In late July, more than 60 area riders of all ages and abilities were invited to take a ride at Stone Eater Bike Park. Riders were asked to experience the park and provide feedback. With park completion scheduled for the late summer/early fall, designers hoped to get some positive feedback from the riders.
“This was an exciting day,” said City of Lebanon Engineer Kevin Krulik. “This was our first test ride event, VIP, invitation only. We invited NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) kids, coaches, and other bicycling advocacy groups from around the state to see what we are creating here. To see the destination we are building. To try the trails out, to give input to us, to the trail builders, to the trail designer.”
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the result,” continued Krulik. “People seem to love the trails. They are very excited to be coming back here.” “When I got here I was like, ‘this is going to be fun.'” laughed Lebanon Rails Mountain Bike Team Member Sloan Stevens. “I pulled in and I was like, ‘this is going to be awesome.'”
“Honestly, mountain biking is probably my favorite thing,” continued Stevens. “I look forward to it. As soon as the season ends I’m like, ‘dang it, now I’ve got to wait a couple of months. Mountain biking is awesome. It’s definitely something that takes away your time, but in a fun, happy way.”
“It’s so much fun,” added fellow mountain biker Sarah Leitzel. “I’ve never met anybody who has gone mountain biking and doesn’t like it. “All you have to do is convince them to come. As soon as they come riding, they’re in love, and they’re hooked. It’s especially great to have a great mountain biking park like this, that you can take your friends to, to get them hooked.”
“When we can bring kids together, they’re getting out of the house, they’re getting out of the house, they’re getting out of the basement, getting off their electronic devices, they are getting to know each other, and they are having fun outdoors,” said NICA League Director John Leitzel. “We are seeing kids from different parts of the state making friends with each other, as well as kids on the same team getting out and riding with each other.”
“You know, this is different from a normal construction project, where you’ve got a set of plans and specifications, added Krulik. “We are almost commissioning a work of art. This is a work of art for the public, and the designers want public input into that. So, it was an exciting day to hear from all of these people that came out to help us.”
“I think it’s really important that people from Lebanon realize what a great resource and gem they’ve got here with Stone Eater Bike Park,” added John Leitzel. “Just today, we had families come down from Fort Wayne, from the northwest corner by Chicago, across from Terre Haute, and of course up from Indianapolis. People from around the state know about Stone Eater, and people from Lebanon can recognize now that they have, in their own back yard, a family-friendly place where people can come out and ride. There’s also a youth mountain bike team, that maybe people don’t know about, but for 6th-12th graders, the Lebanon Rails Composite Team is open. Both athletes and coaches can participate. Whether you can ride or not, we can teach you. It’s a great way to have fun as a family.”
To learn more about the Lebanon Rails Composite Team, go to Facebook and search “Lebanon MTB.”
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