The popular Rossland Rubberhead Bike Festival is back and promises to be better than ever.
The festival in recent years has been held in conjunction with the Seven-Summits ride in early September. But this year, the festival is independent with new venues, exciting racing and high-flying slope-style action.
All events go on Sunday with the Dreadhead Super-D moving locations from Red Mountain to the super flowy (and slightly technical) Larch Ridge and Montecola trails in the Neptune Forestry road area just outside of Rossland on Highway 3B.
These trails, buffed lovingly by the Kootenay Columbia Trail Society, offer a combined 4.5 kilometres of single track and involve 120 metres of climbing and 335 metres of descent.
This makes for a race with some pedaling to favour the physically fit but enough downhill to require technical skill, speed and a good dose of “give’r.”
“This year’s Dreadhead venue is excellent for intermediate to advanced riders looking to test their fitness and technical riding ability,” says race director Ryan Kuhn.
“I think everyone will be finishing the course with a big smile on their faces.”
Categories for the Dreadhead include men and women in age groupings of 15-18 Juniors, 19-39 Seniors and 40+ Masters.
As for training, the trails can be ridden anytime but, being the Thanksgiving long weekend, racers will also have all day Saturday to pre-run the course.
Recent wet weather has softened up the trails, creating optimum conditions for Rubberheads.
The Huck-en Berry bike jam returns at the recently revamped Centennial dirt jumps. The Huck-en Berry is a mountain bike slope-styles event for all ages. Made to challenge avid mountain bikers to create aerial style, finesse, creativity and best of all, fun. Riders will make there way down a course filled will intermediate and advanced features (jumps and bridges) to be crowned King or Queen Berry Hucker. The format will be jam style with riders judging each other’s runs. Participants will get up to four runs depending on time with winner prizes in all categories. Sweet tunes will be filling the air, getting riders and spectators pumped for fun.
Awards for both events will be presented at the conclusion of the Huck-en Berries event and savory food, refreshments and music will fuel the after party.
The Dreadhead will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude approximately 1 p.m. A mandatory riders meeting will be held at 8:15 a.m. at the Biathlon parking lot on highway 3B near the race start. Registration is at Revolution Cycles and Service in downtown Rossland. Also, a registration table will be set up outside Revolution on the Saturday before to pick up race packages from noon to 5 p.m., and last minute registration will start at 7:30 a.m. at the Blackjack Biathlon parking lot.
Slope-style registration will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 9 at the Centennial Dirt Jumps. Slope-style Training will be available from noon to 4 p.m., with the Jam running from 4 to 6:30 p.m., awards to follow.
Call 362-5688 for more info.