Blue Ridge Bike Club was recently awarded a $1,000 grant to improve a freeriding mountain bike park outside Asheville.

“There really are not any true freeride opportunities in this area. There are certainly difficult trails to ride, but not a concentration of skills, stunts, and jumps. That is what we will be trying to develop,” said Woody Keen, a mountain biker and owner of Trail Dynamics, a professional trail company.

Working through the International Mountain Bike Association, Kona Bicycle Company whittled 30 applications — all hoping to create new freeriding, downhilling and dirt jumping opportunities — down to just seven winners nationwide. Asheville’s Alexander Bike Park made the cut.

The program’s goal is to support the development of freeriding opportunities on public land. Alexander Park is located along the French Broad River north of Asheville near Marshall.

Alexander Park also got a grant of $50,000 from the Recreational Trails Program, a federal grant program funded by Congress with money from the federal gas taxes paid by fuel used by off-highway vehicles, with the goal of meeting the trail and trail-related recreational needs

Alexander Bike Park has 6 miles of intermediate singletrack trails and consists of two loops. The short loop is 1.1 miles with variable terrain. The long loop consists of 5 miles of tight-twisting singletrack with moderate climbs. The park also has a dual slalom downhill track. It also has a run of moguls.

Blue Ridge Bike Club plans to use the money to build a new loop that will incorporate a skills area. Volunteers are needed to help build. Email Keen at ascentdesc@citcom.net if you are interested.