Besides the amazing terrain and trail system, one of the main reasons I moved the 24-hours to Big Bear in 2005 was because of the support that I knew I would get from Big Bear Lake's general manager, Mark Schooley. Mark is a mountain biker and mountain bike racer. (His Big Bear Master's team has bagged two 1st place and two 2nd place finishes the last four years at Big Bear.) He's also a long-time race promoter. I got to know Mark back in the late 90's when I was president of WVMBA. Mark's events were consistently some of the best in the state, earning him multiple WVMBA state championship designations.

Mark's support is unwavering and he's doing his part to keep the fun happening and keep the momentum going by hosting the Big Bear Lake Mountain Fest and 2x12 Race. The "festival" part is the opportunity to set-up camp (camping Fri. & Sat. nights), kick-back a little more and enjoy good food, fun events (including the Kid's Race, 5:30 p.m., Sat.) and some top-quality mountain music (three bands, starting 7 p.m. Sat.) The race part is a unique duo-team format with sport classes racing two laps each and expert/open classes racing three laps each of a slightly modified version of the 24-hour course. We'll be using this improved version of the course for the 2011 24 Hours of Big Bear course.

Click on the links below for event information and registration forms:

Big Bear Lake Mountain Fest and 2x12 Race - Details and Schedule

2 x12 Registration Form

Spread the word! This is going to a fun event for races, their friends and family!

So, Let's Talk 2011!

Granny Gear will be hosting discussions at our booth, throughout the day, Saturday. We'll also be hosting a bonfire/pow-wow at 9 p.m.. Sunday morning, Granny is hosting a Sunday morning breakfast and post-race ride. The breakfast goes from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and the ride starts at 9:30.

We'll be going way back in the barn and pulling out the vintage memorabilia, t-shirts, sweats, hats and other items, going all the way back to the beginning, and have them all on-sale, throughout the day.

Stop by and chat and join us for the bonfire/pow-wow and post-race race breakfast & ride. We're looking forward to seeing everyone and discussing ideas and possibilities for 2011.

Join Us on Facebook!

Joel Gwadz (AKA Gwadzilla) has agreed to host the Fan of 24 Hours of Big Bear facebook page. Become a Fan! As time goes on, this will be a great place to post photos, post comments, start discussions and invite friends!

Today we posted the Big Bear Mountain Fest & 2x12 Race event. RSVP if you coming and invite all your MTB buds! Otherwise, become a fan and stay informed about the return of 24 Hours of Big Bear in 2011.

This is the first public announcement of the Facebook page and we've already got 83 friends who found it on their own! Thanks Joel, for taking this on and putting your shoulder into making the 2011 24 Hours of Big Bear happen, in a big way!

Special Thanks to Big Bear Lake. We are deeply grateful for all the folks at Big Bear for keeping the party going and we hope you will make plans to join the fun and show your support. Don't miss the Big Fun at Big Bear!

Happy Trails,

-Laird Knight