• Mountain Bike race
• 8.5 miles long.
• Aprox. 3 miles of single track, ladder bridges
• intermediate skill level

Five categories:

• Competition (men/women)
• Sport (men/women)
• Youth 17 and under

Prizes for winners.
Early Registration through May 18th.

• $19 for race only
• $25 for race with a t-shirt.
• Late Registration $25 race only.
• Free kids (13 and under) race at bike park 12:00 start

Bike shop demo rides at bike park 11:00-2:00pm
Registration sites will be, active.com and athlete360.com
Contact: Darin Ph 420-1340 or Cougar 369-1708

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Though it met with some controversy in the planning and approval stages, Eagle Mountain’s new bike park has become a hit.

Justin Komoroski, 22, of Eagle Mountain, has been freestyle biking since he was a boy. He used to drive to Orem and other cities to find places to bike, but with the new park just minutes from his home, he uses it at least an hour every day.

“Finally I can stay in my own city and do what I love to do,” Komoroski said.

Chase Anderson, 20, met Komoroski at the park on Saturday. He uses the park two or three times a week.

“It’s kind of like freedom,” Anderson said. “Personal expression. You can do what you want and be yourself. They’ve done a great job. It’s been built by people who ride, which is nice, instead of by someone with a schematic.”

For the youth of Eagle Mountain, the park is a godsend among the relentless desert sagebrush and hordes of grasshoppers.

“I love it,” Anderson said. “It gives a lot of kids out here something to do. When we first came here, we had nothing to do but terrorize the neighborhood. Now we can just grab a bike and come ride.”

To make the park a reality, local bike enthusiasts worked with the Wasatch Area Freeride Trail Association, which is a Utah-based nonprofit mountain biking group, and a local homeowners association. Advocates have said the park is Utah’s first full-service bike park.

Opened this spring, the park is built on 10 acres of utility easement east of the Castle Rock subdivision and south of Golden Eagle Road within The Ranches. The park was built by volunteers, with the city paying for materials.

Komoroski spent many days’ worth of work as a volunteer helping to build the park. Anderson also helped build the park.

“We’ve been pretty lucky since our new mayor [Heather Jackson] came in,” Komoroski said. “She’s all about parks and recreation.”

On Saturday, Komoroski was riding his $600 TRL3 freestyle bike over a series of clay hills created as jumps, catching air as he went from jump to jump.

“It’s just exciting to have it here,” he said of the park.

The best part is that there are wooden ramps, clay jumps and mountain trails, providing something for everyone with a mountain biking interest, he said.

At first neighbors were opposed to the park, but as they have seen it used, they have begun to come around, Komoroski said.

Greg Johnson was one of those neighbors who spoke against the park when it was approved by the city in May 2008. He lives immediately adjacent, his front door just feet from the park trail.

“We were one of those neighbors who initially was pretty adamantly opposed,” Johnson said. “As it turns out, I don’t think it was that bad.”

His primary concern had been that it would turn “into a dust bowl,” he said, but volunteers and the city have worked hard to keep the park in great shape. There was no dust on Saturday on the dirt trails created from clay baked hard by the sun.

Johnson said he has been impressed with the work the city has done to plant trees at the park. And the park is well used by people of all ages, everyday.

Initially Johnson said he argued that the park would decrease property values but now, “I think it has actually enhances property values,” he said.

via Eagle Mountain bike park wins fans .

As part of the Park City Film Series, Freedom Riders will be showing at the Jim Santy Auditorium (1255 Park Ave.) this weekend for two final Utah dates. Freedom Riders, from KGB Productions, tells the story of a group of rogue trail builders turned good guys as they forge a relationship with the National Forest to build some of the most progressive and sustainable freeride/DH trails around.

Hop on up to Park City and enjoy a showing to learn the story of the Teton Pass Freedom Riders. The film is superb and the story is a testament to the dedication and the spirit of cooperation when people of different mindsets get together for a common goal–sustainable mountain biking trails.

When: June 20 and 21

Where: Jim Santy Auditorium (1255 Park Ave in Park City)

Showtime: 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm)

Tickets: $10.00

via Freedom Riders Showing in Park City: June 20 & 21 – FeedTheHabit.com .

Listen kids, we all know that protective gear is there to help us out, and you may think that it is uncool to wear a helmet, but it just takes once, and you are a believer. If you are looking for a fly helmet that will totally make you look like a cool dude, check out these Pro-Tec Helmets or maybe try out the Giro Hex. I think this is the next helmet that I am going to buy.

Remember to play it safe, biking in the park is inherently dangerous, and helmets (and other related gear) can help you from getting hurt.

Just got an email from Cougar with a few more tips. if you are looking for information about helmets, check out the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, a huge resource for information about bike helmets. If money is an issue, here is a site that offers $3 helmets and has free shipping. There is no reason anyone should be on a bike without a helmet.

This last weekend, I was in California for a conference, and I missed the big grand opening. I sent my wife to win the bike frame, and whatever other goodies she could in my absence. I wanted to be there so bad, you have no idea. So, when I got back, I was dying to get up on the hill and try out some of the new features that were built. The first new obstacle was the ladder on the lower part of the Juniper trail.

Lower Juniper

This new feature offers two exits. The first on the left offers a small drop, and the second goes a little skinnier, and offers a larger drop.

Upper Juniper
After completing the lower loop, and rounding out to the bottom, I header for the top again to see the new features on the upper part of the trail. The first new feature is a long teeter-totter.

Almost immediately, there is a new skinny feature that this humble bike would call the most advanced feature in the park. There is a small climb, and a quick left turn followed by another left turn through the trees on a footing that gets narrower the further you get down it.

Once you get to the end, you only have about eight inches of wood below you, and a quick drop that follows. My first time attempting, I bailed at the end, taking out the small tree to the left of the trail. Best of all, I bent up my front crank, and shattered the screen on my phone. $200 later, I have a new phone, and bike parts are bent back into shape! Time to ride again!

Thanks again to all the hustle that everyone put into building these great new features! They are a blast to ride, and add a lot of depth to the trail.

First off, Fox13

And KSL

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Riding the Flintstone trail…

Apologies to Darrin and Coug, the camera was at the bottom of the hill when five guys took the drop all in line…

• When: Thursday May 28, 7-9pm
• Where: Brewviews – 761 South 200 West, Salt Lake City
• What: Cool film, good eats, beverages, tons of swag including a frame from GoRide.com. Ages 21+ only.
• Cost: $10 at the door, includes raffle ticket
• Show Times: 7pm and 9pm

The trailer looks great, I can’t wait to see it. If you want to carpool up, let me know.

Freedom Riders Showing in Salt Lake – FeedTheHabit.com .