General – Downhill Midwest

4-H Downhill Program in Iron County MO

Alex — Wed, 15 May 2024 19:24:14 +0000

A youth biking program for those who enjoy downhill!

Do you know a high schooler who enjoys mountain bikes, wants to join a group but maybe NICA isn’t their favorite?

The good people in Iron County Missouri have been working with their local 4-H chapter to give students an opportunity to gain the skills to race downhill or enduro as well as opportunities to get involved with the community through volunteer events!

Check out the flyer for more details on the program! Keep reading to learn more about how the program began and how you can start up a similar program.

The Iron County 4-H MTB Project began in 2022 when the Neusbaum’s (Nathan, Amanda, Tori, Roman & Gideon) gathered a few friends to ride. They started out on trails at their near-by state park, and also branched out into downhill. Okay, maybe downhill was always the goal as the amazing Shepherd Mountain Bike Park in Ironton, MO is in their backyard. From this the local 4-H Club asked if the Neusbaum’s would be willing to start a project through their organization.

The first season lasted just 8 weeks but had a dozen students plus a few parents. It was amazing to see the transition in the riders, who maybe didn’t fit-in in a group sport, as they thrived on the trails and saw that they could do more than what they ever thought they were capable of. The second season continued with cross country riding at the state park in the spring, and added downhill in the fall. Over the course of the first two years, they’ve had over 20 riders participate.

They hold weekly practices consisting of specific times for all skill levels, with overlapping time to learn special skills: bike maintenance, nutrition, fitness, bike skills, etc.

The logistics of running a group (insurance, background checks, funding) was a hurdle to overcome, but the 4-H’s youth leadership program already had the needed systems in place.

As a youth leadership organization, the 4-H riders get to practice what they’re learning by “coaching” and encouraging other students at weekly practices. This reinforces what they’ve learned and gives them the opportunity to develop leadership skills. They also help at the fundraisers, which include a funnel cake booth and a downhill race series, and participate in volunteer days at the places they ride.

We all know mountain biking is incredibly expensive and out of reach for most. With donations of bikes and safety gear, the Iron County 4-H MTB project is able to loan equipment to those who either wouldn’t be able to ride, or they are able to try it out before making a large purchase. The club also runs fundraisers and has received multiple grants to purchase bikes, pads and offer a helmet stipend.

Plans going forward include entering a few races a year as a team and continuing their downhill race series fundraiser, the Sketchyville 4-H Downhill Series at Shepherd Mountain Bike Park. They would also LOVE to see other clubs take on a MTB project to be able to do group rides and competitions.

If you want to join the Iron County team, or start your own, please reach out to 3sproutsfarm@gmail.com

Rhythm Looking for New Owners

Alex — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:40:34 +0000

Rhythm Bike and Board Co. located in Houghton MI recently announced on their social media that they are looking to pass on the reigns of the business to the next person (s). See the image for the announcement.

Rhythm was a major factor in my personal journey of becoming the mountain biker I am today. When I was touring the Michigan Tech campus, my mom and I stopped into Rhythm because, who doesn’t stop in every bike shop! They had a Scott Spark 60 on sale because it was the previous year’s model and they were kind enough to let me take the bike to the local trails. WOW, I was hooked.

This was my first time on a full suspension bike. First time on bike trails built on any kind of elevation with good flow. I had a blast!

I had grown up racing BMX bikes, then got into mountain bikes. But nothing like what I had just gotten to ride. I only knew entry level hardtails and 4 wheeler trails. DANG was this cool to ride a full suspension bike on mountain bike specific trails!

Being 15 or 16 at the time, I had just saved up $1,000 dollars that I was planning on using for my first dirt bike. So the combination of a nice bike and nice trails had me really excited, but confused as to which bike to buy. Pedal bike, or dirt bike?!

It didn’t take much thinking for me to choose the mountain bike over the dirt bike. And I am fully convinced that the desicion to buy this Scott Spark from Rhythm is a big reason I got as into mountain bikes to the capacity that I have.

Caleb and Steve were also very involved with the college team and the community in general.

So thank you Caleb and Steve for being a part of not only my story, but I’m certain many other’s as well. I wish you both the best!

To whomever decides to take over. You’ve got some big shoes to fill!

Cheers,

-Alex

Events Page is Live

Alex — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 16:17:00 +0000

There is now a list of events happening across the Midwest! The events listed are what I’ve been able to track down so far.

Check out the list! If you have an event that should be on it, send us an email with the details!

What type of events are we looking for?

Any event that is focused around the gravity side of the sport!

Do you have a downhill, enduro, or dual slalom race planned? Let’s add it to the list!

How about a dig day at the local dh trail (that really needs a new berm haha). Let’s add it to the list!

Does your shop host a local group ride for the enduro crowd? Let’s add it to the list!

The event doesn’t need to be a big event. The goal of this list is to help people find local events, or events they may want to travel to. This way riders can meet up and have fun together!

Events are a great way to find new riding partners, make friends, and help people get into the sport!

Local events and races are how many people can find a sense of community in this amazing sport. The bike community is full of amazing, welcoming people, but it can be hard to find them sometimes. Events bring us together! Let’s create some amazing events here in the midwest, big and small!

Submit your event today by sending us an email!

Loam Pass Launches and Includes Midwest Parks

Alex — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:30:36 +0000

Introducing Loam Pass, the ultimate MTB season pass

60+ days at 30+ destinations

You’ve seen it on the slopes, now it’s here for the trails:

The Loam Pass is a season pass to the most iconic mountain bike destinations around North America. With over 30 destinations, the Loam Pass unlocks access to premium resorts, epic bike parks, and shuttle services across the country. Similar to buying a multi-resort ski pass, Loam Pass is the ultimate multi-destination bike pass.

When you purchase a Loam Pass, you receive 2 free days of riding at each destination along with exclusive discounts and endless fun.

The why:

In an era where mountain biking is witnessing unprecedented growth, the introduction of Loam Pass marks a big step forward in making biking destinations more accessible and affordable, creating a pass that caters to all riders.

Many riders don’t get the opportunity to experience all the incredible bike parks North America has to offer. Loam Pass gives riders the access to explore diverse terrain and the freedom to travel in a more cost effective way. Whether you are a core rider or a weekend warrior, the Loam Pass has something for everyone.

2024 pass starting at $249

The 2024 Loam Pass is available now, starting at $249 at loampass.com. Prices will go up as more destinations are added, lock in your early pricing to get access to our growing list of destinations.

About Loam Pass:

Born from the vision of two professional mountain bikers on a chairlift, Loam Pass is the ultimate season pass for mountain biking enthusiasts. Offering unparalleled access to over 30 premier biking destinations across North America, Loam Pass is the key to unlocking over 60 days of adventure, making bike parks and resorts accessible and affordable for the biking community.

Quotes

“Massanutten Resort is thrilled about our partnership with Loam Pass this year. With recent trail and lift enhancements to an already diverse trail system, we are dedicated to providing exceptional experiences for all. We believe this partnership will offer a great opportunity to introduce more riders to our park.”

-Kameron Tucker, Mountain Sports Director of Massanutten Resort

“We’re excited to bring new riders to the southeast region with Loam Pass. As a park owner, we see a lot of value in making it easy for riders to travel to our park, and Loam Pass gives them the chance to experience new places like ours. We’re stoked to be a part of it!”

-Neko Mulally, Co-Owner of Kanuga and Rock Creek

“Mountain biking has never been bigger, yet the number of riders visiting resorts and bike parks doesn’t reflect this growth. We saw an opportunity to change that by making these destinations more affordable and easily accessible to the average rider. Loam Pass can pay for itself in just one trip. We are so excited to offer you the ultimate MTB season pass!”

-Rob Brown, Co-Founder of Loam Pass

“Being from up north, it’s common for riders to head south for some early season riding. This pass could make some of those roadtrips extra fun! Being able to stop at different parks and already have 2 passes will get me to stop at more parks!”

–Alex Anderson, Downhill Midwest

Find them on all your favorite social media:

Why Downhill Midwest Started

Alex — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:34:43 +0000

Vital MTB and Pinkbike both recently came out with their “master lists” of downhill races happening in the United States. Pinkbike’s was a bit more aimed at National level races, but Vital specifically called theirs the List of Regional and National Level Races.

Now I get that sometimes races will get missed. Especially one off events. But the Lake Superior Gravity Series has been going on for many years at this point and it isn’t mentioned anywhere in the either posts.

I love checking both Pinkbike and Vital to get news and information on what is happening in the mountain bike world. But the Midwest gravity scene gets little to no love on either of those platforms.

That is why I launched Downhill Midwest. I want there to be a place where the riders here in the Midwest can learn about what’s happening here. Maybe you live in downstate Michigan, if you don’t follow the right accounts and people on social media, you’ll never hear about the scene in Minnesota. Or maybe you live in Wisconsin, but are traveling to Ohio for work, but don’t know where to ride. You remember seeing a cool video here on DownhillMidwest.com of someone in Ohio and that’s how you learn about Horns Hill. Now you get to bring your bike with and ride a new bike park!

I’m hoping to grow this website to a place where the Midwest community can gather around our news, our content, and the events we are attending.

So if you have any videos, photos, event recaps, dig days, group rides, races, or just general information you want to share. Shoot an email to Alex@downhillmidwest.com so we can share your story!

Cheers!

-Alex

P.S. I’m not a web developer. I’m doing this all via the old YouTube educational system. So if you have some skills and would be able to teach me some things. That would be awesome!

2023 Outerbike Duluth

Alex — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 04:10:40 +0000

Outerbike came to visit Spirit Mountain in Duluth this last weekend. There were a number of companies on site. Many of them had bikes and products to demo. If you missed out on getting to talk to the awesome people under those demo tents, here are some conversations with those people!