon Forest Bikepacking Summit! Here's a little sneak preview of what the weekend looked like!⁠
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Thanks to all of the attendees, volunteers, and supporters who shared a laugh with new and old friends, learned something new, welcomed riders new to bikepacking, and rode bikes with us! ⁠
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Thanks to our event partners and supporters , , and ! ⁠

Many thanks and 📸 photo credit to !⁠

And a thank you to all our expo participants, supporters, speakers, and workshop leaders: ⁠

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Next up among our new Board Members is Doug Tolman from Salt Lake City, Utah!

Doug (he/him) is a passionate public land advocate who spends most of his time in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, working in a policy role at a small-but-mighty conservation non-profit.

Bikepacking since 2018, he values the place-learning aspect of multi-day trips as a way to connect with land and rural communities and sees bikepacking as one of the best tools for building a community of advocates for conservation and dispersed recreation access.

We are excited to have Doug joining our growing org and supporting our advocacy efforts and more!

We can't wait to see everyone this weekend at the Mon Forest Bikepacking Summit! Here's a preview of what's to come!

Plus, we heard there's going to be a tent set up contest, DIY ground cloth making, and lots of local pizza and ice cream consumed? 👀

Check out the full schedule here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kGwivrYAs-QI3pqHPGAoSpfWHJB2VnY6tJOoJ6V0RLw/edit

🎉 2026 BIPOC Adventure Grant Recipient spotlight: WTFNB El Paso🎉

WTFNB El Paso (.sin.fronteras) is a community-led bikepacking and cycling collective rooted in the El Paso-Juárez borderlands, centering women, trans, femme, nonbinary, and BIPOC riders. They create safer, affirming spaces for first-generation cyclists and first-time campers to build skills, confidence, and connection to land. Through workshops, practice rides, mentorship, and supported trips, the group makes bikepacking more accessible and community-centered. In partnership with Bici Sin Fronteras and Critical Mass El Paso, they are building binational solidarity through a women’s bikepacking initiative on both sides of the border and a shared gear library to reduce barriers to outdoor access.

Thank you to the following brands for making this grant possible:shell
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See all of the grantee spotlights: https://bikepackingroots.org/the-bipoc-bike-adventure-grant/

This Board Member Monday, meet Samantha Lewandowski from Durango, Colorado!

Sam (she/her) loves everything about bikepacking, but especially how traveling at the speed of a bicycle gives us the ability to really connect with a place and the people you meet along the way.

She is passionate about sharing her love of bikepacking with others and supporting aspiring bikepackers, especially women and adaptive cyclists, through workshops and organized overnight bikepacking trips.

In addition, she brings over 15 years of experience working in public health to the Bikepacking Roots board.

Sam shares about many of her bikepacking adventures as an ambassador with and .

We are super excited to have Sam joining the Board!

🎉 2026 BIPOC Adventure Grant Recipient spotlight: Rodadas de Perreo 🎉

is an Indigenous and immigrant-led bike club based in Seattle, founded to bring Indigenous solidarity across borders and nations through cycling. The club centers women of color, non-binary folks of color, and Spanish-speaking communities who have historically been excluded from cycling and outdoor spaces. Rodadas de Perreo offers all information in Spanish and English to make biking accessible to non-English speakers, and hosts intro-to-bikepacking trips designed to give participants the skills, gear, and confidence to experience the freedom of bike camping.

Thank you to the following brands for making this grant possible:

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Stay tuned for the rest of the grantee spotlights, or click here for more info about the grant: https://bikepackingroots.org/the-bipoc-bike-adventure-grant/

🎉 2026 BIPOC Adventure Grant Recipient spotlight: Kimberly Sambou 🎉

is a community leader and member of Southside YMCA and Outdoor Afro Chicago/Northwest Indiana. She is committed to creating safe, welcoming, and culturally affirming experiences for Black cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts. Her work is rooted in equity, expanding access to nature, fostering a sense of belonging in outdoor spaces, and ensuring that Black community members can engage in recreation and adventure without barriers. In collaboration with Out Our Front Door, Kimberly works to offer beginner-friendly bike-camping trips, skill-building workshops, and group rides in partnership with organizations such as the Chicago Park District, and Cook County Forest Preserve. With a loaner gear program and supportive trip logistics designed to increase accessibility, members of the community will have less barriers to getting on exploring the world around them on multi day experiences. These opportunities help members build confidence, connect with nature, and experience the joy of outdoor adventure close to home.

Thank you to the following brands for making this grant possible:
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Stay tuned for the rest of the grantee spotlights, or click here for more info about the grant: https://bikepackingroots.org/the-bipoc-bike-adventure-grant/