By Rebecca Tamer
The Appalachian Mountain Biking Club (AMBC) has been one of Knoxville’s biggest clubs for the past 11 years, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. With more than 400 volunteers, AMBC is able to maintain and promote sustainable trail access, trails like Baker Creek, Concord Park and several more in the area. BLANK sat down recently with Matthew Kellogg, AMBC’s executive director, to learn about the organization’s plans for the continuation of trails, membership and overall growth of our city.
“The trails are not only for mountain bikers, but for walkers, trail runners and anyone who needs a break from the heavy climate of the world,” says Kellogg of the network of trails AMBC oversees. “We’ve been able to make a huge impact on the community.”
A former architect and construction manager, Kellogg started out as a volunteer before assuming his current position. He spends most of his days on the trails, helping volunteers and getting ready for upcoming events and fundraisers.
After winning Bell Helmets’ Bell Built Grant in 2015, AMBC has put East Tennessee and Knoxville specifically on the map for avid mountain bikers. The grant itself gave AMBC $100,000 for technical uses, and it also helped AMBC catch the eye of city officials and donors. In an attempt to show them the kind of outdoor mecca Knoxville could be, members of the club took Knoxville officials to Bentonville, Arkansas, for a weekend. Bentonville is known primarily as the home of Walmart, but it is a mountain biking hotspot, as well. The 300 miles of trail there are a definite perk for the employees at the chain’s corporate headquarters, and thousands of bikers travel to Arkansas for this experience.
“We have the ability to take an idea like that and do it here. Because of our following, we can have friends from all over the States join us and do that with our own Knoxville spin on it,” says Kellogg
Hosting monthly meetings, volunteer meetups and dedicated trail cleanup days, the club is never short on helping hands. “Even during this pandemic, we are able to get several small groups and go clean up trails. We divide and conquer,” says Kellogg
Over the course of the past few years, AMBC has celebrated autumn as a time to gather and celebrate everyone’s hard work. “In previous years, Fall Fest was our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our volunteers for all of their work. It has grown into our largest form of fundraising,” says Kellogg.
He mentions that roughly $2,000 is raised from Fall Fest. It originally started as a small get-together on a farm and since has moved to Baker Creek. “We have so many great vendors, musicians, brands and people who come and join us over the three day event,” says Kellogg.
This year’s edition of the festival is set to take place the first weekend of November. Friday night is movie night, followed by a full lineup of events on Saturday. Vendor demos, a silent auction, guided rides, local food vendors and a beer garden make this weekend one that is highly anticipated. Once the sun sets, festivalgoers put on headphones and groove along to a silent disco. “It’s pretty funny to see everyone afterhours dancing and jamming together,” laughs Kellogg.
Sunday is host to the Bell Joyride, a women-only ride hosted by Bell Helmets. “This ride brings riders in from all over the Southeast and of all skillsets,” says Kellogg. “Bell saw the potential and wanted to start it here. We are very lucky to have our local joyride ambassador [be] Bell Helmets.”
Kellogg is optimistic that Fall Fest will happen – even in the midst of a predicted second wave of COVID-19. “We have the ability to take parts of Fall Fest online,” says Kellogg. A few of those activities would include virtual rides, GPS downloads of trails and a raffle.
In the meantime, AMBC has partnered with Wyoming-based Teton Gravity Research to show the production company’s newest film, “Accomplice,” on July 30 at the Parkway Drive-In in Maryville.
And with regard to engaging in healthy activities that allow you to maintain social distancing, Kellogg points out that not much beats mountain biking. “Be smart, go outside, exercise,” he says.
