20 o u t s i d e m a g a z i n e o u t s i d e o n l i n e . c o m 21Photograph by naRaYan maHon

disPatcHes 02.15news from the field

Seventy-five feet under the Louisville Zoo, in a labyrinth of Ken­tucky limestone mined into Swiss cheese, a few million pounds of soil have been sculpted into the trails, berms, and jumps at Mega Cavern, the world’s first underground bike park. When it opens to the public in January, the park will have more than five miles of inter­connected trails that range from flowing singletrack to dirt jumps to technical lines with three­foot drops. And that’s just the first of three phases to roll out this winter.

Mega Cavern may be the premier subterranean playground for mountain bikers, but it’s part of a much larger trend of urban bike parks. “There are so many in development right now, it’s hard to keep track of them,” says Mark Eller, communications director at the International Mountain Bicycling Association, which has seen requests for advice on parks double over the past few years. “There’s an established shift toward purpose­built trail construction.”

The first urban parks popped up in less than desirable real estate, like beneath Seattle’s Colonnade, an elevated stretch of I­5. In the

Fun Factoriesthe newest urban bike parks are bigger, better, and more beginner-friendly than ever

by Kim Cross

Ray’s MTB Milwaukee

indoor bike park

22 o u t s i d e m a g a z i n e

years since, they’ve only gotten bigger and better—and more beginner­friendly, too. In the same way that terrain parks at ski resorts are carefully calibrated, the most popular ur­ban bike venues allow new riders to progress and build new skills, moving from baby­bear rollers to mama­bear tabletops to papa­bear gap jumps. There are now some 100 urban bike parks across the country, everywhere from Boulder, Colorado, to Chicago. And the most recent trend is to move them indoors.

In 2004, driven by the desire to ride year­round, a mountain­biking carpenter named Ray Petro spent TK months converting a 130,000­square­foot former rayon factory in Cleveland into the first indoor park in the country. Ray’s MTB was a playground filled with ramps, jumps, and roller­coaster­like

pump tracks. “I wanted to make guys who are 30 feel like they’re 15 for a few hours a week,” says Petro.

It worked. Ray’s was so successful that Petro opened a second location in Milwaukee in 2010, with its own street park, pump track, foam pit, and VIP lounges. Soon other frigid locales like Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse, New York, had their own indoor parks, too.

While other parks are impressive, none are as big or ambitious as the

aptly named Mega Cavern. By the time the third phase is completed this spring, there will be 40 sections of dirt, a kids­only skills area, a few gravity trails, and one massive jump room. “It’s about three times the size of anything that’s indoors right now,” says Mega Cavern designer Joe Prisel, a carpenter who honed his craft at Ray’s and is now one of the country’s most sought­after bike­park builders and archi tects. When Prisel is fin­ished, the Mega Cavern will look like some­thing from a Danny McAskill fever dream, with intricate loops of singletrack punctu­ated by ladder bridges over giant rocks and, where paths intersect, tunnels and overpass­es made from shipping containers. “It’s more than an indoor jump park,” says Prisel. “It’s an indoor trail system.” o

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if you Build ita quick guide to the nation’s indoor parks

Under development: the Mega Cavern, in Louisville, Kentucky

Burlington Bike ParkBurlington, Washingtonracetrack dirt, tk,000 square feet. burlingtonbikepark.com

CranXsyracuse, neW yorksupersize jumps, vert walls, outdoor jump line. cranx.com

Joyride 150torontokids programs, concessions, progressively harder rooms. joyride150.com

the lumberyardportland, oregon jump line, on-site pub, 40,000 square feet. lumberyardmtb.com

Mega Cavernlouisville, kentuckyMore than 40 trails, an entire room of dirt jumps, 320,000 square feet. megacavern.com

Ray’s MtBclevelandthe original, and still one of the best, with 130,000 square feet of space to play in. raysmtb.com

Ray’s MtBMilWaukeesupertight wooden pump track, foam pit for inverts. raysmtb.com

the Wheel MillpittsBurghtwo stories, 80,000 square feet, built with reclaimed lumber. thewheelmill.com

they Want to PuMP you uPPump tracks—one of the most common features of indoor parks—are all about creating free speed. In other words, using the terrain to gener-ate momentum, so you don’t have to pedal. It’s not only a ton of fun, it also makes you a bet- ter trail rider. “You gradually start to see rocks and water bars as rollers that you can pump for free speed,” says Lee McCormack, author of Mastering Moun- tain Bike Skills. Here’s his advice on how to do it. —k.C.

1. Enter the turn as low as you can, with arms and legs bent.3. Lean with the G-forces and press-ing hard into the bank. 3. Drive your hips, torso, and head toward the exit.

illustration by James PRoVost

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1. Remain weightless on the front side of the bump and let the bike float up toward you. 2. At the peak, bend your arms and legs to bring the bike up close. 3. Push down on the back side of the bump, first with your hands, then with your feet as the bike comes over the top.

StanCe1. Stand level, with the pedals at three and nine o’clock.2. keep your hips back and your weight on the pedals.3. Hold your elbows out, with your arms at a 45-degree angle with your shoulders.

1. Pull the handlebars up toward your chest on liftoff.2. At the highest point of the jump, push the bike forward to level out. 3. Try to land on both wheels, absorbing the impact with your legs.

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