In 2022, Tony and I traveled to Fayetteville, WV to help David Krut and Travis Brown host their first bike trials competition at the Arrowhead Bike Farm. Unfortunately, I could not make it out there in 2023, but this year Jim and I traveled out for the 3rd annual comp at Arrowhead. This year’s event was every bit as fun as the first year. In fact, this is a great example of how to engage not only with pure trials riders, but also with the mountain biking community. As you’ll see in the videos, there are fun games in addition to the competition itself. And, there was great participation with people on mountain bikes, including some 1st time competitors.
It’s a bit of a hike to get out there – about a 11 hours of driving if you minimize stops to pretty much just getting gas and using the bathroom. So Jim drove to my house early Friday morning… early enough that we left my house around 4 am to get on the road. This worked out nicely, since we arrived in the afternoon, and quickly pitched our tents in the onsite camping area before the rain hit.
The ticket for the trials competition included onsite camping in the field, just a stone’s throw from the trials competition, making it really convenient. Online registration for the event (with the optional camping) meant all we had to do was just show up. Coffee shops are just a few minutes drive to downtown, which was a huge bonus. And the Arrowhead Bike Farm includes a restaurant that serves lunch and dinner, as well as a selection of beers and hard ciders – some of which are relatively local. To keep things simple, we ate meals at the Bike Farm, except for the morning coffee runs, which totally hit the spot.
This year’s event included some of the folks I met the first time I was out here, some of the riders I’ve met in Bentonville, riders I’d only met online, and some new faces. This included a few pleasant surprises. Fefo (a.k.a., Freddy) Astrada came out from Madison, Wisconsin, bringing another local trials rider from out there (Zech Brink). Ryan Bratton also showed up, driving in from the Bentonville, AR area. Andrew Tonkery drove over from North Carolina (I finally got to meet him in person!). Owen Fields and his family drove out from Kentucky – he’s now riding at the expert level. Jen Everhard and Jason Disch made it out again – both showing improvement since the last time I saw them ride. It was also pretty cool seeing the Wayne family again (who drove down from Cleveland, OH), and witnessing the improvement in skill for the entire family. Of course David Krut and Hunter Rigby are local to Fayettville, so seeing them wasn’t a surprise, but was no less special. There were a number of other riders as well (all with mountain bikes?), though I didn’t have the opportunity to meet them all.
The event started with a couple games again this year, which are always a lot of fun – whether you’re participating or just watching. Hilarity typically ensues, so there’s plenty of laughter. But it’s also a fun way to use your trials skills. There were two games this year: footdown, and trials soccer.
In footdown, the objective is to ride around in an area that gets progressively smaller without putting a foot down. The last one to put a foot down wins. The soccer is pretty much what you would expect. You can hit the ball with your foot or bike, but if you put a foot down you need to go all the way back to your end of the field before coming back to the ball. As in traditional soccer, the team with the most goals wins.
I’ve participated in several events that have included games in addition to the trials competition itself, and it’s always a good time. Not only is it fun, but it allows participation for all skill levels. I believe that including fun activities like this during trials competitions helps foster a sense of community, engages riders (particularly youth), and helps builds interest in learning the same bike control skills used in trials. While I suspect elite level riders might be more focused on just the competition itself, the games help maintain younger riders’ interest, which hopefully helps keep them progressing their trials skills and eventually competing at higher levels.
Following the games, it was time for the competition. The novice and mountain bike categories rode first; when they were finished, the sport (intermediate) and expert categories rode. Since two of the four sections on the course were shared by all three skill levels (one was novice only), breaking up into two heats helped limit congestion on the sections.
The mountain bike category actually rode the sport gates, but there were also some competitors riding the novice category on mountain bikes. In fact, a handful of mountain bikers apparently saw the event and asked if they could enter the competition. One of the benefits of hosting the competition at a the Bike Farm is that not only is it located at a mountain biking facility, but the trials course is also visible from the onsite restaurant and beer garden. There’s plenty of room for spectators and the possibility of attracting mountain bikers into the sport. Either way, it certainly spreads awareness.
Speaking of the trials course… There were some new trials features this year, including both permanent and temporary obstacles. The local trials riders (mostly David and Hunter) ride here, which also provides potential exposure to non-trials riders. And since there are some permanent features, mountain bikers riding here can give it a shot. Seems like a win to me!
There was a young lady named Mia who turned out for the competition this year. She and her mother ride mountain bikes; apparently Mia heard about the trials competition and wanted to try it. She didn’t have a trials bike, so she rode her mountain bike in the novice category, taking second place. Certainly the fact that a young mountain biker had enough interest in a trials competition was awesome in itself. What was even more amazing was her level of balance and bike control. Quite impressive! I really like stories like this one. Hopefully she’ll stick with it, even if only as a hobby.
Also riding a full-suspension mountain bike in the competition was Ryan Bratton. Not only did he compete in the expert category, but he took first place! I always enjoy watching Ryan ride – he’s got a tone of skill, and his riding is so smooth! When you watch the video you’ll notice his hub is silent… he’s riding with an Onyx hub.
The competition was a lot of fun, both to ride and to watch. I was actually riding better than I expected, especially since I somehow hurt my shoulder while warming up Saturday morning. While I was mostly happy with my riding, I probably would have scored a bit higher if it wasn’t for a few stupid mistakes, including riding through beginner gates accidentally – twice! Riding through another rider category’s gate disqualifies you from the rest of the section (you keep the points earned before the “offense”). I had walked the course a few times, but it’s easy to forget when you’re intensely focused during the competition. It certainly didn’t help that I was riding without my glasses and the novice gates are low to the ground and grey – so hard to see (seriously, they should be like orange or neon green!). Surprisingly, I somehow still managed to take 3rd place in the sport category, which caught me by surprise (as you can see in the vlog video, above). Three riding highlight videos featuring the different skill categories are all at the bottom of the page.
Jim and I decided to get up pretty early Sunday morning to head home. I think we were packed up and on the road by 7 am or something like that. After a quick stop for some delicious coffee, we headed out of Fayetteville, crossing a fog-enshrouded New River Gorge Bridge to start our journey. The fog had long since melted away when we finally crossed the Hudson River – a sign that we only had a couple more hours to go.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed this trip and our time at the competition. It was great to be able to bring Jim out to partake in the experience (and help drive!). Participating in the event was a blast yet again. Watching the other riders of all levels was amazing and encouraging. And as always, I love seeing my trials friends! Hopefully this event will continue in future years. If it does, I highly recommend it.
The video at the top of the page is a vlog that covers the overall experience, including a bunch of Jim’s and my riding in the competition. The videos below provide highlights of the riding in each of the skill categories: (1) expert, (2) sport, and (3) novice & MTB. Enjoy!
0 Comments