Bike Duluth Festival wheels in tons of support

Even while bikers are racing down the trails, Bike Fest Duluth is packed with people who have come to support.

“Watching these races is almost as fun as doing them. So yeah, incredible spectator event as well,” said Ansel Schimpff, Executive Director of Cyclists of Gitche Gumme Shores (COGGS) and member of the Bike Duluth planning committee.

The more visitors riding to Spirit Mountain for the event weekend, the more volunteers are needed to run the show.

“Volunteers are kind of the only way that we can have events like this. So, we put out a lot of asks to the community and the community really realizes how important these trails and the riders that are coming to Duluth are for the whole city. And so, people just come out and support it and we got some really great business sponsors as well. So yeah, it’s really a whole community event and everyone comes together and makes it happen,” said Schimpff.

For the past four years, there has been one sponsor at Bike Fest Duluth that has allowed a different kind of athlete to the festival.

“We’re providing an opportunity for individuals with lower extremity, physical disabilities to experience and enjoy the sport of off-road cycling and through some of the adaptive technology that our program owns,” said Eric Larson, manager of the Northland Adaptive Recreation Programs.

The Northland Adaptive Recreation Programs hosted lessons and demos for attendees unable to ride a traditional bike at the event.

There were different styles of tricycles to demo, and volunteers helped to fit the styles to each rider to ensure comfort and success.

“It’s a real refreshing thing to see more people involved in the sport. a lot of us take for granted and can go out and do at any moment. Folks with a spinal cord injury often don’t get to participate as freely and as openly as a lot of us able bodied people do,” said Larson.

Even after racers of all shapes and sizes cross the finish line, the support for Duluth Mountain biking will remain strong for years to come.

To learn more about Bike Fest Duluth, go to Bike Fest Duluth (bikeduluthfestival.com)