SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (BRAIN)—Attendees at this year's Outdoor Retailer Summer Market will have plenty of opportunities to spend time on two wheels, thanks to new and returning programs designed to expand the cycling footprint at the annual Salt Lake City expo and Open Air Demo at Jordanelle State Park in Park City, Utah.
For the fourth consecutive year, free bike parking and rentals will be available to all attendees through Outdoor Retailer Bike Share, presented by Osprey and powered by Park N Pedal. Located on the South Plaza, OR Bike Share offers full valet service for local commuters—operated by the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective—and free rentals of Electra cruisers for attendees to grab lunch or tour the city.
Attendees will be encouraged to log their cycling miles on Twitter to @pembaserves with the hashtag #carfreeme, in an effort to help the Pemba Serves program reach 50,000 miles in 2011.
Events at OR Bike Share include daily raffles from Osprey Packs and a cruiser ride sponsored by Green Guru at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5.
International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) will be present at both Open Air Demo (OAD) and in the Endurance Zone on the show floor to connect dealers and support partnerships between the outdoor and cycling industries. People for Bikes, an advocacy group dedicated to improving the future of cycling, will also have a presence at OAD.
OR is also presenting a completely new type of event at Open Air Demo—the Paddle Pedal Challenge, presented by H2O Overdrive and Outdoor Retailer—a time trial event where attendees will complete a short standup paddleboard course, followed by a 2.5-mile bike leg on a mix of pavement and dirt trails. Points will be awarded based on finishing times and can be redeemed for prizes.
"Specialty outdoor retailers are looking to serve customers who play outside in a number of ways; mountain biking has been sharing the trail for decades with us, and the lifestyle crossover between cycling and active outdoor has surged with the urban cycling trend, fitness and commuter biking," said Kenji Haroutunian, VP at Nielsen Expositions and OR show director. "The new cycling elements at the show reflect the close cultural connection that cycling shares with the myriad other verticals in the mix at the OR show."
Other brands with roots in the bicycle industry exhibiting or participating in events at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2011 include Camelbak, Catalyst Communication, Clif Bar, Hydrapack, Nirve Sports, PowerBar, Raleigh USA, Scott USA, Smith Optics, Sock Guy, Specialized, Terry Bicycles, Thule, Timbuk2, Trek and Yakima.
Host city for Outdoor Retailer for the last 15 years, Salt Lake City has earned Silver Status from the League of American Bicyclists for its bike initiatives and developments.
