Mountain Biking Film, Raffle Benefits State Park Trails

Posted Aug 10, 2005
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Money raised from event benefits trail development at new state park

"The Collective," a 16mm film featuring the world's best mountain bicyclists, makes its Des Moines debut at 1 p.m., Saturday, August 27 at The Vaudeville Mews as part of a fundraising event for the Central Iowa Trail Association (CITA). Tickets are $5 at the door and provide a chance to win a Giant STP 2 mountain bike.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS ONLINE
1 ticket for $5 or 5 tickets for $20

Proceeds benefit the construction of mountain bike trails at Banner Lakes at Summerset State Park near Indianola -- Iowa's first state park built in 27 years. "The filmmakers were willing to let us show this groundbreaking film in Des Moines because they understood what we are trying to do here," said Ryan Hanser, president of the trailbuilding group. "We want to showcase how trails brings people closer to nature, and we want more people to understand that mountain biking is beautiful." The 35-minute film features a dozen cyclists in Utah, Hawaii, British Columbia and other locations across North America. Filming techniques, including helmet-mounted and cable-led cameras, produce extended sequences from the riders' perspective. And the cyclists in the film provide the narration and commentary. "Consensus among cyclists is that this is the best mountain biking movie ever made," said Hanser. "And I'd say it's one of the best in the entire sport film genre. Everyone's waiting for a sequel." Proceeds from event will fund development of an intermediate and advanced-level trails on 80 acres of hilly terrain in the new state park. CITA began trail construction at Banner Lakes last fall, and a beginner-level trail is expected to open this summer. Visit http://www.centraliowatrails.org or call 515.229.3737 for more information on the film, raffle and area trails. PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS ONLINE