Thirty years ago, a small group of mountain bikers in Birmingham decided they wanted something better. They didn’t wait for someone else to build trails, organize rides, or create a community. They rolled up their sleeves and built it themselves.

Since then, every mile of trail we’ve added, every race we’ve hosted, and every new rider we’ve introduced to the sport has been made possible by volunteers who believed mountain biking deserved a place in our community.

Today, BUMP is stronger than it has ever been. Our trail systems have expanded dramatically. Our events have grown. We’ve attracted major grants and partnerships. Thousands of riders now enjoy opportunities that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.

But our growth and success has created a new challenge.

The opportunities ahead are bigger than what volunteers can accomplish in their spare time. Every grant we pursue, every partnership we build, every mile of trail we plan, and every new rider we hope to reach requires consistent, professional leadership.

It’s time for the mountain bike community to take ownership of its future.

Our goal is to hire BUMP’s first full-time Executive Director—a person whose sole mission is to protect what we’ve built and ensure it continues to grow. Someone who can pursue funding every day, strengthen relationships with our land managers and partners, coordinate volunteers, expand programs, and make sure opportunities aren’t lost simply because there aren’t enough hours in the day.

This isn’t about replacing volunteers. It’s about multiplying what volunteers can accomplish.

One of our major community partners has already committed to helping fund this position, and we’re pursuing foundation grants to help launch it. Those investments can help us get started, but we believe the long-term responsibility for sustaining this position belongs to us—the mountain bike community. Just as volunteers built BUMP over the past 30 years, we believe riders, families, businesses, and supporters can build its future together.

Later this year, we’ll launch our annual End-of-Year Giving Campaign to help make that vision a reality. Our goal is simple: make supporting BUMP part of our community’s annual tradition of giving. Whether through a personal donation or a corporate year-end contribution, we hope you’ll keep BUMP in mind as you make your charitable giving plans. Every dollar invested stays here, helping build more trails, expand programs, strengthen advocacy, and create more opportunities for people to experience mountain biking.

Imagine where we could be five years from now with someone working full-time for mountain biking in Birmingham. More trails. Better events. More opportunities for women, veterans, and adaptive riders. Stronger advocacy and partnerships. Greater access. More places to ride. More people discovering the sport we all love.

The future of mountain biking in our region won’t be determined by someone else.

It will be determined by us.

If BUMP has made a difference in your life, this is your opportunity to ensure it can make that same difference for generations to come.