Man, it seems like everyone everywhere is having some kind of mountain bike festival or race this month! Fall is definitely a great time to get out and ride and to celebrate mountain biking before the snow falls and the days get too short. Here’s a sampling of what’s happening:
24 Hours of Moab: The grandaddy of all 24-hour endurance races is this weekend and more than 1,300 riders will be racing this year. The race boasts a $20,000 cash purse and $40,000 in prizes drawing the top mountain bikers in the world to the competition. The Steamboat Pilot & Today profiles some Colorado riders who have been prepping for the race including Kris Cannon, a first time female 24-solo rider.
Whistler MTB Park closes after this weekend: Honestly I’m amazed the park has stayed open this long without snow but for this last weekend the guys are pulling out all the stops. A brand new trail called “Kungfu Pizza Cat” just opened to give riders a taste of what to expect for next season. Fortunately Whistler has one of the earliest openings of all the MTB parks – usually mid-May – so we won’t have to wait too long!
Mountain unicycling catching on: The Gaston Gazette (North Carolina) posted a lifestyle article about mountain unicycling that even includes some tips for getting started. In the article Josh Tayler, an avid mountain unicycler, estimates there are only about 10 or so ‘munis’ in the entire state. I’m guessing that will change very soon if the showing at the SORBA Woodstock Festival was any indication – the folks at unicycle.com had at least a dozen munis at the trail and several kids seemed to be catching the fever!
