The Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival is right around the corner, happening the first weekend of April, the 5th-6th. Technically, it’s in Aptos, CA, not Santa Cruz, but that’s OK, because we all love Santa Cruz, and a lot of the folks at the event live in SC, the more famous neighbor of Aptos.
This is an awesome 2 day, action packed event. Tons happening at festival ground zero. A jammed vendor village, beer garden and food trucks everywhere. With a full schedule of jump jams, kids races, and pump track mayhem, there’s certainly something for everyone. Early morning til evening, ending with music and beers. Really tough to beat.
Kids, women, pro and amateurs alike will be moshing it up at the famous Aptos Post Office jumps. With a highly concentrated vendor area and the food and beverages smack dab next to the riding area, things are nice and tight and there’s always jump action to watch while having lunch and hanging with friends.
One of the really cool things about this event is that it’s run entirely on solar power provided by on-site solar arrays. Everything! This is awesome. No car parking on-site encourages bike commuting, and last year, 65% of the waste went into recycling, instead of a landfill. Attendees and vendors were encouraged to bring their own water bottles and take advantage of free filtered water from a custom water bar built by local company Zuvo Water. All things that make this event a lot more socially and environmentally conscious than many other large group happenings.
For those of you wanting to get up into some of the riding that made Santa Cruz famous, check out the enduro clinics offered by Lindsey and Kirt Vories and their company, All Ride. Get into some amazing riding in the Demo Forest and maybe hit the new flow trail, being worked on and buffed out over the winter.
Bike demos will be available from a number of companies. Try out the new rig, then meet up with the rest of your family back at festival village, grab a burger and cold one and enjoy some music.
The Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival was created by Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBoSC) to celebrate the world class mountain bike facilities, riders, and cycling industry of Santa Cruz county, and to raise funds to support local bike projects.
The family-friendly, eco-conscious event continues to grow year after year with the generous support of its sponsors, volunteers, and community—and its success testifies to the depth of the mountain bike culture in Santa Cruz county. For more information, check out the Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival site. See you there!
Photos courtesy Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival
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