In the mid-1990s, a group of Fort Collins-area mountain bikers founded Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol (DPMBP) as a sister organization to Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol. DPMBP became part of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) National Mountain Bike Patrol program and signed patrol agreements with the United States Forest Service and Lory State Park.

In 1997, DPMBP helped Lory State Park organize the first Friends of Lory Trail Day in an effort to rebuild a trail network damaged in a devastating rain storm. The trail day is now an annual even which draws scores of participants: mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians and anyone else who loves the park.

As membership grew, the community noticed. New Belgium Brewing Company asked DPMBP to be its partner in the inaugural Tour de Fat in the fall of 2000. New Belgium’s generous sponsorship over the years has helped DPMBP grow membership, purchase patrolling and trail-building equipment, train members, and become a more vital organization. In the years that followed, we added patrol agreements with Larimer County, Colorado; the City of Fort Collins, Colorado; and Wyoming State Parks.

With growth came diversified membership and interests. DPMBP certified more patrollers, began doing more trail work, and even started supporting events like the Community Classic Bike Tour. We started the local edition of IMBA’s annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day and added a second, spring edition in 2009.

Members interested in trail building and design partnered with Greg Mazu of Singletrack Trails to organize annual training sessions so we could develop a base of trail crew chiefs. Not satisfied with merely patrolling and maintaining the trails, DPMBP added more fun with the advent of weekly social rides in 2008.

After a lot of soul-searching, our members realized we had become more than a bike patrol and we officially transformed into an all-purpose mountain bike club in the winter of 2008-2009. Overland Mountain Bike Club was born in early 2009, complete with IRS certification as a 501c3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol is still a service of Overland Mountain Bike Club and is the soul of our organization. In 2018, we decided that given our important role in trail building and advocacy as well as our partnerships with important land agencies, businesses, and other organizations, we needed to change our name to Overland Mountain Bike Association. We believe being OMBA better represents what we do and our important role in this community.

In recent years, we’ve added skills clinics, doubled our social rides and expanded membership even further. Join us in writing the next chapter of our history as we promote mountain biking by providing education and assistance to all trail users, and by working to build and maintain quality, sustainable trails that enhance the mountain biking experience.