Join the fun at the Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival coming Saturday, October 4th, at the West Trailhead at Lebanon Hills Regional Park, in Eagan, Minnesota. This fun-filled event is made possible through Dakota County Parks, a partnership with the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC), local area bike shops, businesses and organizations.
MORC and local bike shops at the 2013 Festival
In its second year this festive event will introduce new riders to the sport and for the avid mountain biker a chance to ride on one of Minnesota’s best mountain bike trail systems. Lebanon offers nearly 12 miles of single-track challenges, and on October 4th everyone will have the opportunity to demo the newest bikes on the market.
The Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival is a family-friendly, free event. However, Dakota Co. Parks would like those interested in attending to pre-register online or by calling 952-891-7000 during standard business hours. The fun on October 4, begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m. with many activities for the whole family.
Scheduled activities include Build Your Skills Sessions, Gear Talk Sessions, Fix-It Clinics and live music by Twin Cities bluegrass band Sans Souci. Throughout the day there will be bike tune-ups, kids activities, timed competitive events, group rides and a VIP Lounge presented by Freewheel Bike. Food and beverage, including beer and wine will be available for purchase on-site by Green Mill.
There will be plenty of new bikes from Felt, Giant, KHS, Specialized and Trek to demo at this year’s festival. With factory rigs there with brand new Mountain, Road and Cyclocross models to test ride on the mountain bike trails, a skills park and nearby bike paths. All demo rides are free, but may require you to bring your helmet, credit card and driver’s license to demo bikes. Along with MORC, sponsors include Penn Cycle, Erik’s Bike and Board, Trek, Freewheel Bike, Valley Bike and Ski and Health Source Chiropractic.
Parking is free but limited at the West Trailhead lot. Overflow event parking is available at the School of Environmental Studies (12155 Johnny Cake Ridge Road) located just South of the West Trailhead entrance. Additional street parking can be found in neighborhoods near the park.
This is a rain or shine event. Dakota County Parks will have a large canopy tent on-site to keep people dry if it does rain. Severe weather or lightening may postpone or cause events to be rescheduled later in the day. If wet trail conditions close the mountain bike trails, nearby paved trails and the old gravel parking lot are available for test-riding bikes. Check the Lebanon Hills Mountain Bike Trail Facebook page for hour-by- hour updates in the event of severe weather the day of the Festival.
Visit the Dakota County Parks Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival page for more information or call the Lebanon Hills Visitor Center at 651-554-6530.
