Two new events have been added to the Third Annual Gudrun -- Northwoods Mountain Bike Festival, along with the return of the popular Slow Roll event, Visit Hot Springs says.
"We are super excited to be adding two new racing events and resuming the popular Slow Roll through the lobby of the Arlington Hotel for this year's festival," Traci Berry, trails coordinator for Visit Hot Springs, said in a news release.
The festival is set for Nov. 12-14 on the Northwoods-Cedar Glades trails system.
"We already have riders coming from 13 different states, with riders ranging in age from 5 to 75 already registered," Berry said. Riders have until 7 p.m. Nov. 12 to sign up.
Riders have registered from Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, according to Berry.
New to the festival will be the Gudrun Waffles & Coffee Time Trial, sponsored by Redlight Roastery & Coffee House, and the Gudrun Dual Slalom Competition, sponsored by Michael Irmen with Outbound Lighting and powered by Slaughter Trail Guides.
The Waffles & Coffee Time Trial will be a short, fast 2-mile cross-country race on the Waffles & Coffee Trail at Cedar Glades Park.
"This race is perfect for the XC (cross-country) racer looking for something to do while the enduros are taking place on Saturday as well as those riders who have never raced before but are curious and ready to get their feet wet," Berry said.
"The Gudrun Dual Slalom Competition will be a fun, spectator-friendly event taking place off the end of the Cedar Glades Park Hilltop lit up by a light tower," she said.
Participants will have a predetermined amount of time to make runs on the dual slalom course. Their best time will be their qualifying time. The finals bracket will be determined by the eight fastest qualifying times in each category: men's open and women's open.
"The racers will compete in the Dual Slalom bracket and each full round (going down each side of the run with the same opponent) will determine the winner and who will move on to the next round. Winners will be crowned Viking Warrior King and Queen of the Hill," she said.
The Gudrun Slow Roll Fun Ride will take riders from the Hot Springs Convention Center, down Bathhouse Row through the lobby of the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, around Whittington Park, back through downtown and ending at 420 Eats for the opening night celebration.
"Our festival isn't just for competitive mountain bikers," Berry said. "We want everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities. We will have food trucks and Superior Bathhouse Brewery as well as several vendors throughout the weekend. We are also really excited to have the Hot Springs RC Flying Club putting on an Air Show at the Remote Control Air Field at Cedar Glades Park located at the bottom of the Cedar Glades Hill."
The trails system "has been such a valuable addition to our community, what better way to celebrate such an amazing recreational space than to have a ton of fun biking with Vikings," she said.
The Gudrun Festival traces its origin to the early days of the Attila the Hun Mountain Bike Race, which began in 1992 where the Northwoods Trails system is located today.
The 2021 Attila the Hun competitive race, which will held Sunday, Nov. 14, will be the final race of the season for the 2021 Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series. There will be areas for spectators to see the racers and cheer them on, the release said.
Berry said the festival's full Enduro event sold out early, so race organizers increased the number of participants by 50 more slots. She said 18 open slots were left as of Thursday morning.
"The Gudrun Enduro races will once again be powered by Slaughter Trail Guides," the release said. In Enduro racing, the timed portion, or stages, of the race are mostly downhill. The stages can vary in steepness, length and difficulty. Between each stage, the riders have an untimed section that is mostly uphill taking them from the end of one stage to the start of the next. The Mini Enduro will be three stages with the route running about six to eight miles in length.
The Full Enduro consists of six stages, with the route running about 15 to 18 miles in length.
The Gudrun Jump Jam, sponsored by Holy Roller United of Benton, is a "hit with spectators," Berry said. Jump Jam contestants will show off their bike-flying skills, catching air on the skills jumps at Cedar Glades Park.
"We have had guys pull 360s, back flips, supermans and more," she said. "We can't wait to see what they bring to the stage this year."
This year marks the 29th consecutive year for the Attila the Hun XC (cross-country) Mountain Bike Race. The race format for this year's Attila will be a short lap course with multiple spectator areas. The course is around three miles in length and each category will ride a predetermined number of laps. With 43 different categories, it will be a full day of cross-country mountain bike racing, the release said.
Each Slow Roll, Enduro, Time Trial, Jump Jam and Dual Slalom participant will receive a swag bag that will include a long-sleeve T-shirt, a Specialized water bottle, a pair of Sock Guy socks and other goodies, Berry said.
She said online registration is still open at http://www.Gudrunmtbfest.com.
The full schedule for the Gudrun -- Northwoods MTB Festival is as follows:
Friday, Nov. 12
Noon to 7 p.m. -- Expo/packet pickup.
Noon -- Enduro/time-trial pre-ride.
5-7 p.m. -- Gudrun Slow Roll group ride.
7-9 p.m. -- Opening party.
Saturday, Nov. 13
8 a.m. -- Packet pickup.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. -- RC Plane Air Show.
9 a.m. -- Gudrun Mini-Enduro.
10 a.m. -- Gudrun Full Enduro.
11 a.m. -- Waffles & Coffee Time Trial.
1 p.m. -- Attila the Hun XC pre-ride.
3 p.m. -- Gudrun Jump Jam.
5 p.m. -- Gudrun Slalom.
Gudrun awards ceremony immediately following the dual slalom.
Sunday, Nov. 14
7:30 a.m. -- Packet pickup.
8 a.m. -- Attila the Hun XC.
2 p.m. -- Awards ceremony.