While we were busy worrying about the pandemic and social unrest in the U.S. this past summer, something pretty miraculous happened. The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), a bipartisan bill passed in July and signed into law in August, provides billions in trail maintenance and creation on Federal lands. In addition to funding trails, parks, and public lands of $2.8B each year and $900M in full funding annually, the bill will provide $1.9B annually in new funding for the Federal maintenance backlog. We expect the news to have a positive impact on the cycling community. 

And, while GAOA has implications for cycling in general, it very well could have positive implications for eBikers in particular. “As our unprecedented national interest in cycling heads toward more and more outdoor enrichment, the eBike allows all levels of riders to do more, see more, and fully enjoy our national parks,” says Joe Michel, founder of eBike Central. “We’re celebrating Congress’ commitment to public lands, and we’re committed to providing access to a growing number of serious and casual cyclists who want to explore and enjoy the outdoors.”

The bill provides an opportunity to ensure trails are accessible to all sorts of people, bikes, and riders. The idea is to make accessible a growing number of outdoor spaces, putting many individuals to work in building and maintaining trails and parks across the country. From an eBike perspective, this means that age or ability need not slow down a desire to enjoy the national park system from the vantage point of a bicycle – the best possible way to explore and enjoy the great outdoors.