2010 Appalachian Off-Road Tandem Adventure

(A.O.R.T.A.)

 

MTB Tandems is pleased to announce a new off-road tandem event for 2010 -

A.O.R.T.A.!

What is it? The closest thing to a tandem rally that we off-road tandem folks can put together - a weekend of riding and socializing with great folks on great trails.

When is it? The weekend of May 21-23, 2010. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday are the "official" days of the event. However, many teams will be arriving early and/or staying late, so there should be folks to ride with for several days around the event weekend.

Where is it? The Spring 2010 event will be held in Asheville, North Carolina at Bent Creek Trails.  Bent Creek trail system offers something for virtually everyone, from easy forest roads to technical singletrack. There's enough trail at Bent Creek to keep almost everyone busy for 2-3 days of riding. Of course, a short road trip hop to Tsali or other nearby treats is also a possibility!

The event will be based at Bent Creek Lodge, just a quick spin from the trail system. Bent Creek Lodge is a beautiful & luxurious Bed & Breakfast Inn located VERY close to the trails. In fact, those staying at the lodge should be able to ride directly to the trails from the lodge. You'll also find convenient spots to park your tandem at the lodge, so no worries about bringing tandems to your rooms at night (unless you really want to). B&B for tandem mountain bikers? Hey, let's see how the other half lives!

Who will be there? Tandem mountain bike teams from all over the US. We even have some folks coming down from Canada, eh! We may also have a certain celebrity-type person from the mountain bike industry...

What will we be doing? Well riding tandems on some great trails, of course! We'll also be meeting and hanging out mtb tandem teams from other places, ogling the latest demo tandems and equipment, and having a great time with other folks who enjoy this wonderful sport!

(Unofficially, there may be some carrying on and such, but we wouldn't officially say that here, now would we?)

What if we don't have a tandem mountain bike yet? MTBTandems.com will have a limited # of demo/loaner tandems available for teams who don't have a tandem yet, or won't have their tandem with them! If you're interested in demo'ing a tandem for the weekend, just email us with your team size and tandem brand preference. Demo tandems are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis, so let us know soon if you need one. And yes, demo tandems are certainly for sale (after all, we are in the tandem business...)

What does it cost? Depends on how fancy you want to make your weekend! This is an informal event, so you arrange and pay for your own travel, lodging and some meals. We'll provide plenty of folks to ride with and some entertainment of some sort. We're planning a social/meet & greet type event on Friday night, and a group dinner on Saturday night. We're also looking into providing lunches at the trail system on Saturday and Sunday, but specific details aren't quite finalized yet. We'll try to keep meals and event costs to a minimum.

We'll post more details of the schedule as we make the arrangements.

How do we get involved? First, email us here and let us know you're planning to attend so we can put you on the contact list. Then, make your travel arrangements, and contact Bent Creek Lodge @ 828-654-9040 to get on their cancellation list for a room! Or, if you prefer to camp, make reservations here. If you need a tandem, email us and let us know so we can set one aside for you.

Anything else? We'll post details and registration info as it is finalized. By the way, if you'd like to volunteer to help with any aspect of the organization of the event, please let us know!