FRANKLINTON, La. (WGNO) — As flat as it is in southeast Louisiana, it might be hard to imagine the thrill of going airborne 13 feet above the ground with only two wheels to land on.
But on Sunday (Oct. 3) at Bogue Chitto State Park in Franklinton, some of the best mountain bikers will fly 13 feet off the “Towyr of Terryr” at the inaugural Roller Coaster of Love Mountain Bike Festival and Cross-Country Race.
Race organizer Toby Cortez says the creation of the “world class” mountain bike trails got started about 10 years ago and officially opened in April.
Today, the course is 14 and a half miles long and features trails designed for three skill levels: “green” for beginning mountain bikers, “blue” for intermediate bikers, and “black” for advanced bikers, who will face that Towyr of Terryr.
For the very youngest bikers, one trail, called the “scoot bike course,” lets riders between the ages of two and five get used to idea of mountain biking by “scooting” with their feet on bikes without pedals.
Rain on Saturday canceled some of the Festival events, but Cortez says that if the rain holds off on Sunday, the course will be dry enough for the main event: a cross country race featuring 17 categories — one of the stops on the Gulf South Regional Bike Series.
Registration is at 8 a.m. and the racing begins at 9 a.m.
Bogue Chitto State Park is at 17049 State Park Blvd. in Franklinton.