Trek and 'The Birkie' partner up to build 17 miles of new trails

Trek Bicycle's philanthropy arm, the Trek Foundation is partnering up with the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) — creators of the  largest cross-country skiing race in North America— to develop a trail network of 17 miles at Wisconsin's Mt. Telemark Village. 

Simply named "The Trek Trails," this network will feature more than ten miles of enduro and downhill style trails and up to eight miles of cross-country trails. With Trek's support of $1 million dollars, ABSF is now well on its way to making their ski-bike vision a reality.  

When ABSF purchased the  218-acre Telemark property in 2021, planning for mountain bike trails ran parallel with its ski trail plans.

The Trek Trails will connect through to the already extensive, 130-mile, Chequamegon singletrack network. Some of these trails played host to round five of the inaugural Lifetime Grand Prix, a professional mixed-surface race series in which a cast of 60 hand-selected international competitors travel across the U.S. to compete at some of the country's premier endurance events in pursuit of a $250,000 prize purse.

"For more than a decade, mountain bikers have daydreamed about the potential for trails that exists at Mt. Telemark," states Trek, and in four to five years, this dream will become a reality. 

ABSF and the Trek Foundation, along with Traction Trail Worx and Rock Solid Trail Contracting, have developed a 4- phase plan, the first phase of which was completed and opened to the public late this fall.  Planning for phase two is underway and scheduled to be completed during the summer of 2023.

“Our commitment to advocacy and to changing the world through cycling is long standing. The Trek Foundation  accelerates this commitment to invest in great places to ride and helps build a future where everybody has access to  experience the difference bicycles can make.” said Trek Bicycle President, John Burke, in a statement.

“We are especially excited to  bring the Trek Trails at Mt. Telemark Village to fruition here in our home state of Wisconsin.” 

A playground, training and race venue

ABSF has five goals for the Trek Trails network: 

Variety:  there will be Cross-country, enduro and downhill experiences that cater to all ages and skill levels.

Optimization: Trails will be optimized for mountain biking with a variety of cross-country, flow, technical, jump,  and downhill trails.  

Connectivity: the trail system will connect into the existing CAMBA trails and ski trail network.

Practice Areas: bike parks will feature a pump track, jump zone, drop zone and technical skills loop to allow new and experienced riders to grow and hone their skills. There will even be a balance bike track for kids.

Race Venue: ABSF would like for the trail system to host cross-country and ednuro races, the NICA high school league events and position Telemark as a national-caliber bike festival venue. 

“The ABSF is committed to making investments that help fulfill our mission of getting people outside,” said ABSF  Executive Director Ben Popp. “We are excited to build the amenities and infrastructure that will continue to have an  incredible health and economic impact on the surrounding area. We could not do that without the help of partners like  the Trek Foundation.”