Dirt Fest 2014 Review
-by Dirty Dave
On May 16th I took a 3 hour drive up to Raystown Lake to attend one of the biggest mountain bike festivals on the east coast. Dirt Fest, which is put on by Dirt Rag magazine attracted 2,500 riders to the seemingly endless Allegripis trail system. The most common way people describe the trails is “a roller coaster for bikes” and it couldn’t be said any better. The system offers more than 20 miles of well-maintained trails. They are super-fast, smooth rolling, with creek crossings, bridges, and amazing views of the lake. The festival also offers free skill clinics and the chance to test ride some of the best bikes that are on the market. Over 20 vendors were there to talk about their products and give everyone the chance to see the latest technology. Oh and of course the best part, free beer!
My story begins the same as last year. We stayed at Pleasant Hills campground, just 3 miles from the festival. Dirt Fest does offer camping and house boats at the festival, but staying at another campground has its advantages. It was clear that Dirt Fest is growing every year by the number of riders at the campground compared to last year. The staff at Pleasant Hills are very welcoming to the mountain biking community and we will definitely be going back next year. I arrived Friday night to a group around the campfire that have gathered from other sites talking about memories from last year and the thrills that are yet to come.
Saturday was the first day of riding. We got an early start and were on the trails by 10am. The ground was still a little soft from a few storms that came through earlier in the week. I always go by the saying “a dirty bike is a happy bike” so we were set to have a good time. We started out on the connector trail to the infamous Rays Revenge trail which is most noted for its very fast and flowy descents. From there we made our way to Hydra loop, a very quick 10 minute loop that offers many great views of the lake.
After a few hours of riding we made our way to the festival. We made our way from booth to booth gawking over the latest and greatest bikes and gear. The vendors are all more than willing to answer any questions and let you test what they have to offer. One of the greatest parts of test riding an awesome bike is getting to ride them on awesome trails. The vast amount of vendors that were present included Scott, Cannondale, Trek, Ibis, just to name a few. That gave riders a wide range of bikes and gear to test out. Not only were there bike vendors, riders also had the option to test kayaks and paddleboards on the lake. There is something for everyone!
Dirt Fest is the weekend I look forward to every year. It gives everyone there the chance to surround themselves with something they love. Getting to see the latest gear, talking to other riders about their experiences, and having an overall awesome time with each other is what this sport is about. Nothing brings that experience together better than Dirt Fest.