We have some wonderful artists and authors helping us with MTB Ayiti. Check it out:
Sports Special
Louis Story, veteran television producer for 6 Olympics, 3 Tour de France and countless sports specials, will capture the Haiti Ascent Mountain Bike Stage Race, featuring icons and legends of the mountain bike industry as they ‘discover’ stunning terrain and attempt to ride some of the most epic trails in the Western Hemisphere.
Event sponsors and pro-riders will be joined by select amateur riders. Also, Haitian participants will be critical to the production, which will include coverage of Haitian riders, collaboration with Haitian film students, as well as working with Haitian composers and musicians.
The production will reveal some parts of Haiti that are rarely visited, such as La Visite National Park, bringing the tourism possibilities that exist in Haiti to the forefront for the world to see.
There are endless possibilities for outdoor adventure activities, providing new stories to tell each year as we annually chronicle the ongoing MTB Ayiti Social Awareness Adventure. Winter 2013 is Chapter One of an ongoing revitalization and human interest story.
Photos
Professional Photographer and former State Champion Mountain Biker Steve Zdawczynski joined us on a scouting trip in April 2012. Click on the links below to see his outstanding work:
Please visit our Facebook page for more awesome photo albums and posts!
In the Press
The good press for MTB Ayiti and the Haiti Ascent Stage Race just keeps coming!
PRESS RELEASE – 29 NOV 12
HANS REY, RUTHIE MATTHES & MARLA STREB TO RIDE MTB AYITI STAGE RACE
Five Day “Build | Race | Explore” Event showcases an unexplored Haiti
Columbia, TN Daily Herald – Cyclist trains for Haitian bike race – local support for MTB Ayiti participant Robert Carlyon. “What I’m doing, is going down there and racing for Trezò,” Carlyon said. “That race … is designed to bring tourism and mountain biking to the Haitian economy.”
Miami Herald Front Page – Haiti campaign targets tourism dollars “Philip Kiracofe, founder of Travelcology … said Haiti is the ideal location for adventure tourism with it’s endless mountains and remote rural routes.”
NPR story from PRI’s The World reporter Amy Bracken – listen to the broadcast here. “…the race ends in the southern beach city of Jacmel, just in time for the city’s wild and creative Carnival. The bikers simply can’t escape without a good dose of the landscape and vivacious Haitian culture.”
Daily Camera article on MTB Ayiti team photogarpher Steve Zdawczynski’s opening exhibit of “Haiti Mountain Bike Landscape” at the Prana in Boulder.
National Geographic Adventure’s Beyond the Edge profiled Trailblazing Haiti (Part 1 of 3) featuring the “Sole Collector” and La Visite National Park – story by Jayme Moye and photos by Steve Zdawczynski. Trailblazing Haiti (Part 2 of 3) and Trailblazing Haiti (Part 3 of 3)
The Huffington Post listed Mountain Bike Ayiti — Adventure for Good as a featured post in its Impact Sports section. Blog was written by MTB Ayiti team member Amy King.
Elevation Outdoors – article by Jayme Moye “Zdawczynski, a former professional mountain bike racer, rates the Stage One ascent from Port-au-Prince to La Visite National Park along the ridgeline of Haiti’s highest peak, the 8,793-foot Pic La Selle, a “ten out of ten.” Kehmeier concurs. “It was pretty much the gnarliest road I’ve ever seen that gets that much daily foot traffic,” he says. “Steep, rocky, exposed—and you’re pretty much blown out of your cardio mind.”
Men’s Journal – article by Jayme Moye showcasing a Mountain Bike Ayiti partner, Auberge La Visite.
Lonely Planet’s Top 8 Caribbean Towns of 2012 lists Jacmel which is where our Haiti Ascent Stage Race will conclude just in time for Carnival.
Daily Camera article on the organization of the race and the Boulder launch party.
Signal News article “Mountain Bike Project to Open First Pro Race in Haiti”
Defend.ht article “Haiti may be extending its media coverage to ESPN as a team of Americans and a trail specialist from the International Mountain Biking Association are scouting out the mountains of Furcy to host a professional mountain bike race in February 2013.”
Manman Pemba – Devan Wardwell review “The coolest part of working on this project has been tapping into Haiti’s cycling community, which has languished in recent years. It’s been great to hang out with people like Desgranges Dufaide who was Haiti’s top cyclist for a number of years in a row and an avid mountain biker.”
Ministry of Tourism Newsletter “April 2: Minister of Tourism met with the organizers of Mountain Bike Ayiti to establish projects and sustainable adventure tourism around cycling in Haiti.”
Find the Ministry of Tourism’s website here.
Provocate.org article featuring MTB Ayiti team member Amy King. “A mountain-bike-tourism-driven model of economic development?”
Religion Today article “King says that adventurous travelers can sign up for an expedition through MTB Ayiti, which she says involves surfing, kitesurfing, mountain biking, hiking, exploring, bird watching, forts and historical tours, coffee tours, snorkeling, boating, yoga and more.”
Daily Kos article “The first adventurers on the ground will return home with captivating stories, dramatic pictures, and jaw-dropping video footage, creating envy among friends who missed out.”
Blog Posts
Sonya Looney, overall winner of MTB Ayiti 2013, is blogging about her experience.
Check out the blog post from IMBA titled, “Development of Mountain Bicycle Tourism in Haiti” and also several blogs on adventure tourism in Haiti.
Check out our entire MTB Ayiti trek on Google Maps!
Check out the blog post from Jeff Evans, Founder of Mountain Vision, world-renowned climber, adventurer and author, after his participation in the January 2012 MTB Ayiti Adventure Scouting trip.
Check out the blog post from Jill Wheeler, Co-Founder of the Wellfit Institute, professional counselor, leadership consultant, writer, adventurer, athlete and change-agent, after her participation in the January 2012 MTB Ayiti Adventure Scouting trip.
