2nd Annual Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival at Lebanon Hills October 4th

The 2nd Annual Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival is coming up on Saturday, October 4th at the West Trailhead at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan.  This fun-filled event is made possible through Dakota County Parks and a partnering with MORC (Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists), local area bike shops, businesses and organizations.

Join in on the fun and celebrate one of Minnesota's best mountain bike trail systems and the many hours of volunteer work that MORC members have put in to maintain nearly 12 miles of single-track.  This event is not only for the avid mountain biker but also a fun and festive way to introduce new riders to the sport.

Image Credit: Dakota County Parks

The Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival is a family-friendly free event, however Dakota Co. Parks would like attendees to pre-register online or by calling 952-891-7000 during standard business hours.  Come down between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm for a day filled with activities.

Image Credit: Lebanon Hills Mountain Bike Trail Facebook Page

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 to demo at this year's festival.  The Trek Factory Demo Rig will be there with brand new Mountain, Road and Cyclocross models to test ride on the mountain bike trails, skills park and nearby bike paths.  The Specialized Demo Rig loaded with 2015 men's, women's and kid's bikes will also be there and event partner Valley Bike and Ski is coming with Giant, Felt & KHS demo models.  All demo rides are free but may require you to bring your helmet, credit card and driver's license to demo bikes.

 

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 along Galaxie Avenue on the west side of the park and in neighborhoods near the park.

Image Credit: Lebanon Hills Mountain Bike Trail Facebook Page

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.  Thanks to Event Partners MORC, Penn Cycle, Erik's Bike and Board, Trek, Freewheel Bike, Valley Bike and Ski and Health Source Chiropractic for making the Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival possible.