Mountain biking making a comeback
Mountain bike racing seems to be making a comeback in northwestern Pennsylvania thanks in part to the new Bike the Wilds series. The 14th Annual Peanut Butter Festival mountain bike race will be held Sept. 19.
The event is the final race in the Bike the Wilds three-race Series that began in June with the Fat Tire Challenge in Sigel on June 21. Second was the Shannock Valley Festival race in Rural Valley on July 18. Participation in both races was up from previous years, 57% for the Fat Tire Challenge. Last year, the New Bethlehem Peanut Butter race drew 101 race participants and organizers anticipate a larger group this year. Series organizers are putting together plans for a 5-race series in 2011.
The Peanut Butter Festival course starts in New Bethlehem and runs 15 challenging miles through the sometimes beautiful and sometimes muddy surrounding countryside. It is primarily on forested private property and will only be open on race day. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. that day at the First United Bank at 224 Wood St., (Route 66) in New Bethlehem.
The race begins at 10:30. People are invited to cheer racers as they start en mass down Penn Street from Keck Avenue. The single loop course then goes off road through the countryside, up and down great hills, over pipe line right of ways, through a lighted tunnel with single track, some technical areas and a wide variety of conditions. More single track has been added this year. There are five checkpoints and water stations, many volunteers helping on the course and a number of road crossings where riders can make a right to come back into town early. The best time last year under very muddy and challenging conditions was 1:15:10.5. The course record is 1:06 set several years ago.
Participants ranging in age from 14 to 76 come from all over the northwestern Pennsylvania area and from Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, London, England and even China via a Pittsburgh student. Awards and cash prizes will be presented in an Olympic-style format after the race in Gumtown Park on Water Street winners of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place overall and in each age class. Information and registration forms are available at www.pbfmtbrace.com and at the Chamber website at www.newbethlehemarea.com. Riders who registered by Aug. 31, will receive shirts and this year the sponsor, Nationwide Insurance - Eric Shick Agency, will provide a stainless steel water bottle. Those who pre-register before race day will receive priority for remaining shirts and water bottles. Race results will be available at the Chamber tent at the festival and thereafter on the websites and at www.smileymiles.com.
A single speed class and 7-mile course for new riders and those wanting a shorter, but challenging course will again be offered this year.
The race is part of the 14th Annual Peanut Butter Festival, sponsored by the Redbank Valley Chamber of Commerce, which will be held Friday through Sunday, September 18-20, in Gumtown Park along the Redbank Creek and Water Street in New Bethlehem. Live entertainment, a blow up carnival, carriage rides, arts and crafts and plenty of good food and peanut butter will be on hand. The Peanut Butter Queen will be crowned at 6 p.m. Friday followed by live musical entertainment.
Events on Saturday are designed to entertain the whole family. The 5K run/walk, which attracted nearly 100 participants last year, kicks off Saturday's events on Water Street at 8:30 a.m., followed by the mountain bike race at 10:30, arts and crafts, a Subway sub eating contest, a parade at 3 p.m., a new blow up carnival, Dance Dance Revolution (rock band) and a fireworks show at 9.
The Peanut Butter Festival concludes on Sunday with a car cruise in from 1-5 p.m. a 130 mile scenic motorcycle ride, a duck race and an anything that floats race.
New Bethlehem is in southern Clarion County, on Routes 28 and 66, about 30 minutes north of Kittanning. Information and the event schedule can be found at www.newbethlehemarea.com or by calling 814-275-3929.
