Depending on your level of involvement with mountain biking, the summit experience may be a little class
heavy. Members of SORBA and IMBA
will be using this opportunity to continue growing Coldwater Mountain’s
bike facilities and trails, with hopes to
have a 24-mile trail completed by June,
as well as a “destination quality” access
park where children can play while their
parents take to the trails, according to a
February press release from IMBA.
If city planning and trail expansion are
a bit over what you’re looking for, both
days feature a group ride at Coldwater
Mountain’s Anniston trailhead, where
everyone can ride en masse over the
mountain and through the woods.
IMBA rates the Coldwater trail as a
Bronze-level challenge, one of only a
handful of bronze-level locations in the
world, so not only will the ride be challenging and fun, but you’ll be riding on
a trail that’s internationally recognized
as awesome.
Attendees are also able to check out
new bikes and tech on Sunday, March
23 at the Coldwater Mountain upper
trailhead area. According to Patrick
Wigley of Wig’s Wheels in Anniston, it’s
just a matter of handing over photo ID
and a credit card to get onto a brand
new demo bike and out on the trail.
Saturday evening wraps up with a social dinner at Cheaha Brewing Company, where everyone can get something
to eat and meet and greet.
INSIGHT
BIKE SHOPS
If you’re looking to pick up your child’s very first
bike or make some mods to your own mountain bike, Calhoun County shops have you covered. There are plenty of sporting goods stores
out there that can be a catchall for the public,
but for special requirements and professional
needs, you’ll want to check out Wig’s Wheels
in Anniston or Fun Wheels in Oxford. Both are
staffed with experts who have years of cycling
experience who can get newbies out and riding and trade stories with the pros.
Wig’s Wheels
wigswheels.com
1229 Noble Street, Anniston
(256) 237-9447
Fun Wheels
funwheelsbicycles.com
1209 Snow Street, Oxford
(256) 831-9507
ONLINE RESOURCES
These are the websites you want for super-detailed information about local trails, including
PDF maps of each major trail in the Calhoun
County area, like Coldwater Mountain, Cheaha
Mountain Express and the Ladiga Trail, as well
as ideas about the relative difficulty of each.
neaba.net - The Northeast Alabama Bicycle
Association is the premiere local source of information and support for cyclists, with information about local trails, big races and even
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