Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival 2013

Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival 2013

The 4th Annual Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival will celebrate Santa Cruz County’s mountain bike culture the weekend of April 13-14, 2013 in Aptos, California.

This family and spectator friendly event offers activities in addition to competitive events and skills clinic, with free admittance to the Expo area. Bike aficionados can visit industry vendors, test ride demo bikes from some of the leading bike manufacturers on the planet, and take a shuttle to the top of Soquel Demonstration Forest. Buy or maybe even win some of the mountain bike gear offered by festival sponsors.

Children aged 3-12 can try their skills at the Kids’ Rodeo, tackling obstacles in a challenging and supportive environment.

The Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz, which hosts the event, have a nice sized mountain of events planned this year, including:

  • Specialized/Scotts Valley Cycle Sport Short Track: XC racers weave and wind their way through the heart of the festival, speeding by the vendor booths, rallying through off-camber corners and pumping their way through berms and rollers. The 2013 race will run on a true mountain biker’s course—the most fun half mile of singletrack in a closed course anywhere.
  • Epicenter Cycling/Saris Cycling Group Pump Track Pandemonium: Pitting riders against the clock, this contest proves who has the skill to shred the hardest and pump the fastest through the perfectly apexed berms of the Aptos pump track’s newly expanded, improved course.
  • Summer Gravity Camps 831 Amateur Jump Contest: Amateur rippers show off their stand-out moves on the big jump line, vying for the grand prize—a week-long camp experience at Andrew Shandro’s Summer Gravity Camps in Whistler, B.C. Cam McCaul and Ryan Howard are slated to judge this exciting event held at the renowned Aptos Post Office jumps.
  • 831 Pro Jump Jam: The grand finale of the festival, the 831 Pro Jump Jam features local and out of town pros pulling huge tricks, promising to be a real crowd pleaser as always.
  • Kids’ Fun Lap: Children put on their race face and shred one lap around the “big kids” short track course and all win a prize. This event has no registration fee.
  • Sweetlines/Clif Bar Bike Skills Clinics: Pro rider Kat Sweet of Sweetlines will host two co-ed bike skills clinics—Mountain Bike Skills (for beginners and intermediates) and Enduro Skills (for intermediate to advanced riders). Participants will learn from IMIC certified coaches (including Lindsay Currier, Tammy Donahugh, Lisa Tharp and Lindsey Voreis) to get the most out of their rides.
  • Kat Sweet brings Sugar Showdown to the Aptos Post Office Jumps: Kat Sweet’s two day event for the ladies includes a day of skills coaching followed by a day of competition. Skills focus on jumping, pumping, railing berms, and tricks. The comp—open to all amateur and pro women—is a fun way for clinic participants and other amateur riders to push their limits to the next level, as well as an excellent opportunity to showcase the top pros, inspiring women to follow their lead.

Register now through March 24 for early bird discounts of up to $10 for these events.

Because no parking is available at the festival grounds behind Aptos Village Shopping Center, the Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz encourage you to ride your commuter bike to the festival, use the free, secure bike valet parking, and borrow a demo bike from one of the many bike demo vendors.

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