Images by Pete Scullion. Words by Rach Coleman
In our opinion, there's little as good as the vibe at an outdoor event. Come rain or shine, when you're packed in a field with thousands of strangers, waiting for a competitor to round the final corner, and at that penultimate moment a cheer is almost pulled from your body in delight - there's just nothing quite like it.
Our event accreditation scheme, TFT Approved, is a steadfast arrow in the Trash Free Trails quiver. We've been championing the power of event organisers to transform outdoor race events to protect the trails that host them for over 3 years, and it's safe to say in 2024, TFT Approved has truly come into its own.
We've got over 50 events participating across the UK and beyond, utilising the free to use Toolkit to improve the sustainability, particularly by reducing single-use products, at their events. From providing water refills, to producing plastic-free prizes, to connecting with the local community, it's safe to say that though we wrote the Guidance, it's in the hands of event organisers that the incredible transformations of the status quo happens. No longer do we need to rely on single-use items at our events - you guys are changing the face of the game for good.
We love seeing the celebrations of achieving a TFT Approved Standard online, but we've been seriously missing that event magic. So we've decided to take a road trip, this summer, to 13 incredible events who are going TFT Approved. Read on to find out who we're visiting!
We start our road trip this weekend with a trip up to the Lake District for the Great Lakes 3 Day - an unreal running event with six courses to choose from. Alongside this we're proud to have presence at Wings 4 Life World Run in London, an incredible event hosted by our Strategic Partner, and lead programme partner Red Bull.
Later this month we go international, with a visit down to Finale Ligure in Italy with the UCI Enduro World Cup. Also in May we're stoked to be heading to Unbound Fest in Suffolk, the women's mountain bike festival like no other.
We hit June with arguably our favourite event of the year, and the flagship event of TFT Approved: Red Bull Hardline. A heap of our ambassador's will be there, and we'll host our usual Pump Truck Trail Clean over the weekend in Machynlleth.
Later that month we'll head to Bristol with an All Terre Adventures Rally, and then to Glassie Bike Park for their Endura event. Safe to say our summer kicks off with unparalleled bike action.
July sees an awesome addition to the TFT Approved calendar: our first non-race event! The team will be heading to Timber Festival for a weekend of workshops, talks, and trash raffles all in the name of nature connection.
From there we head to some of the UK's haven events for riders: Ard Rock in the Yorkshire Dales, and the Malvern Classic in West England. September takes us to Galloway for the Raiders Gravel before a trip back down south for adventures at the King's Cup in Suffolk.
We're seeing out the year with another unreal running event: the Lakes Divide. From the minds that bought you the run from Manchester to Sheffield, we couldn't be more stoked for this one.
We wouldn't be able to head to so many incredible events without the support of our partners. A tremendous thank you to lead Strategic Partner on TFT Approved, Red Bull, alongside Trek, Bosch eBike Systems, The North Face x EOCA, komoot and Orbea. In addition we're delighted to be supported by Ourea Events for the first time, alongside continued support from Stormstatic.
Let us know which events we'll see you at!
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