Boulder, Colorado — February 2, 2021 — Pocket Outdoor Media (POM), the world’s leading creator of active lifestyle content, today announced the launch of Beta, a new magazine, website (Betamtb.com), and membership (Beta Pass) dedicated to the world of mountain biking.

With this launch, POM adds an important category to its family of brands serving the cycling, running, triathlon, and outdoor markets. Beta joins brands such as VeloNews, Trail Runner, Backpacker, Climbing, SKI, and Triathlete to form a powerful adventure-oriented network, one that delivers daily inspiration, gear intel, and how-to resources to millions of multisport enthusiasts.

“Mountain biking is North America’s fastest-growing outdoor sport, with record sales and participation in 2020,” said Robin Thurston, CEO of Pocket Outdoor Media. “With our cycling expertise and new technology platform, POM is uniquely positioned to serve this market — and get even more riders out on trails. Our internal research shows that more than 25% of POM’s 30 million monthly unique followers owns or plans to buy a mountain bike, which gives us a headstart in building a large and diverse audience.”

The Beta team is led by editor-in-chief Nicole Formosa, an industry veteran based in the heart of California’s mountain-biking scene. Thurston invited Formosa and her Bike Magazine team to start fresh at POM in November 2020 when Bike was paused indefinitely by that brand’s publisher. Joining Formosa at Beta are Ryan Palmer, Anthony Smith, Travis Engel, and Satchel Cronk.

“Robin’s passion for cycling and his vision for reinventing the media model is incredibly energizing,” said Formosa. “My team is tasked with a mandate to create dynamic content and introduce a variety of services and experiences — both virtual and in-person — that create value for POM’s Active Pass membership. To that end, our site is launching with a mix of high-impact video, beautiful photography, in-depth gear reviews (including the first video from our annual buyers’ guide, The Beta Tests) and the kind of storytelling that will separate us from the competition. We’re also mission-driven to make mountain biking more accessible, so you’ll be seeing a more diversified mix of contributors and athletes gracing the pages of our quarterly magazine, which debuts this spring.”