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Mountain Biking News - Saturday 18 May 2013
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Sunday, 28 April 2013
Queenstown’s Rabbit Ridge Bike Resort got the thumbs up at the soft launch yesterday (Saturday 27 April) when members of the local biking community got to check out the newly-constructed trails.
Some last minute rain ensured the trails were ‘bedded in’ and locals of all ages and experiences took to the trails with vigour.
From experienced downhill bikers to familie s with children, everyone enjoyed the opportunity to test trails including the beginner ‘Bunny’ trail and intermediate Donnas Dually track.
The invitation-only event saw bikers, bike shop owners and front line staff experience the resort for the first time. Rabbit Ridge is a joint venture by local bike business Around the Basin and Gibbston Valley Winery and will be the area’s only year-round dedicated and serviced bike resort.
Rabbit Ridge Manager Steve Norton said it was great to finally see the local biking community being “thrilled” to have more local terrain to discover.
“It will take some time for the trails to settle in but in the meantime there is some great riding to be had out here,” he said.
Tours of Rabbit Ridge will be available from Monday (April 29 2013) and include return transport from Queenstown, shuttles to the top of the bike resort, refreshments on site and some include coaching from experienced bikers.
Gibbston Valley Winery CEO Greg Hunt officially launched the resort and said he had ‘quickly come up to speed’ on what makes a good bike resort.
“When I first showed the guys (Steve and John) the land I was pleasantly surprised when they said it was exceptionally well suited for a bike resort,” said Mr Hunt.
“The terrain, views and proximity to Queenstown make it perfect and it’s great to see all their hard work pay off. The trails are a fantastic addition to the local biking scene.
“I have to give John and Steve full credit for their vision and what they have created to date on the station.”
Ultimately Rabbit Ridge will feature 30km of tracks suitable for all levels of riders and initial trails include a new bike trail linking the resort with Gibbston Valley Winery.
While perfect for families and entry level bikers, it also has more challenging trails for experienced riders, all set in a spectacular remote setting.
Locals eagerly wanting to try out the new resort will be able to ride the trails on Free Locals Days scheduled for the first Saturday of every month, starting May 4.
A grand opening is planned for September when the park will be officially opened to the public when trails are fully constructed and bedded in.
“The trails mark just the tip of the iceberg for what’s planned here and eventually it will be a fully-functioning bike resort with accommodation, a café as well as other activities such as hiking, rock climbing, fly fishing, archery and many others suitable to this environment,” Mr Hunt added.
Friday, 26 April 2013
Deschutes Brewery is celebrating its silver anniversary in true Oregon style with a big party on the river in downtown Bend, and a 40-mile bike ride appropriately named "Black Butte to Mirror Pond." The celebrations are both taking place on Saturday, June 22. The bike ride, starts at the base of Black Butte and the route takes scenic dirt roads to end up at the finish line at Mirror Pond in downt
own Bend's Drake Park. The party will feature live music, including the funk-inspired sounds of headlining band Karl Denson's Tiny Universe.
"This ride is the perfect way to do something special and celebrate the landmarks that are the namesakes for our two flagship beers, Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale," said Jeff Billingsley, marketing director for the brewery. "At the finish line, riders can celebrate with beer, food, music and more at our anniversary party."
Riders should register for this celebratory ride as soon as possible as it is limited to 500 riders (250 per wave) and will be a one-time event. A shuttle will take participants to the base of Black Butte, leaving at either 8am or 10am. Riders will start their journey back to the party at 9:30am or 11:30am, respectively. More details about the ride and route can be found at blackbuttetomirrorpond.com. Pre-registration is $75 per rider before June 4 and proceeds from the event will benefit three local charities: Deschutes Land Trust, Deschutes River Conservancy and The Environmental Center.
The family-friendly anniversary celebration runs from 1pm to 9pm in Drake Park on Mirror Pond in downtown Bend. The party will feature live musical acts including local bands Precious Byrd & ElekraPod plus Andy Frasco and Talking Heads tribute band, Naďve Melodies. Headlining the celebration is the legendary Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. Look for some extra fun from local companies like Bend Circus Center and Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe. Food vendors will be on site and Deschutes beer will be flowing, of course!
About Deschutes Brewery
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Deschutes Brewery began as a brew pub in downtown Bend, Oregon and is known for such brands as Black Butte Porter, its flagship brew and the nation’s number one selling craft porter, and the popular Mirror Pond Pale Ale. In addition to its original Bend pub, this family and employee-owned brewery opened a second pub in Portland’s Pearl District in 2008. The company’s main brewing facility is located on the banks of the Deschutes River and produces over 250,000 barrels of beer annually for distribution in 20 states and two provinces. To find out more, visit http://www.DeschutesBrewery.com. @deschutesbeer
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
On May 18th, Jackie Saunders (leader of the Lansing lupus Support Group) and three friends will be biking roughly 100 miles from the Sparty Statue at Michigan State University to the Michigan Lupus Foundation Office in St. Clair Shores.
Jackie was diagnosed with lupus in 2010, and is doing this ride in celebration of the 1,160 days it has been since she was last in the hospital from lu pus, as well as in honor of her roommate’s mother, Maggie Ondrus, who passed away from lupus in 2001.
This incredible ride is an amazing feat by Jackie and her companions. You can follow her preparation leading up to the ride in her blog at gearlybeloved.wordpress.com. Jackie is also collecting donations for her cause at the same website. Please consider donating, as your support will help those with lupus and will motivate Jackie on her journey!
Monday, 22 April 2013
Queenstown’s new Rabbit Ridge Bike Resort will have a ‘soft’ opening on April 27 with riding available on some of the newly constructed trails. Rider numbers are limited to invitation only to reduce traffic and enable trails to bed in.
Invited local bikers, bike shop owners and front line staff will get to try out the new trails for the first time this weekend (April 27/28) at the new bike ‘playground’ on 400 hectares of land adjacent to Queenstown’s award-winning Gibbston Valley Winery.
Locals eagerly anticipating the opening of the new resort will then be able to ride the trails on Free Locals Days scheduled for the first Saturday of every month, starting May 6.
This week’s soft opening is being organised by local bike business Around the Basin together with Gibbston Valley Winery.
“The opening of the resort is being staged with limited riding available over winter to minimise any potential damage and allow trails to ‘bed in’,” said Rabbit Ridge manager Steve Norton.
“Extensive initial trails have been built with more underway and we’re planning to run a series of events out there throughout winter, including night riding and endurance races, which we’ll announce as we have more information.
“This terrain really is stunning. It’s world-class and a mountain biker’s paradise, with a range of accessible trails already in place and suitable for everyone.”
A grand opening is planned for September when the park will be officially opened to the public when trails are fully constructed and bedded in.
Gibbston Valley Winery CEO Greg Hunt said the company was “delighted” to put the company’s stunning Gibbston Valley Station land to such good use for visitors and locals.
“Rabbit Ridge Bike Resort will form an integral part of activities being offered in Gibbston for visitors,” he said.
“With the Queenstown Bike Trail linking Queenstown, Arrowtown and Gibbston, bike enthusiasts are heading to Gibbston to enjoy the scenery, the bike trails and the wineries. The Rabbit Ridge Bike Resort is a logical addition and will tie in with consented activities on Gibbston Valley Station including accommodation opportunities, food and wine, walking trails and golf,” he said.
Designed and developed by trail builder Ben Rafferty, the first tracks to open will provide a unique family-friendly resort with a base area for relaxing between runs.
Rabbit Ridge Bike Resort will ultimately feature 30km of tracks suitable for all levels of riders and initial trails include a new bike trail linking the resort with Gibbston Valley Winery.
It will be the area’s only year-round dedicated and serviced bike resort and is aimed at helping put Queenstown on the map with biking enthusiasts everywhere. While perfect for families and entry level bikers, it also has more challenging trails for experienced riders, all set in a spectacular remote setting.
Packages for guided riding experiences will be available from Monday April 29 2013. Bookings can be made at www.rabbitridge.co.nz.
Friday, 19 April 2013
BERKELEY, Calif. – The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) are pleased to introduce “The Spirit of Howdy,” a new trail etiquette initiative designed to illuminate and advance a trail riding ethos key to the national high school mountain biking movement.
A website, SpiritOfHowdy.org, offers mountain bike coaches tools for working with young athletes to engender responsible and respectful trail use practice and develop them as future trail stewards.
The initiative will be launched at the screening of Singletrack High at the Golden State Theater in Monterey, Calif. 7:30 p.m., April 20th. Board and staff members of both IMBA and NICA will be on hand to talk about the success of the program in its pilot phase.
NICA’s executive director, Austin McInerny, said, "Teaching young student-athletes that their behavior and riding style on the trail directly affects other trail user and the natural environment and, ultimately, the support from their schools, has always been central in our philosophy. Recently NICA student-athletes coined the phrase "Spirit of Howdy," and I'm thrilled to work with IMBA to launch the Spirit of Howdy website as the site effectively advances what our community stands for."
IMBA’s executive director, Mike van Abel, said, “The Spirit of Howdy campaign represents the values that both IMBA and NICA wish to teach our youth. The Spirit of Howdy is more than being friendly to other trail users — it’s also about caring for the trails and our environment, stewarding our parks and natural resources, and giving back to our communities.”
The idea behind Spirit of Howdy began back in the late 1990s when NICA founder, Matt Fritzinger, then a math teacher and coach, came up with a simple trail-use code for riders on his Berkeley High School team.
Fritzinger explained the rule as, “‘Slow down enough so you can say hello, AND they can say hello back. Work to have a friendly interaction. Add to their day with kindness, don’t take away from it.’ The kids got it, and that became a league-wide rule in Northern California.”
Featured on SpiritOfHowdy.org are NICA's code of conduct, IMBA's trail maintenance and building information, and also a form for other trail users to give feedback on mountain bikers they encounter.
NICA coaches, who have a good track record of working with hikers and equestrians, can now hand over a "how's my riding?" card with the URL for the feedback page.
The trail maintenance and building section of SpiritOfHowdy.org provides criteria to help coaches, student-athletes and land managers help identify and work to construct new sustainably constructed trails.
NICA’s high school mountain bike races take place in state parks, county parks, city parks, recreation areas, federally managed lands, and privately owned land as well. Without these race sites NICA’s racing and training programs would not exist.
More information: SpiritOfHowdy.org.
Who: NICA and IMBA staff and board members
What: Spirit of Howdy launch
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20th
Where: Golden State Theater, Monterey, California
Why: Engender responsible and respectful trail use practice in young mountain bikers and develop them as future park stewards
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