Ales and Trails Bike Fest

Ales and Trails Bike Fest Info

Oak Mountain State Park - Thursday, May 18, from 4-8 PM!

What’s going on?

It’s a fun-filled, community-based, one-night-only bike festival! Here is what all we have going on:

• Shuttle Rides! (Cause let’s face it, sometimes it’s fun to skip the pedal up and just  get to the rip down!)

• Short-Track loops for everyone! (Info below)

• Clinics with Lon Cullen from SingletrackSkills.Bike

• Short-Track Head to Head throwdown for the top qualifiers (And to entertain the rest of us!)

• Mountain bike skills contests and games

• Beginner rides for everyone

• Live music with Kudzu! (They shred on guitars - and mountain bikes too!)

• Food trucks

• Did we mention there will be beer?!

• Guided Full Course Ride with XTERRA Coach, Jenny Smith 

What does it cost?

It’s Free!

Although, we do need you to register and sign a waiver in order to participate. And it would be really cool if you threw a few bucks (maybe 10, maybe more?) to our friends at BUMP (Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers) to support their efforts in building and maintaining the trails at Oak Mountain.. 

How does it work?

• Show up at Oak Mountain State Park on Thursday, May 18, 2023. Anytime from 4-8PM.

• Come to the XTERRA Village next to the Boat Ramps. 

• Check-in, sign a waiver (you can do this online here)

• Get a wristband (you’ll need this to do all of the cool stuff)

• Pick what cool stuff to do first

Shuttles

BUMP is offering shuttle rides for the evening. Get a wristband (above). Follow the signs to shuttle pick-up. Throw your bike on the trailer. Get off at the top of Peavine Falls Road. Let ‘er rip downhill!

Clinics?

The fine folks at SingletrackSkills.Bike will show you the proper way to handle your bike over, under, round and through. They’ll walk you through some riding skills and can tell you all about how to learn even more.

Beginner rides

If you’re new to riding, bike-curious, or have friends you want to get into the sport - This is the chance! We’ll have group rides tailored to those just learning. Mellow trails. Fun leaders. New friends. We’ll wait for everyone. Just show up and give it a go.

What if I just want to show up and ride my bike?

Please do! You’re welcome to participate in all of our activities or none at all. But please come out, go for a ride and then come hang out!

What if I don’t have a mountain bike?

Bring whatever bike you have - there is great road biking at Oak Mountain too, and even some sneaky gravel paths. Go for any ride you want. Then swing by and join us for a refreshing beer, a tasty bite, and take in some killer jams.

Short Track

We’ve got a new track designed just for Sunday’s pro-only, live-streamed XTERRA Oak Mountain Short Track race, but we don’t want to let only those guys have all the fun. So show up and have a lap on the course. We’ll time you and see how you stack up. The top 15 men and 15 women qualify for the head to head finals later in the evening.

Who is it designed for?

You! And your friends. And anyone else that can ride a bike. It’s a course that’s rideable by beginners but still challenging for pros. And it’s a time-trial style so you don’t have to bump elbows or rub wheels with anyone. (Just let them by if they ask nicely.)

How does it work?

Ride a time trial lap. We’ll allow for space between riders. See how your time stacks up. Ride another if you want. The top 15 men and top 15 women will qualify for the grand finale head to head race.

Are there rules?

Yeah, but we’ll keep ‘em simple.

1. Have fun.

2. Don’t cheat. (The course will be well marked. We trust you to follow it.)

3. Be nice. (Allow faster riders to pass and be nice when passing.)

4. Be safe. (No unsafe passing. Rider in front has the right of way. No intentional contact.)

5. When in doubt, follow rule #1 and make sure you’re helping others do so as well.

Can I ride an e-bike?

Sure*. They’re fun too. But you won’t qualify for finals. (*Must be compliant with park rules.)

What’s with the finals?

It’s a head to head three lap Battle Royale grand finale! Three laps of rubbing elbows for the grand crown. The top 15 men and top 15 women will qualify for head to head finals. Men at 7:00 sharp. Women at 7:15 sharp. We’ll keep a list of rankings updated through the night. It’s your responsibility to know if you qualified and be there on time.

Do I have to ride in the finals?

Nope. You can stand around and watch with the rest of us. We’re not gonna twist any arms. But please let us know if you don’t want to ride finals so we can let the next person in. (see rule #5).