Rocky Knob Fall Festival
Words by Bill Splawn and John Brundick
Photos by Sara Beeken
On October 11 and 12, Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park hosted its annual fall festival. The festival consisted of a pump track jam on Friday night, where riders were challenged physically and mentally by the series of competitions hosted. About 130 riders and spectators attended the event. The riders competed in, the longest manual, best trick, best style and Jr. shredders. All competitions were very laid back and for fun. Red Bull appeared at the event,and brought a long their signature DJ booth and played smooth jams all night.
Saturday morning was a whole different setting with Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day. Twenty-Four youngsters showed up with their bikes in hand, ready to learn necessary skills to ride the pump track and trails at Rocky Knob. The Boone Area Cyclists held a skills clinic to educate the kids on pump track safety and showed them how to have fun while riding. By the end of the day, there was a noticeable improvement in the kid’s riding abilities.
In addition to the Kid’s event, Magic Cycles provided an impressive demo fleet of Santa Cruz Bicycles for all visitors to take to the trails with some of the nicest bikes on the market. Group rides were provided with instruction from the Appalachian State Cycling Team, many of whom showed us their impressive skills at the Pump-Track Jam the night before.
To close the full weekend of festivities, the ASU Recreation Management Program Planning group coordinated a full luncheon and raffle to raise money for the improvement of Rocky Knob Park. The BBQ lunch came loaded with Bandana’s coleslaw, Stick Boy Cookies, Jimmy John’s sandwiches, Black Cat burritos, and a variety of items courtesy of local grocery stores including Earth Fare, Ingles, Harris Teeter and Lowe’s Foods. The lunch raised $250 for the pump track and ASU Recreation Management Program’s Scholarship.
We would like to give a thanks to all of the sponsors who helped contribute to the event: Bald Guy Brew, Tsuga, Mountain Khakis, Bell, Giro, Yakima, Spy Optics, Black Cat, Ingles, Lowes Food, Harris Teeter, Earth Fare, Jimmy Johns, Stick Boy, Specialized Bikes, Roachel Laney (BBQ), ASU Recreation Management, Boone Area Cyclists, Magic Cycles, International Mountain Biking Association, Red Bull, Bandanna’s BBQ, Beech Mountain Resort. Rocky Knob would also like to give a special thanks to Appalachian Mountain Brewery who raised $350 for the pump track.
Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park 