Rocktoberfest Rocks In Sierras

IMBA Trail News
Volume 12, Number 5
December 1999

Fat tires, family, friends, food, and fun. That was the motto of the GaleForce 1999 Rocktoberfest Bike Rally, held at Eagle Mountain Resort high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on September 25-26. IMBA staffers Pete Webber and Dan Vardamis attended the event this year, taking festival participants on an IMBA trailbuilding/fun ride.

On Sunday, the IMBA staffers guided about 30 festival participants around the trails of Eagle Mountain Resort ­ a popular nordic skiing and mountain biking center ­ while talking about proper trailbuilding techniques, environmentally sensitive riding and mountain biker trail etiquette. Eagle Mountain Resort owner and trail advocate Gene West attended the ride and offered a historical perspective of the area. West pointed out rock artwork drawn by Native Americans who inhabited the area more than five hundred years ago.

The previous day Webber and Vardamis met with USFS officials about trail access and distributed IMBA information to more than 200 Rocktoberfest participants. Webber and Vardamis also participated in the uniquely formatted race. The "race" featured an enduro style start, a tire changing contest, and a search for various costumed creatures lurking in woods adjacent to the course. Ex-pro rider Webber commented, "In all my years of racing I've never had to search for a gnome in the woods while riding my bike. This was a really fun event. It's great when promoters like GaleForce combine racing with trail advocacy."

Longtime IMBA supporters GaleForce, SRAM and Eagle Mountain Resort made the IMBA visit possible. SRAM covered travel expenses and GaleForce donated proceeds from a post-race raffle to IMBA.