8/11/2019 Wydaho Bike Event

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Photo courtesy Mark Fisher of Fisher Creative.

By Casey Archibaldcarchibald@postregister.com

Recreationalists rom Ida-ho and Wyoming alikewill gather or the ourthannual Wydaho Ren-dezvous Mountain Bike

estival in the eton Valley Aug. 30hrough Sept. 1.

Te event started our years agohen a committee associated witheton rails and Pathways had a meet-

ng to brainstorm ways they couldmplement the use o the trails in theeton Valley area. Tey came up withhe name based on the rendezvous heldy traders and trappers in the 1830s.

Since then, the event has grown romsmall gathering o mountain bike and

rail enthusiasts to an annual, three-dayendezvous with dozens o sponsorsnd hundreds o attendees.

Te whole committee that puts thisestival together is completely made up volunteers. Te event itsel is runy about 40 volunteers who help usut this all together said im Adams,

he Executive Director o eton Valleyrails and Pathways (VAP).

For the rst time, the estivals cen-ral location will be the Grand argheeesort in Alta, Wyo.

According to David reinis, Wyd-ho Festival Development Manager,Grand arghee Resort is a partnerith VAP and a big part o the Fes-

ival organization, offerings, and pub-icity.

Grand arghee Resort has been aarticipating member o the Wydahoendezvous in past years, but the re-

orts ideal biking location, lif-accessor downhill biking and the 37 multi-se trails prompted coordinators toave Grand arghee host the entire

vent.Camp grounds, hotels, condos, town

omes and vacation homes are avail-ble or reservation through the Grandarghee Resort website.

We are very excited that Grandarghee is going to be the hub o thectivities. With all the trail work weave been doing, it is the perect venue

or this kind o event, said Ken Rider,irector o Marketing and Sales orrand arghee Resort.Rider said he hopes the estival will

elp people recognize the eton Val-ey area as a great destination not onlyuring the winter, but the summer asell.Te entire communit benets

[rom the estival] because this areais becoming a mountain bike destina-tion. Te more destination visitors webring in, the more the community willhave the opportunity or a more robusttourism market. It is bringing more po-tential tourists to the region and givesthem the opportunity or recreation inthis beautiul setting, said Rider.

Adams said though the majority ovisitors are rom the intermountainwest, a handul come to the event romplaces like Florida or Massachusetts.He said they even had a biker comerom Japan to attend the event.

We are looking to have more peo-ple rom the Snake River plain come tothe estival. Its a great event or peoplerom warmer regions to catch a breakrom the heat and spend quality timewith their amilies, said reinis.

Te registration price or the eventincludes access to several different ele-ments o the estival or all three da s.

Attendees will receive raffl e tickets,party entrance, drinks and swag bags.Tey will also be able to take part inbike demonstrations.

reinis explained that the abilityto participate in the mountain bikedemonstrations is one o the mainperks to registering or the estival.

Biking experts and beginners alikewill be able to test-ride bikes aroundthe eton Valley trails or an hour orlonger per demo. reinis said represen-tatives rom six o the top bike compa-nies will be in attendance to present thelatest models o mountain bikes on themarket.

Tese bikes are top-o-the-line andcurrent with the newest technology,said reinis. Some have hydraulic discbrakes and shock absorption systemsand other eatures that are scaled down

versions o those on motorized bikes.Tere are very ew places you can [test-ride bikes] like this in the countr . o

have six o the top companies all in thesame place is an exceptional opportu-nity.

Te Wydaho Festival will eatureseveral different events, clinics and bikerides throughout the weekend.

Te clinics are workshops that occur

daily and many will be taught by staffmembers rom a renowned mountainbike instruction group called RipStoke.

Members o the RipStoke team willalso be perorming live entertainmenteaturing mountain biking tricks, tech-niques and maneuvers through chal-lenging obstacles.

Clinics range in skill level rom be-ginners and children to biking connois-seurs who wish to learn more aboutnavigating through intricate coursesand extreme terrain.

Our goal is to include the amily ele-ment in the estival. Mountain biking issomething that amilies can do togetherand there will be clinics and things kidscan enjoy as well, said reinis.

Group rides will also be available ev-ery morning and evening to registeredattendees and directed by Wydahosproessionally-trained volunteers. Mostrides are two to three hours long andwill take place in several areas aroundthe eton Valley.

Te group rides are inormal andtotally ree afer registration. Tey are agreat way or people to develop riend-ships, be social, and take a un ride withno competition, said Adams.

Group rides aside, there is still plen-ty o room or a little healthy competi-tion at the Wydaho Rendezvous. Racesare planned to take place during thethree day estival as well. Te DownhillRace will take lace on Saturda and

will include a variety o downhill jumpsand obstacles.

A virtual race, called the Cross Coun-try Race, will take place throughout theweekend, and winners will be determinedSunday evening. Riders can downloada smart phone application called Strava,

which allows them to track their racethrough an internal GPS in their phones.Festival attendees are encouraged to ridethe set course at their own leisure andmultiple attempts are welcome.

Results o the race are then upload-ed and tallied at the end o the estival.Prizes will be given out to race winners.

reinis explained that one o the pri-mary goals o the estival is to share thewealth o the trails that are in the etonValley area.

We want people to know that thetrails are a valued and threatened re-source. rails are dynamic; they have tobe maintained. Tere is some steward-ship that comes with living in an areawith such great bike trails. We want toget people out on those trails, especiallyamilies. Tat will help ensure that u-ture generations will maintain and de-

velop them as well, said reinis.Te Wydaho estival will also eature

parties in the evenings with live music,ood, drinks and entertainment. Ad-ams said the goal is to provide an en-

vironment where people can not onlyenjoy biking, but make riends and so-cialize as well.

Its great to see people coming to-gether, sharing stories and being excit-ed about mountain biking. It makes mesmile and helps me realize we have doneour job. Tat is what I love, watching allthese people; seeing the new riendships,the atherin s the smiles, said Adams.

Annual mountain biking event better than ever

Photo courtesy Eric Helgoth.

Photo courtesy Mark Fisher of Fisher Creative.