Strategic Plan 2026–2030
Our roadmap for the next five years: how we’ll care for Golden’s trails, grow our riding community and build a club that lasts.
Where we’re coming from
In Golden, biking is fun. Serious fun. With four trail networks and a bike park to look after, building and maintaining them takes serious effort: physical, spiritual and administrative. That’s why the Golden Cycling Club exists.
The GCC is the largest trail membership in Golden. We maintain existing trails, build new ones and promote responsible use. We also create opportunities to ride through teaching, community events and cycling culture. Having accomplished most of the goals in our 2021–2026 plan, we’ve set a new direction that responds to a changing landscape, shifting grant priorities and the realities of the projects funded in recent years. The plan was developed with the Board of Directors and shaped by your membership survey responses.
Vision
To offer a cycling experience for all riders.
Mission
We create and promote opportunities for cycling in the Golden area, while also acting as stewards for the trails.
Plan highlights
The three pillars
Everything in the plan falls under three pillars. Click a strategy to see the actions behind it.
Culture
Culture is more than membership. It’s how the GCC connects with the wider community, both regionally with other clubs and locally with other groups. Through events built by the community, for the community, we hope to grow engagement, capacity and volunteerism.
1Reach beyond the existing membership
- Share membership information at local bike stores
- Host info booths at trailheads on busy spring weekends
- Update trail-sign QR codes to include membership and donation info
- Update trailhead signage to show the value the GCC provides
2Build connections and community off the trail
- Continue weekly volunteer nights
- Build an “après” element into every event: patio beers, movie nights, trivia
- Create spaces for members to meet and deepen ties to the community
3Create a sustainable pathway for community events
- Define what a successful GCC community event looks like, and only host those
- Set the calendar in advance
- Include a range of races, free clinics and work nights
450% of members engage meaningfully every year
- Have an initiative dedicated to reaching members at every stage
- Encourage in-kind member donations by highlighting members already doing this and putting out specific requests
- Create events that appeal to a broader range of skill levels
- Hold indoor events where people can meet and share their love of biking
- Continue surveying the membership annually
How we’ll measure it
- Share of unique members taking part in events through the season
- Number of kids in skills courses
- Community perception in survey results
- Share of non-members taking part in events
Trails
The club exists because of the trails. There have been many successes since the last plan, but there’s more to do. Approvals depend on many external factors and the goalposts often shift, so these goals focus on what the club can control.
1Grow trail crew capacity
- Create an active, exhaustive list of outstanding trail work
2Increase the success of new trail applications and builds
- Have a process to maintain trail applications
- Make sure all trail ideas are captured in formal applications
- Maintain revamped trail development plans
- Build out other trails per area-specific development plans
3Get specific trails built
- Build the new Black Jump trail
- Increase the number of adaptive trails
4Educate the public about trails
- Continue trail work nights
- Create trail artwork to reinforce placemaking and awareness
- Communicate all trail work to stakeholders
How we’ll measure it
- Trail applications completed and submitted to the province
- Kilometres of trail the club maintains
- Productive relationships with partners such as GLHC, GORMA, runners, hikers, Métis and First Nations, the CSRD, RSTBC, the Town of Golden, the Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and bike shops
Sustainability
None of this is possible without money and people. The GCC has grown over the last five years and is working to rely less on grants for yearly expenses, keep paid positions and trail quality sustainable, and grow its volunteer base.
1Move to a full governance-model board by 2030
- Create a committee structure
- Hire a full-time Executive Director by 2030
- Add administrative support staff
2Secure a $220K annual operating budget by 2030
- Explore taxation-based funding
- Secure funding through Tourism Golden
- Pursue business collaborations, including a possible “1% for the trails” model
- Create one major annual event that serves mainly as a fundraiser
- Pursue grants with administrative funding attached
3Build partnerships with regional clubs to share resources and deliver bigger projects
- Build relationships with local Indigenous communities
- Connect with prospective partners and identify areas of mutual interest
4Grow a dedicated volunteer base to increase capacity and reduce burnout
- Create and maintain a volunteer management system
- Create easy volunteer pathways: sign-up lists and clear explanations of opportunities
5Proactively share the club’s successes and needs
- Share a yearly report with the Town and key stakeholders
- Set a regular cadence and identify the information members need
How we’ll measure it
- Number of members
- Recurring revenue keeping pace with the club’s needs
- Time spent on each revenue stream vs. its return
- Clear, well-understood Board responsibilities
- Whether volunteer numbers are rising or falling
- Share of grant applications that succeed
Get involved
This plan only works with the help of our members, volunteers and sponsors. Join the club, lend a hand at a work night, or support the trails.
Sponsorship: Sponsoring the Golden Cycling Club connects your business with our 1,000+ members and supports all the work we do. Email contact@goldencyclingclub.com to get started.
Golden Cycling Club Strategic Plan 2026–2030, adopted October 2026. Follow us @goldencyclingclub.
