Cherokee County's most southern city will host the 2013 Southern Mountain Bike Summit.
Woodstock will host the second biannual event, which will be held March 22-24, 2013, and the summit will be held during the Greenprints Alliance's annual Streetfest, which blends music, activities, food and entertainment with education about the organization's efforts to raise money to expand the city's trail network.
Jay Wilkes, the president of the Woodstock Southern Off Road Bicycling Association (SORBA) chapter, said he's excited to show off the ever expanding trail network on the southern end of the county. He also said the success of the mountain bike trails wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the support of the Cherokee County government, the city of Woodstock and other local community volunteers.
"The success stories of Blankets Creek and Rope Mill Park have been achieved through dedicated local sponsors, passionate volunteers and the extraordinary volume of ridership in the area," he said. "This community support has allowed us to progress and expand the riding experience in new directions."
The summit serves as an opportunity to network, learn and ride with those who share the same passion. The three-day summit will start on Friday, and that day's seminars will focus on educating on how to manage mountain bike trails and how to create, expand and maintain mountain biking opportunities in the outdoors.
A guided ride will also take place on the Taylor Randahl Memorial Mountain Bike Trails at Olde Rope Mill Park followed by dinner in downtown Woodstock.
The program on Saturday will have work shops and panels that will give experts the chance to discuss trail building and building up the volunteer base to help maintain trail networks. One of Cherokee County's largest attractions won't be left out in the cold as a guided ride is also slated to take place at Blankets Creek Mountain Bike Trails on Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday, mountain bikers will take on the North Georgia Mountains and will ride throughout the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest starting at Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Get-A-Way.
“We are excited that SORBA has chosen to have their summit in Woodstock and look forward to showing off the eco-tourism vision that has been spearheaded by Mayor Donnie Henriques and embraced by our community,” said Woodstock City Planner Brian Stockton. “There has been a lot of time and money invested in establishing this green infrastructure network and we hope to share the strategy with others who can replicate it in their communities.”