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MTB in Meyers: 4th annual Meyers Mountain Bike festival rolls out on South Shore, Triple Crown ride and party set for Saturday

Anthony Gentile
agentile@tahoedailytribune.com
Mountain bikers roll through the Corral Trail in Meyers. The South Shore community and its trails will be showcased during the fourth annual Meyers Mountain Bike Festival this weekend, Aug. 13-14.
Courtesy / TAMBA.org

Meyers Mountain Bike Festival

When: Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 13-14

Where: The Divided Sky, Meyers

Schedule: Triple Crown Ride and party Saturday, bike demos and shuttles Sunday

Info: http://www.meyersmtb.com

Meyers is a haven for mountain bikers on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore due to its quality and variety of terrain. The area and its trails will be showcased at the Meyers Mountain Bike Festival, which rolls out its fourth edition this weekend, Aug. 13-14.

“Meyers has some of the best mountain biking in California, and not everybody knows about it,” said Marley Reel, a member of the festival’s all-volunteer organizing committee. “We have easy and more-advanced rides, there are good shuttles, and you can make big loops and connect a lot of the trails.”

For the second straight year, Meyers Mountain Bike Festival will span two days — but the format is different this time around. In the hopes of creating a livelier atmosphere on the first day of the event, the Triple Crown Ride and after party are now scheduled for Saturday.



“It just made more sense to get that big ride out of the way and have a party on Saturday,” Reel said.

The festival begins Saturday with its signature Triple Crown Ride, which takes off from The Divided Sky with a rolling start beginning after registration at 7:30 a.m. The cost is $40 to take on the ride of 30-plus miles that has 5,200 feet of elevation gain on the Christmas Valley, Tahoe Rim and Corral trails along with Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.



“The mileage isn’t too long — it’s about 35 miles — but it’s pretty burly,” said Ben Fish, president of Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association. “Not many people go over to Toad’s by climbing Christmas Valley first. It’s a pretty tough one.”

Fish has participated in the Triple Crown Ride every year, and will take it on again Saturday. Last year’s ride featured nearly 100 participants on a route that highlights the work TAMBA has done in the area over recent years.

“It’s a really good rallying point and it gives the community pride,” Fish said. “People come in from out of town to do this ride, and I think it’s really cool — it makes you proud. It’s cool to showcase that work.”

The free-to-attend party starts at 2 p.m. Saturday near The Divided Sky, where the Triple Crown Ride begins and ends. It will feature barbecue offerings, a beer garden with cold ones from Oregon-based Ninkasi Brewing Company and 2 Towns Ciderhouse, assorted vendors and a kids zone.

Live music Saturday is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. with performances from two bands. El Camino — featuring South Lake Tahoe’s Simon Kurth and Ryan Kronenberg — will pump out Black Keys-style jams, while Red Dirt Ruckus will bring its fusion of bluegrass, reggae, rock and funk from the Sierra Nevada foothills.

“The event has gotten a little bit bigger each year, the word got out and people are definitely into it,” Reel said.

Slow Rollers Bicycle Club Lake Tahoe will also be on hand for the celebration Saturday. The party will include raffles with items from Fox, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort, Dakine, Serfas, Giro, Bell, Tahoe Sports Ltd., CamelBak and RISE Designs.

Sunday will feature mountain bike demos and shuttles up Corral Trail broken into two sessions between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. For $40, riders will get four hours of unlimited shuttle and demo access from seven companies, including Ibis, Knolly, Turner, Specialized, Norco, Intense and Giant.

“You get as many runs as you want with the shuttle and you can try a bunch of different bikes,” Reel said. “The companies and a handful of the bike shops will be at the bottom of Corral.”

The two-day festival doubles as the main fundraiser for TAMBA, which has played a big role into transforming mountain biking terrain in Meyers and around Lake Tahoe. Last year, proceeds went to a tool trailer used during work days — and Fish said funds raised will be allocated to future South Shore work near Fallen Leaf Lake and Angora Lakes.

“Everyone that is a part of this volunteers, so anything that is a profit from the event goes straight to TAMBA,” Reel added.

For more information on the Meyers Mountain Bike Festival or to register for events, visit http://www.meyersmtb.com. The festival is on Facebook at facebook.com/meyersmountainbikefestival.


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