A rider competes in a previous Attila the Hun Cross-country Race. Photo courtesy Visit Hot Springs.
Registration is now open for the Sixth Annual Güdrun – Northwoods Mountain Bike Festival, which will take place on the internationally acclaimed Northwoods Trail System in Hot Springs.
The newly expanded festival will run from November 8 through November 10 and will mark the sixth anniversary of the opening of the Northwoods Trail System in the lushly forested hills on the northern edge of the city.
Early bird registration ends June 17 at noon with registration fees increasing. Late registration, the last price bump, will begin at noon on October 1. Registration is available at www.bikereg.com/gudrun. The first 400 entrants are guaranteed to receive race swag bags.
“Six years goes by super fast when you’re having fun,” Visit Hot Springs Northwoods Trails Coordinator Traci Berry said. “It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating the grand opening of Northwoods.
“We have grown from 15.7 miles of trails with the completion of Phase 1 in 2019 to 22.5 miles of trail now. And with the Northwoods connection to Cedar Glades Park, we have 32.5 miles of some of the best trails the South has to offer. And that’s all just five minutes from downtown Hot Springs.”
“When we started the festival in 2019, we had three events,” Berry said. “Now we offer seven events for folks to participate in.” The events will begin Friday evening, November 8, at 5 PM, with the famous Güdrun Slow Roll Fun Ride.
“Put your Viking gear on, load up your bike, and join us for our famous fun ride through downtown Hot Springs and the historic Arlington Hotel lobby.”
“The ride is four easy miles that starts and finishes at 420 Eats in the parking lot to the north off Malvern Avenue at Church Street.”
The rest of the 2024 festival schedule includes a full line-up of events. “We will, once again, have a Güdrun Enduro Purse for the Pro and Expert categories of the Full Enduro,” she said.
“Think you got what it takes to win your category in the Güdrun Full Enduro and Attila the Hun XC Race? Get registered and compete for the Güdrun Valkyrie (female) and the Gudrun Berserker (male) awards. These awards will be given to the male and female with the best cumulative time in their Enduro and Attila categories.”
“The AMBCS is always excited about the Güdrun MTB festival,” said Logan Hall, president. “It’s a full weekend of mountain biking for all ages and disciplines. There’s the slow roll ride, the jump jam, and the enduro. To cap off the weekend, you have the Attila the Hun XC race, which also marks the conclusion of the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series.
“The festival culminates in a thrilling awards ceremony on Sunday, where we celebrate the achievements of all participants in the Championship series. Racers in the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series vie for top honors, with podium finishers (first, second, and third place) receiving commemorative medals and coveted championship jerseys. These jerseys are a symbol of achievement and are worn with pride throughout the following year.”
For more information contact Traci Berry at tberry@hotsprings.org.
