Knobby tires, trail tradition: Mountain bike festival celebrates off-road riding

No cyclist in his right mind would pedal a perfectly good mountain bike down a steep hill and into an icy creek just for grins.

Whoops and hollers sounded from a grinning crowd on the shore of Lee Creek as eight bikers -- maybe in their left minds -- hit the water going as fast as they could during the Big Splash Contest at the 32nd annual Ozark Mountain Bike Festival.

Devil's Den State Park was splash-down central April 3 for the crazy contest and other shenanigans at the annual weekend, which celebrates off-road cycling.

[Don't see the video above? Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/embed/gYVV4LxbBT8]

There was bike limbo, a bicycle poker run, even a bike toss to see who could throw an old beat up bicycle the farthest. Guided group mountain bike rides for riders of every ability took place throughout the day April 3.

The festival moved to Lake Fort Smith State Park on April 4 for an intermediate-level group ride.

Most rides rolled along the 6-mile Fossil Flats Trail at Devil's Den or bikers could pedal on their own. Some new trails are being carved out of the rocky Devil's Den landscape. They're not open yet, but people were allowed to bike or hike them during the festival.

Trails normally close at dark, but a night ride is a special event at the festival.

[Click here to see today's gallery of outdoors photos: https://nwamedia.photoshelter.com/gallery/Outdoors-4-13/G0000CFa8T0Hvi7M]

The whole event got started in 1989 after Tim Scott, the park's mountain-biking assistant superintendent, and a co-worker traveled to Colorado to check out a mountain bike festival there. They came home and planned the first Ozark Mountain Bike Festival, borrowing ideas from the Colorado folks.

The event was a success from the beginning.

"We didn't know what to expect," Scott said April 3 during this year's festival. "We got way more people than we thought we would, about 150. Mountain biking was just getting started, and people were wanting events. We had a lot of fun stuff back then like we do now."

Scott, an expert rider himself, serves as organizer and master of ceremonies or, some may say, herder of cats, at each festival. Ozark Off-Road Cyclists group pitches in to lead rides and take care of other chores.

Some rides, like the Saturday morning family ride, are just for fun. Others are led by an instructor from the Ozark Off-Road Cyclists who can coach bikers on improving their technique.

Steve Schneider, one of the teachers, gathered his group for a quick talk before they hit the dusty trail. A dozen beginner and intermediate riders listened closely.

"Mountain biking is all about twisting, turning, rolling, so there's a different skill set from road biking," he said. "You can do a 5-mile mountain bike ride and it might feel like you rode 30 miles on a road bike."

A helmet, cycling gloves and sturdy shoes are vital for mountain biking safely, Schneider told the group. Knee pads are good, but they aren't comfortable for some peddlers, he noted.

Riders at this year's festival included life-long experts and people who'd never biked off road until the event.

The 32nd annual Ozark Mountain Bike Festival is in the books, but bikers who like their rides over dirt can look forward to next year's edition. It's normally held the first weekend in April.

A lot of festival goers reserve cabins or campsites for the weekend. Others arrive for all or part of a day. Most activities are on Saturday of the festival. A group ride starts the event on Friday afternoon. It concludes with another group ride on Sunday morning. Helmets are required of all riders.

All activities are free, even the Big Splash Contest. Grand prize for the winner is an Arkansas State Parks gift card and basking in applause from the creekside crowd.