Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of unpaved cycling since the beginning. The Wilderness 101 was one of the first U.S. ultraendurance cycling events (if not the first), kicking off in 1991. The western PA Month of Mud series kicked off in 1989. That same year, Dirt Rag opened its doors in Pittsburgh.
A little more recently, a group of racers decided to start a series to showcase the trails in their communities. The original series included the Fat Tire Challenge near Sigel, PA, Shannock Valley Festival MTB in Rural Valley, PA, and the Peanut Butter Festival MTB in New Bethlehem, PA. This area is a part of the Pennsylvania Wilds. Hence, the series name.
The series has grown and there will be eight races in 2023 throughout western PA (one in nearby WV) and the Wilds. In this Events Spotlight – Bike the Wilds Series, we tip our cap to this grassroots series. . . . The bedrock of gravel and mountain bike racing in western PA!
I have had the opportunity to race a few of the Bike the Wilds events (Shannock Valley Festival MTB, Buffalo Gorge Dirty 30 gravel race, and the Peanut Butter Festival MTB). All of them were well run and the courses were fantastic! The promoters of the 2023 races have been at it for several years, so there is no doubt they will follow that trend. Get out and support these events. . . . Several of them are on my 2023 to-do list!
- Two Mile Run MTB Race #1
- Two Mile Run Gravel Race
- Yellow Creek Monthly MTB Race #3
- Laurel Fields Gravel Race
- DR Distillery Gravel Race
- Two Mile Run MTB Race #2
- Yellow Creek Monthly MTB Race #4
- Tomlinson Run MTB Race
Go over to the Bike the Wilds Event website for more. Also, follow the series Facebook page for important updates.
If you found this Events Spotlight – Bike the Wilds Series helpful, please share it with your friends and family and on social media. Also, check out the events on The Hub’s page, here.
If you haven’t already, make sure you keep up-to-date on all The Hub’s content by following us on social media (links on the top and bottom of this page), and by entering your info into the Newsletter signup (to the right and bottom). As always, Ride On!
***Please note that The Unpaved Hub is not affiliated with any of the events on the Events Calendar. The featured logos and images attached to a particular event are the property of the event. Unless noted, the description of a particular event are in the words of the event promoter and derive from the event’s social media page, registration page, or website.