Looking to demo 2019 Rocky Mountain, Specialized, Giant and Liv bikes? With free shuttle service to the top of Mill Mountain? Maybe you wanna toss a Huffy? Get your kids in the balance bike race? Climb rock walls, hear live music, learn to fly fish, watch lumberjack games, try standup paddle boarding, or do pretty much any outdoors activity you’ve ever wanted? And do it all for free? It’s time to head to the Roanoke GoFest.
Borrow a new 2019 bike and get a free shuttle ride up Mill Mountain to demo it. Or, you know, pedal up it.Roanoke’s GoFest has all that and more, and it’s coming up October 12-14, 2018, in downtown Roanoke, VA. Located literally on the river and across the street from about 10 miles of singletrack, the festival has hundreds of family friendly activities for all ages. And thanks to Yakima, you can grab a brand new demo bike from the brands mentioned and get shuttled straight to the top of Mill Mountain for downhill runs all weekend long. There’s also a Yuba-sponsored Instagram scavenger hunt, an alley cat race, BMX stunt show, the kid’s bike races, a Poker Race, pump track, and many more cycling events and activities. For the roadies, there’s the Virginia’s Blue Ridge Gran Fondo (run separately, entry fee required).
Located directly adjacent to the venue are Mill Mountain trails (trail map here), an impressive network of trails right in downtown Roanoke. They’re rated as intermediate to advanced, which should make for a great proving ground to test the latest mountain bikes from some of the best brands. You can climb up them, or just take advantage of Yakima’s truck and trailer to get free shuttle runs. From the top, you’ll enjoy about 1,500 vertical feet of drop after checking out the view.
When you’re tired of riding, sit back and watch Jeff Lenosky perform trials tricks that’ll show you why we love riding with him…he’s insanely talented!
They’ll also have BMX stunt shows, and a Huffy Toss if you want to test your throwing skills. If you feel like actually racing, nearby Carvins Cove trail network is hosting a race (separate event, entry fee required) on the IMBA Silver trails that are just outside of town a bit.
Admission to the event is free, and food and beverages are available for purchase. We’re diggin’ their beer sales program – you buy a beer in their pint glass, then re-use that souvenir (or one from a past GoFest or event sponsors) all weekend. No single-serve plastic cups will be used, helping reduce waste! There’ll also be craft beer events (including a relay run), paired dinners and more. Even better? A percentage of ALL beer sales goes to support the local IMBA chapter to build more trails, and the rest goes to the Roanoke Outside Foundation! For non-beer drinkers, they’ll have water bottle refill stations throughout the venue. We’ll drink to that!
Did we mention that it’s all free? Even the camping? Check out the full schedule and event list on their website, and we’ll see you there! (Pro Tip: Watch Bikerumor’s social channels next week for hints on how to score a sweet Bikerumor pint glass while you’re there…follow @bikerumor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram)
This article is brought to you by Roanoke GoFest, but we wrote it because we’re pretty excited about the event! Come join us for free shuttled rides on 2019 bikes on killer trails, live music and more family fun…that’s all free! See ya there!
