Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park
If you and your mountain bike are ever in the Cleveland area in the winter, then you have to check out this unique venue.
There is over 100,000 square feet of man-made challenges waiting to be conquered. It's billed as the first indoor mountain bike park in the world and is included on the IMBA's list of epic rides.
After spending several hours riding there I can say that it is definitely worth a trip.
The setup is similar to a large skate or BMX park, but with slightly different scale to the obstacles. There are areas setup for riders of all levels.
The beginner section has several easy ramps and banked turns which are good for getting warmed up. It also has some skinnies that are low to the ground and allow you to practice some slightly technical riding without any big consequences.
Beware though - there is a rock garden in the beginner section that is probably closer to a sport level obstacle. I did four endos and landed hard on my knees. It hurt like h*ck.
There is a cross country loop that circles that park and allows you to easily get to the different sections. It takes you up into the rafters and lets you ride on a catwalk above everyone else.
The sport section at Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park
The sport section is probably the section that would appeal the most to the average XC mountain biker. There are at least 20 paths that loop back to a main platform. Most of these are elevated (0-3ft high) wood plank platforms that connect various logs, rocks & skinnies.
In the expert section, the skinnies get skinnier, the platforms are more elevated and the the obstacles get more complex. There is a double teeter-totter, a crooked teeter-totter, an elevator and a slide - these last three require good trackstanding skills. There are several drops that get progressively higher and were a blast for us to launch off of.
There are urban trick sections, quarter pipes, jumps, rails, but these were not very appealing to me - with one exception. A foam pit awaits any rider willing to launch off the jump beside it. I had never done anything like this and was a little freaked out, but with enough speed this is a really fun experience.
Overall, I highly recommend a trip to Ray's. There is something to entertain riders of any skill level. It was a tough workout too. Even though my average speed was only 6.4 mph at the park, my heart was racing a hundred miles per hour. I look forward to heading back this winter.
Check out the website for Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park.
