Nelson Mountain Bike Club (NMTBC) and Nelson City Council are pleased to announce the PayDirt Fund, founded by Santa Cruz Bicycles, will co-fund the new 3,000m Fringed Hill trail, due to start construction in November this year.

The PayDirt grant to NMTBC of US$25,000 (around NZ$37,000) will offset investment from Nelson City Council in the new trail. Council included over $500,000 of funding for new mountain bike trails in the Long Term Plan 2018-28.

Some of the trails are marked for the upcoming Enduro World Series event, initially due to be held in April 2021, but now postponed until April 2022. The combination of new trails and an upcoming international mountain bike event drew the attention of Santa Cruz Bicycles who invited NMTBC to apply to their PayDirt Fund. 

Council’s Sports and Recreation Committee Chair Tim Skinner welcomed Santa Cruz’s investment in Nelson’s mountain biking community.

“Securing this funding is a win-win situation for Nelson’s mountain biking community. The sponsorship recognises that Nelson’s mountain biking is world class and the investment results in a saving for Council’s Long Term Plan that will enable improvements in other areas of the mountain biking network.”

Mel Schroder, Chair of NMTBC says, “the grant is the fulfillment of one of NMTBC’s goals for holding an Enduro World Series in Nelson, which was to secure further investment in mountain bike infrastructure for its members. Even before we hold the event, the community will get to see the benefits thanks to the Santa Cruz PayDirt grant."

Santa Cruz will use the new trail for some of their mountain bike marketing during 2021, and their branding will be included on trail signage, as is the practice with other sponsors.

Founded by Santa Cruz Bicycles in 2019, PayDirt funds recreational mountain bike trail opportunities worldwide. Nelson is the only southern hemisphere grant recipient (most recipients are in North America).

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