Pats Peak Mountain Bike Festival To Run June 8 & 9, 2019
Pats Peak in Henniker, NH will host the 18th Annual Pats Peak Mountain Bike Festival on the weekend of June 8 & 9, 2019. This Mountain Bike Festival weekend is presented by Pats Peak along with S&W Sports, and Eastern Fat Tire Association (EFTA).
The Mountain Bike Festival features 24-Hour, 12-Hour, 6-Hour, X-Country and Downhill races. Bicycle riders from all over New England come to Pats Peak to compete for over $4,000 in cash and prizes in this mountain bike weekend.
Riders for the 24/12/6 Hours of Pats Peak may ride solo, in two person teams, in four person teams or in five person teams. The 24/12/6 Hours of Pats Peak races kick off at 12:00pm on Saturday, June 8. This is an endurance competition held on a circuit course consisting of wooded trails, fields, unpaved roads, obstacles consisting of roots, rocks, streams, steep inclines and descents, testing a racer strength and technical ability. The 6-Hour race ends at 6pm on Saturday the 12-Hour race ends at 12am on Sunday and the 24-Hour races ends at 12pm on Sunday. The Pats Peak 6-Hours Solo Race is part of the EFTA NECS Marathon Series a six event series.
The X-Country Challenge on Sunday, June 9 is part of the EFTA NECS XC Series, a series that consists of six events with courses that trend a bit more “Olympic” in the course makeup and are a bit faster with shorter laps and more flow. The X-Country Challenge has many categories from novice to elite with age breakdowns in each category. The X-Country Challenge uses the same course as the 24/12/6 race. The X-Country Challenge race consists of a certain number of laps to complete and the winner is the one that completes it in the quickest time. Novice: 1 lap; Sport: 2 laps; Expert/Elite: 3 laps. The number of laps is subject to change according to race day weather and course conditions. Final number of laps will be determined on race day.
The bike course for the 24/12/6 Hours of Pats Peak and the X-Country Challenge will be open for riding sometime in May. An announcement will be made on www.patspeak.com when the course is open for riding. There is no charge to pre-ride the course. All participants and everyone alike are encouraged to ride the course. Please practice common courtesy if a wedding ceremony or other activity is taking place in the Base Area.
The Downhill Thrill Race is a 2-Day Event with practice for paid entrants only on Saturday and the Downhill Thrill Race on Sunday. Downhill racers will take the chair lift up to the top of the mountain and race down the course one at a time against the clock for the quickest time to the bottom of the course. There are two different tracks with a common finish, total time for both runs will determine the winners.
Other weekend events include a Kids Race on Saturday and Sunday. The Cafeteria and Sled Pub will be open with food and beverage available.
Overnight camping at Pats Peak is available. Camping and registration opens at 3pm on Friday, June 7. Family, friends, and non-riders are welcome.
In order to continue to make this event a success, volunteers are needed to help in the scoring tent for the 24/12/6 Hours of Pats Peak races, water stations and in other positions. All volunteers will receive a food voucher, t-shirt, a lift ticket for skiing/riding at Pats Peak. If you are interested or know someone who is interested in volunteering, please emaillori@patspeak.com.
Online Registration for racers is available through the Pats Peak Mountain Bike Festival page on BikeReg.com:www.bikereg.com/pats-peak-mountain-bike-festival. Pre-registration fees are less than on-site fees. Pre-registration at is open on BikeReg.com until Friday, June 7th at 3pm.
“Our Mountain Bike Festival Weekend is a great weekend for bicycle racers from all over New England. Now in its 18th year, many riders look forward to this weekend. It’s a test of their biking skills and also a fun weekend to enjoy time with family and friends”, says Jim Wall, Pats Peak Event Coordinator.
Pats Peak Mountain Bike Festival Weekend Schedule:
(Subject to changes)
Friday, June 7
- 3pm: Camping opens for participants and guests
- 3pm-7pm: Registration: 24/12/6 Hours of Pats Peak; Downhill Race; X-Country Challenge
Saturday, June 8
- 7am-10am: Cafeteria Open with Full Breakfast Menu available for purchase.
- 8am-10am: Registration: 24/12/6 Hours of Pats Peak; Downhill Race; X-Country Challenge
- 9am-4pm: Lift Rides available for $5 per ride
- 9am-10m: Downhill Thrill Practice
- 10am-3pm: Cafeteria Open with Lunch Menu available for purchase.
- 10:30am: 24/12/6 Hours Riders Meeting (mandatory)
- 11am-11pm: Sled Pub Open. Pub Fare available for purchase from 3pm-9pm.
- 12pm: 24/12/6 Hours Begins
- 1pm: Kids Race (Under 12 years old; Helmet mandatory)
- 6pm: 6 Hours Ends, Awards Following
- 8:30pm: Riders must start using lights
- 11pm-5am: Quiet Hours
Sunday, June 9
- 12am: 12 Hours Ends, Awards 9:30am-Sled Pub
- 5am: Riders are permitted to ride without lights at this point in the race.
- 7am-10am: Cafeteria Open with Full Breakfast Menu available for purchase.
- 7am-9am: Registration: Downhill Thrill
- 7am-1:30pm: Registration: X-Country Challenge
- 9am: X-Country Challenge Cat 3 Race Begins; Awards Following-Sled Pub
- 9:30am: 12 Hours Awards-Sled Pub
- 9am-11am: Downhill Thrill Practice
- 9am-4pm: Lift Rides available for $5 per ride
- 10am-4pm: Cafeteria Open with Lunch Menu available for purchase.
- 11am-Close: Sled Pub Open
- 11am: Kids Race (Under 12 years old; Helmet mandatory)
- 11:15am: Downhill Thrill Riders Meeting - At Summit (mandatory)
- 11:30am: Downhill Thrill Race Begins (2 runs each, Best of 2), Awards Following-Sled Pub
- 11:30am: X-Country Challenge Cat 2 and Cat 2 Single Speed Open Begins; Awards Following-Sled Pub
- 12pm: 24 Hours Ends, Awards Following-Sled Pub
- 1:30pm: X-Country Challenge Pro/Cat 1 Open, Cat 1 Single Speed Open, Cat 1 Begins; Awards Following-Sled Pub
EFTA is a non-profit organization of off-road cyclists dedicated to: promoting safe, fun and high quality events for both recreational and competitive cyclists; promoting responsible riding through education; assuring continued regional trail access.
In January of 1992, a group of long-time New England racers, promoters and enthusiasts set about to change the direction of New England Mountain biking. Instead of a national body focused on elite racers, EFTA would create a new organization for local and regional riders with a diverse agenda including trail access, racing, and recreational riding. Instead of an organization concentrating on ski areas for race venues, EFTA would focus on better utilization of local race venues that had already been established. A new organization that would welcome new formats such as trials, scot trials and enduros. A new organization that promoted consistent high quality events, tracked points to rank riders throughout the season, and had a real system for promoting racers to new categories.
In 1993, EFTA created the first race format that allowed sport class riders, both men and women, to be tracked for points directly against expert class riders. This format was called the New England Championship Series (NECS) and is the oldest race series in the region. Nearly two decades old, the series still sets the standard by promoting high quality, laid back riding.
