Brands That Build: Home Grown Mountain Bike Tours
Trail builders, the unsung heroes, are the ones who carry mountain biking on their shoulders. While that may sound almost absurd, it’s true. With trails, what do we have? How do we have trails unless someone grabs a rake, McLeod, or shovels, treks into the woods, and carves a trail from nothing? Once trails are built, who maintains them?
We also know countless entities uphold and support trail building. That ranges from non-profit trail advocacy groups that organize volunteers to companies that create products and services for trail work to global bike brands that support building through sponsorships, giveaways, and donations. And then there are brands that build …
We kicked off this Brands That Build series with the iconic company Chris King. People were stoked. I intend this series to highlight and showcase large and small companies because it takes everyone to make trail building happen. Some brands are known globally, and others are more known regionally. Also, each brand sells products or services that differ from one another, making this fun. Why? Often, brands that are involved in the building are engaged because of their passion, deep care, and love for their community.
I’m excited to introduce you to Home Grown Mountain Biking Tours out of Tucson, Arizona, and share their story of involvement in trail building. In this interview, we hear from Tara Alcantara, the owner, lead guide, and head coach of Home Grown. Let’s jump into this …
Sean: Tell me about your company's involvement in trail building (e.g., volunteer, support, giveaways, etc.).
Tara: HG’s involvement includes but is not limited to donated shuttles for community rides, donated vehicles for complex/backcountry trail work days, frequent giveaways of tours/clinics/rentals for those who attend trail work days, staff members who also volunteer their time on the Board of local advocacy non-profit as well as on the trails, leading work crews, and meeting with land managers. Annual donations to trail non-profits, coaching riders how to ride without tearing up the trails, and thousands of hours of free labor working on trails.
Sean: Why is it important for your brand to be involved in trail building?
Tara: Without trails, there is no mountain biking. Without GREAT trails, there is no tourism for bike companies. Our business does not survive without trail building and trail advocacy. Even if there are great trails, a city or riding area needs to stay current and fresh on trail building best practices for sustainability as well as for the enjoyment of all users. As trail users, mountain bikers are a small group and need an organized voice to garner the kind of support needed to build directional or purpose-built trails.
Sean: Do you have a system or culture to get employees involved? Do you have any incentives for employees to work on trails?
Tara: All staff are required to take the #OneDayPledge… which is a mantra we started early on to say that if every mountain biker attended just one trail work day a year, the trails would get all the maintenance they need, without the burden placed on just a handful of volunteers who continually show up to do the heavy lifting.
HG’s annual Guide Training for new and returning staff is aimed at developing a culture of trail stewardship, which includes our behavior while using public trails and how to ride our bikes in a way that mitigates excess wear and tear.
Sean: What projects are you especially proud of? Any cool stories you want to share?
Tara: HG’s owners were also founders of the non-profit TORCA, which held an annual mountain biking event called The Pachanga for five years in a row. It was a 3-day party on the mountain that included demo bikes from 10 manufacturers, all-day shuttles, camping, catered meals, a “FUNduro,” and a mini-clinic for the ladies. This event brought riders and industry folks together for five years before it was officially canceled due to increasing costs and “burnout” of the volunteer staff that put it on.
Sean: What do you want trail builders to know about your brand?
Tara: Our brand (HG Tours) was born out of a commitment to the trails and our local scene. It is all-encompassing … bikes, this place, the people, and sharing it responsibly.
It would be great to see more bike brands get on board with supporting trail advocacy and trail building efforts, especially for those communities that don’t have private land or well-funded trail building efforts.
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That concludes our interview. If you have a story to tell, drop me an email.
Interviewer: Sean Benesh Photos: Supplied by Tara Alcantara
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sean Benesh
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag. He is also the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. While in grad school, he worked as a mountain biking guide in Southern Arizona. Sean also spends time in the classroom as a digital media instructor at Warner Pacific University.
