Bikers return to take on Blood Rock
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, May 30, 2007
A line of wall-to-wall mountain bikers are expected to hit the trail at Oak Mountain State Park Sunday, June 3 for the 13th annual BUMP and Grind Cross County Mountain Bike Race, hosted by the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedlars anda
number of sponsors.
The professional event, which is part of the American Mountain Bike Challenge and USA Cycling National Calendar, is open to more than just pros.
&8220;We have so many categories of racers and races,&8221; second-year race director Randall Naccari said.
The day begins with registration at 6 a.m., followed by the first race, Junior Olympics, at 8 a.m. The pro events start at 9:30 a.m. for the men and 9:45 for the women.
The sport rider races, which is the largest group according to Naccari, will begin at 9:52 for the men and 10:12 for the women.
There is no charge other than the park entry fee of $3 for adults, $1 for children 6-11 and senior citizens.
&8220;We&8217;d like people to come out and see it. It&8217;s a lot of fun to see all the racers,
and to go up to &8216;Blood Rock&8217;, because it is one of the most popular spots,&8221; Naccari said.
There will also be a free Youth Series race for children 12 and under at 1:30 p.m., with registration at 12:45 p.m. The youth race will feature a training wheels division and a short course race.
Naccari also sees the youth series as an opportunity to help educate children about fitness.
&8220;There&8217;s an obesity epidemic in America, and cycling is a great activity for kids,&8221; Naccari said. &8220;This is an opportunity to also introduce them to cycling.&8221;
There will be live music from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with
awards ceremony
set for 11 a.m. Shaved ice and barbeque will also be available to make the event a complete day at the park.
BUMP will raffle a Trek Livestrong Edition 7.5 FX fitness bike, valued at $800, to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The raffle will be at 1 p.m. Tickets are $5.
Volunteers will begin setting up the trail on Friday, and are still needed for some extra help for the event Sunday.
For more information about the race, volunteering or schedule, visit www.bump.org