A view from above: a small section of the action

Things I learned during my visit to Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin:

1. The amount of rad that can be purchased for $25 approaches infinity.

2. There is an entire generation of riders (maybe two generations) that look way cooler than me.

3. Riders half my age get two times the air.

4. Riders a third of my age have about three times the skillz.

The girl nailing the double teeter totters couldn’t have been older than 10.

5. There were a ton of riders at the park that were a third my age. Kinda sad, also pretty rad.

6. Moms can shred too, and they were doing so.

7. Never underestimate the beginner section: serious fun and skill-building can be had there.

Beginner section to build skills, warm up, or get it on trials-style.

8. There exists a surprising number of dudes who are secure enough in their masculinity to rock rented pink helmets (see above).

9. The guy on the rented bike with his iPod earphones in is probably more concerned with the perfect track to shred to than the safety of the guy behind him. Take heed…

10. That being said, no one had a bad attitude during my 5 hour visit. All was patience and positivity for the beginners all the way through the pros.

11. Regarding gears in this setting: you only need one. I was on a Trek GFC Rig (single speed hardtail 29er) and I was never wanting for a different ratio.

12. Things that are inspiring: little groms.

13. Mountain bike bar ends are a catastrophe waiting to happen. Please leave them in the 90s where they belong

14. He/she with the most Matchy-Matcherson kit will spend the most time posing and fiddling with their purple knee pads and the least time actually riding bikes.

15. You will never ride lighter than a day at the park: no need to carry water, tools, tubes and it’s indoor so shorts and short sleeve shirt are all you need. Makes for maximum shredding capability and highest air.

16. The amount of makeup you wore to ride the park is inversely proportional to the likelihood of you cleaning the teeter totter. This goes for both sexes, I’m serious. Kids these days…

17. The ride to the park is all anticipation and getting amped with the right tunes. The ride home is full of stiffness and thoughts of what plans you may be canceling tomorrow. At least for old guys like me.

Getting close. Cue the perfect 5 tracks to get pumped.

18. I need new gloves; my hands got shredded from shredding.

19. I want to meet the guy who was dressed in the flying squirrel costume killing it on the big jump section. I couldn’t snag a photo of him, he moved too quickly. If anyone knows this dude let me know, he was awesome.

20. All the details are on the website or in the photo below. If you’re within driving distance of Milwaukee or Ray’s original location in Cleveland you owe it to yourself to get there during what’s left of the winter. It was such a treat to grab handfuls of gnar while the snow fell outside.

That about sums up Ray’s. Get there, build skills and fitness, be ready to dominate the spring!

Not since the premier of Happy Days has Milwaukee been stoked for such an occasion: the grand opening of Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park November 12-14. Of course at this point Ray’s name has become synonymous with indoor mountain biking, having opened the original (and IMBA-certified epic) indoor MTB course in Cleveland in 2004. The grand opening festivities in Milwaukee will include a park preview on Friday (no bikes allowed) followed by a celebrity BBQ on Saturday with legends like Cam McCaul, Dave Mirra, and Ross Schnell in attendance. Then on Sunday you can ride with the XC Pros all day or check in during BMX night from 4-10pm with Dave Mirra. Seriously. Here’s a bit from the official press release:

After an extensive search, the location for a second Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park has been secured and Milwaukee-area mountain bikers can now rejoice!  The 110,000 square foot former Menards Home Improvement Center is currently undergoing the transformation from empty warehouse to the most exciting indoor mountain bike park the world has yet to behold.

Building upon the success of the our original Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park of Cleveland, Ohio, Ray’s of Milwaukee will provide cyclists from across the Midwest an unrivaled place to ride, train, and develop their skills throughout the long winter months when local trails are closed or often unridable.

Ray Petro, founder and namesake of Ray’s Indoor MTB Park, had quietly planned the opening of a second Ray’s Milwaukee locale for the past few years. When financing stalled at the last minute, Trek Bicycle stepped in to purchase the business and ensure the continued expansion of Petro’s indoor MTB park vision.

In case you missed that last little bit, Ray’s is now owned by Trek which is convenient since Trek’s HQ is located less than 100 miles from Milwaukee in Madison. Does this cash infusion mean we may see indoor mountain bike parks popping up in more cities around the world? Let’s hope so!

Get more info about both parks at raysmtb.com.

Tri-Flow and Ray’s Indoor MTB Park are holding the second annual XC Indoor Invitational Jan 15-17 at Ray’s in Cleveland. The race is open to pro riders only and after qualifying rounds on Friday, the top riders will compete in a time trial around the XC course. No word on how long the course is or how many laps the riders will complete but I’d say to qualify as an XC race it should be at least 10 miles long.

Pro mountain bikers including Jeremiah Bishop, Nick Waite, and Sue Haywood will be competing for a piece of the $5,000 cash purse. On Sunday the public is invited to meet some of the pro riders and maybe even sneak in a lap or two around the course.

If that isn’t enough indoor MTB action for you, check out these videos. The first is a 1990s indoor mountain bike race that appears to take place on a BMX track. The announcer says the riders will complete 40-something laps for a total of 12 miles!

This next video was shot during the 2007 Red Bull Ride the Sky challenge. This has to be the most creative indoor MTB course ever constructed.

Who would have thought riding mountain bikes indoors was so common and established?