HURRICANE— The sixth annual Hurricane Mountain Bike Festival welcomed 400 participants this year, more than twice the turnout from last year’s event.
“We have gotten great feedback about the event and are excited to see it continue to grow,” Kevin Lewis, director of the Washington County Office of Sports and Outdoor Recreation, said. “We really appreciate the effort that Over the Edge Sports has made to create such a quality event.”
The three-day festival featured scheduled rides, live entertainment, games, prizes, pancake breakfast, a Dutch oven dinner and a beer garden.
Participants were able to try demo bikes from several top cycling vendors including Rocky Mountain, Knolly, Ibis, BMC, Niner, Pivot, Trek, Giant, Fuji, Scott Bikes, Kona, Guerrilla Gravity, Marin Bikes, SR Suntour, Novatec Wheels, Club Ride Apparel, Industry Nine, RacAttach, IMBA, Kali Helments and BH Bikes.
“We had 25 industry-leading companies represented this year, which really made an impact on our participants,” festival director DJ Morisette said. “That and the new additions of a pump track and skills clinic caught people’s attention.”
This year’s event featured new, kid-friendly and interactive activities. A new recreational activity called a pump track was available for children and families to enjoy. Another addition were three skills clinics offered throughout the weekend for riders who wanted some extra practice before hitting the trails.
Hurricane is home to many world-renowned trails including the Gooseberry Mesa, the J.E.M. Trail, Little Creek Mountain and others.
“This area provides some of the best mountain biking in the world,” Lewis said. “It’s no wonder we have gained so much popularity in the mountain biking community over the last few years.”
Hurricane was recently tagged as “the next great slick rock biking town” by National Geographic Adventure, Lewis added.
About Washington County Office of Sports and Recreation
The Washington County Office of Sports and Recreation was created to help build on the brand of this area as a world-class destination for sports and outdoor recreation.
The office services the needs associated with growth in sports tourism including the opportunities it provides as well as the impact it has on our communities, and the demand it places on our sports and recreation assets. It plays a coordinating role in bringing business, government, sports and community leaders together to strengthen their brand, manage resources and facilitate the infrastructure needed to attract appropriate sporting events, enhance recreational opportunities throughout the county, infuse economic impact and enrich the quality of life for our residents.
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Sounds like it would have been a great event. I just wish articles posted in this area were a little more pre-event instead of always after the fact. Many times I am reading about how something was and it’s a shame.
Wolverine,
Thank you for commenting. While we don’t always know about events beforehand, there actually was a pre-event article for the Bike Festival published on March 4. Here is the link:
http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2016/03/04/upcoming-hurricane-mountain-bike-festival-offers-one-of-a-kind-experience-new-pump-track-skills-clinics/#.VvvwXuIrK00
Thanks again for taking the time to comment and for reading St. George News.
Paul Dail
Editor, Reporter
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