Long Way Home Bike Festival
About the event
Welch Village Mountain Bike Park invites you to race, spectate, and experience the Long Way Home Bike Festival this summer on August, 10th, 2019. The festival's main event will feature an enduro race beginning Saturday morning and continuing until late afternoon, followed by a beer garden and live music. Fun events, including a clunker toss, adult strider bike race, and more will round out the evening.The Race
The Long Way Home Bike Festival will hold the Twin Cities area's first ever enduro race. Racers will contest five timed downhill stages on existing and new trails. The fastest riders won't just be competing for bragging rights, there will be cash prizes offered for men's and women's podium positions."Welch Village is proud to bring a mountain bike enduro race event to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. We are confident that purpose-built gravity trails & terrain will offer a great experience to riders from around the Midwest."
Peter Zotalis - President, Welch Village
Enduro racing is a relatively new discipline in mountain biking; testing every aspect of a rider's skillset by blending timed downhill stages with time-limited uphill climbs. Over the course of five stages, racers will pedal their bikes from the base area to the top of the hill within a time window before racing back down against the clock. If a rider exceeds the period of time allowed for completing the uphill climb, they receive a penalty. The day's overall winner will be the rider with the fastest cumulative downhill time, including accrued penalties. Enduro is an exciting race format that rewards that can balance the flat-out sprint of downhill racing with the endurance required of cross-country athletes.
The 5 downhill stages will take place on the 5 existing downhill trails at Welch Village: Squirrel Catcher, Joy Ride, Aquaman, Eagle Eye, & Air Bear. The uphill stages will take place on the same uphill trail (up Long Way Home!). Map coming soon!
- Registration capped at 100 riders 5 timed downhill stages.
- 4 uphill liaison stages, 1 lift assisted liaison
- Cash payouts for men's & women's categories
Race Registration
The Long Way Home Bike Festival enduro race is aimed at experienced mountain bikers riding capable, full-suspension bikes. All racers will be entered in an open class in separate men's and women's divisions. There is no age restriction but it is recommended racers be 16 years of age or older. Minors will require a parent/legal guardian to sign a release form. A helmet is required and full face protection and pads/guards is highly recommended. Podium positions will be awarded cash prizes. Amount TBD. The course map will be released one-week before race day.Long Way Home Enduro Race Entry - $65.00
Race Day: Saturday, August 10th
Register Now!
Registration ends on July 27th! - Space is Limited!
Race entries are non-refundable and non-transferable
Volunteer Information
Help make our inaugural festival a success! Volunteers are needed for everything from course marshaling, registration, food and beverage, and more. Add your name to the list and register below. Each volunteer will receive an event t-shirt and a beverage of choice.
Sign up for volunteering by sending an email to info@welchvillage.com
Tentative Schedule of Events
8:30am - 2:00pm: Enduro Race
1:00pm: Mountain Bike Park & Chairlift Open to Public (3 trails open right away; all trails open around 2pm)
1:00 - 6:00pm: FREE Norco & Giant Bike Demo; must have a paid bike park ticket or season pass
5:00 - 7:00pm: Live Music from The Shackeltons; Bent Paddle Beer Garden; Clunker Toss & other fun activities; Raffle
7:00: Mountain Bike Park closes
Upcoming Events
- There are no events at this time.
