SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Interbike and Northstar California Resort have released details of the new consumer bike festival that will precede the Interbike trade show in the Reno-Tahoe area this September.
The Northstar Free-Ride Festival, powered by Interbike, will be held Sept. 14-16, kicking off the Interbike Marketweek. Organizers say the event will include one of the largest demo events in the world, along with mountain bike races, road bike rallies, on-bike clinics and off-bike activities for all levels of cyclists, and non-cyclists.
The resort is 35 minutes from downtown Reno and boasts the largest lift-served mountain bike park on the West Coast plus more than 100 miles of mountain bike trails for various skills. The event activities will be based in The Village at Northstar and will offer three different chairlifts and gondolas to transport riders to trails.
“I think the industry is going to be blown away by this event,” said Pat Hus, the vice president of Interbike. “Through our partnership with Northstar we will be able to produce the best outdoor event we’ve ever created. We know how to gather the tribe and produce a great demo for our industry and the Northstar team delivers impeccable guest service. We just know they are going to create an amazing experience for guests both on and off the mountain! I really hope that retailers give serious consideration to coming out early with their staff and/or families and taking part in the weekend festivities. I think it’s going to be one hell of a celebration of all things cycling.”
The Free-Ride Festival will kick off on the evening of Friday, Sept. 14, with the Village at Northstar Wine Walk Series. Participants will enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres throughout the Village while live music is performed. The on-bike activities will be held Saturday and Sunday and will include the Northstar Enduro Race, The Boogaloo E-Bike Race, the Northstar Downhill Bike Race, bike skills clinics and the demos. The activities also will include yoga classes, bike clinics, and kids activities including a bike rodeo, a bungee trampoline, mini golf, face painting, gem panning, and more. Live music will be performed on the main stage in the heart of the Village on both days, and a Village Pub Crawl will take place on Saturday night.
“We’re thrilled to welcome bike enthusiasts and festival-goers alike,” said Nadia Guerriero, the vice president and general manager at Northstar California Resort. “Between the mountain, incredibly scenic roads and our charismatic Village, this is a perfect hub for exploration and family experiences.”
As the consumer event winds down on Sunday afternoon, Interbike’s trade-only OutDoor Demo gets underway. Buses will begin transporting retailers to Northstar from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport and host hotels. All registered Interbike retailers and media will be given free lift access with their event badge allowing them to take advantage of the various chairlifts across the Northstar property for use during the OutDoor Demo. The OutDoor Demo will run until 5 p.m. Sunday evening and will wind down with an Interbike reception that evening in the Village. On Monday the demo will run from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Industry participants wanting to come in early for the Festival portion of the weekend (Friday and Saturday) will be able to purchase discounted Festival tickets for Friday and Saturday.
Brands interested in obtaining exhibit space and/or sponsorship information for the Festival or OutDoor Demo are encouraged to contact their Interbike sales executive, or Andria Klinger, sales director, at 949-226-5745 (andria.klinger@interbike.com).
The Interbike Expo will be held in Reno from Sept. 18-20, Tuesday through Thursday.
