On August 6, 2022, Full Send Mountain Bike Racing headed to the hills of Oakland to host the first ever enduro in the history of the East Bay. The 2022 Joaquin Miller Park Enduro presented by Mike’s Bikes was a three-stage race that showcased the best singletracks Oakland has to offer. The course included everything from fast and flowy to steep and technical terrain. Overall, the race covered more than 10 miles of riding and 1500 feet of descending.
Due to it’s precedent-breaking nature, the Joaquin Miller Park Enduro immediately gained traction in the local Bay Area mountain biking community. Shortly after its announcement, the event website was flooded with thousands of visits and the race Instagram account received hundreds of followers overnight. When registration finally opened in June, the race sold out in under two hours.
The event began early on a Saturday morning with participants arriving from all over the Bay Area; some even traveling from places as far as Salinas or Santa Rosa. In total, the Joaquin Miller Park Enduro saw nearly 100 racers in attendance with many more people coming to spectate and volunteer. After attending a riders meeting hosted by the Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay and Oakland Bike Patrol that covered responsible trail riding etiquette and the race rules, riders headed up the transfer stage to start the race.
Racing started on schedule around 9:00 AM as riders began arriving at the starting lines of the three downhill stages. While waiting for their turn to start, riders hung out, listening to music and cheering on their fellow racers. Despite the event being a competition, all the racers were encouraging to each other and everyone was having a great time.
Between racing on each of the timed stages, racers enjoyed spending time at the event staging area where snacks and drinks were provided courtesy of Trader Joe’s and Noah’s Bagels. The staging area offered many activities and things to do. Nonprofit organizations such as the Bay Area Bike Project and the Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay set up informational tents; while event sponsors such as Mike’s Bikes, a local chain of bike shops, brought their mobile bicycle repair van in case any racers experienced mechanical issues and First Mile Cycle Works, another local bike shop, set up a tent for members of their mountain bike team.
Racing went on for several hours without any hiccups and when it finally finished around noon, racers were served pizza from a local pizzeria named Dimond Slice. As the racers ate, bike parts and gear donated by Trail One Components and Wilderness Trail Bikes were raffled off. Shortly after, winners were announced and the race was officially over.
As a fundraiser, the Joaquin Miller Park Enduro did extremely well. In total, the event raised nearly $20,000. The money raised will be extremely helpful in improving the trails of Joaquin Miller Park. The success of the event would not have been possible if it were not for the event sponsors, volunteers, and racers. Thank you!
By: Niko Dittmar
Image Credits:
Oliver JC: oliverjcollins@gmail.com
Trail Shutter: trailshutter.dan@gmail.com
