By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – One of Alabama’s premier mountain biking events is returning to Oak Mountain State Park this summer, as Bump-N-Grind celebrates its 31st year with a weekend full of races, community and outdoor fun.

Scheduled for Friday, June 13 to Sunday, June 15, Bump-N-Grind XXXI will feature three days of activities, kicking off Friday at the South Trailhead with pre-ride shuttles and welcome events. Riders from across the region will converge on Pelham to take on Oak Mountain’s trails in a variety of competitive races.

Saturday’s schedule includes the fast-paced Enduro and Short Track races, while Sunday will feature the weekend’s marquee event: Cross Country racing.

Registration for the event opened on February 1, utilizing a block pricing model—the earlier participants sign up, the more they’ll save. All riders must register online by Thursday, June 12 at 11:59 p.m. as onsite registration will not be available.

Behind the scenes, it takes more than 40 volunteers and more than 160 hours of work to bring the event to life. Organizers are currently looking for volunteers to assist with everything from course marking to trash cleanup throughout the weekend.

The event is presented by the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers, a nonprofit focused on building, maintaining, preserving and riding mountain bike trails in the Birmingham and surrounding areas. Chase Draper, BUMP’s president, described what makes the race unique.

“It’s quite different than other races in the Southeast,” Draper said. “A lot of the races have changed to a short-lap format. What we do and what we’ve always done is race a 20-25 mile loop around Oak Mountain State Park. It has more of the feel of mountain biking (than other races) and they are designed to be more spectator-friendly.”

Draper further explained that BUMP started building the trail system at Oak Mountain State Park more than 30 years ago, with the Bump-N-Grind event being created to fund the nonprofit’s efforts.

“Bump-N-Grind has been the primary fundraiser for BUMP for the past 31 years,” Draper said. “This is how we raise the money to do the trail maintenance and building that we’ve been doing there all those years.”

Draper concluded his remarks by encouraging both participants and attendees to have a great time at the event.

“Come ready to have fun,” Draper said. “If you don’t want to have fun, don’t come.”

For more information on Bump-N-Grind XXXI, visit Bumpngrindraces.com.