PayDirt began in 2020, when a number of existing grassroots cycling advocacy funds joined forces to make a greater impact under one umbrella.
Funds that supported projects like the revival of Downieville as a mountain biking mecca, from the ashes of its Californian gold rush past. Here, a new breed of pioneers had organized themselves into the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS).
With the hard graft of volunteers and financial support of partners such as Santa Cruz Bicycles, the SBTS helped turn a forgotten backwater into a thriving mountain biking community, building some of the best mountain biking trails in North America.
Today they’re still pushing forward with a vast 300 mile network of interconnected trails while also hosting some of the most loved events in cycling.
Buoyed by the progress of the past few decades, and recognizing the importance of cycling during the pandemic, Santa Cruz decided to pool resources across their organization and commit to a million bucks of investment in cycling communities over 3 years.
PayDirt was born, sparking into action a suite of new projects around the world…from advocacy and mentorship, to trail building and events.
And it snowballed from there. PayDirt is now powered by more than a dozen contributing brands. Organizations who pledge to make the world a better, more accessible and more sustainable place to ride.
Today, we promise to pay it even further forward to improve access to riding bicycles now and in future... and we welcome anyone and everyone to join us for the ride. Whether volunteering for projects or contributing to the program, PayDirt has opportunities to get involved for people and businesses alike. Welcome.