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Blumenthal is the executive director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association and, from September, will lead The Bikes Belong Coalition.
Bikes Belong is the US industry trade group dedicated to "putting more people on bikes
more often."
Blumenthal has served as IMBA’s chief staffer since 1993, following five years as a board member. When he began as IMBA’s first fulltime employee, the organization had a $70,000 annual budget and fewer than 1,000 individual
members. Today, IMBA’s yearly budget is $2.1m, it supports 22 employees, and has 32,000 individual members.
At Bikes Belong, Blumenthal will work to increase US government support for cycle paths, trails, and safe routes to work and school.
Blumenthal will replace Rich Olken, Bikes Belong’s first executive director, who has served since 1999 and will retire later this year. Blumenthal will move the group’s headquarters from Boston to Boulder, Colorado, the most cycle-friendly city in the US.
Blumenthal said: "The mission of Bikes Belong is a great one, and I am thrilled to have earned this new opportunity to help bicycling and the bike industry grow. My years at IMBA have been unbelievably rewarding. I am so grateful for the hundreds of friendships and partnerships that have developed along the way."
