BY KAREN BOSSICK

Seven-time national mountain bike champion Rebecca Rusch will emcee a bikepacking presentation at the grand reopening of the Trailhead Bicycles this weekend.

Rusch will emcee a presentation that will include cyclists Edyn Teige, Jackson Long and River Shepard from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Trailhead Bicycles’ new location at 17 East Bullion St. in Hailey. Teige and Long are recipients of bikepacking scholarships from Rusch’s nonprofit Be Good Foundation.

Teige hopes to be the youngest person to complete the 2,745-mile Tour Divide, a mountain bike ride following the Continental Divide from Canada to the Mexican border, this summer. Long also is riding in the Tour Divide and plans to film a documentary about the experience. And Shephard recently completed a bikepacking tour across Portugal, Spain, Italy and New Zealand.

They’ll talk about what inspired their adventures and show their bikes and set-ups.

“It’s exciting to support the next generation of cyclists,” said Rusch. “I encourage all cyclists at any level to come out and learn about these young bikepackers and hear about their cycling experiences and how their lives have changed.”

The Be Good Foundation scholarship program strives to support deserving individuals who might not be able to afford the gear, competition or training to achieve their bikepacking dreams. Bikepacking scholarships range from $250 to $2,000 and include financial support gear and mentorship.

Trailhead Bicycles will provide drinks and light refreshments during Friday’s presentation. Pizza from Hangar Bread will be available for purchase. There also will be a raffle.

On Saturday, Aaron Couch will lead a bikepacking workshop and share a presentation on the Great Rift Dirt Tour, a 283-mile dirt and gravel tour around Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.

Don Keller will showcase the Dark Sky bikepacking gear library and check out bags for those taking part in an overnight trip to Warm Springs, leaving at 4 p.m. from the YMCA south parking lot. Those wishing to check out gear should RSVP at info@thbikes.com.

THE BE GOOD FOUNDATION AIMS TO BUILD COMMUNITY THROUGH BIKES

The Be Good Foundation strives to make bicycling more inclusive, diverse and accessible in order to change people’s lives through cycling. To that effect, it awarded 15 scholarships and $65,000 in grants to individuals and organizations at the local, national and global levels this past year.

Groups receiving scholarships included Latinas en Bici in Rogers, Ark., Ride for Racial Justice and Soldiers on Singletrack. The Be Good Foundation also awarded a grant to the Mines Advisory Group, which removes unexploded ordnance in Laos, Cambodia, and World Bicycle Relief, which provides bikes to women and doctors in Africa.

The Be Good Foundation awarded grants to the Wood River Trails Coalition and Sawtooth Society in 2023, as well as Valley Adaptive Sports in eastern Idaho’s Teton Valley and Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League, which had its genesis at a Rebecca’s Private Idaho competition.

Learn more about the Be Good Foundation at https://www.rebeccarusch.com/