For immediate release – An opera house may seem like an unusual gathering place for a group of hardcore mountain bikers, but last Friday Oct 19, attendees of the 2nd Annual Green Mountain Showdown were singing, bellowing and grandstanding with all the aplomb of a fat Prima Donna.
The Showdown, which was organized by the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, MTBVT.com, and the Mocean Project, saw approximately 150 avid mountain bikers descend on the High Park Opera House for a multimedia extravaganza. The two-hour event included everything from photo slideshows, videos, readings and the inaugural eMBies, the People’s Choice Awards for all things mountain biking in the state.
The eMBie Awards were based on votes submitted by Vermont mountain bikers via online ballot and winners included iRide shop owner Ron Murray (Best Bike Mechanic), Isaac Alliare (Most Promising New Rider), and Brooke Scatchard (Best Trail Builder) to name a few. There were 15 other categories that honored everything from best trail network (Kingdom Trails) to Vermont’s aprés beverage of choice (Alchemist Brewery Heady Topper).
“The show went great,” says organizer Ryan Thibault. “We took a chance and held it in the fall even though we weren’t sure whether we’d have a hard time bringing out the riding community. Sure enough, by 7:30 there was a line down the block!”
Other aspects of the multimedia expo included a slideshow by Mad River Valley explorers Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson about biking in Vermont, the arctic and the Alps; a reading by Dale Cahill about how biking saved his life, literally; and photo slideshows and videos by local photographers Bear Cieri, Aaron Rohde, Chris Nelson, Evan Waldman, Jim Deshler, Dana Allen, Henry Miles, George Wissell as well as out-of-towners Ben Haulenbeek and Justin Schroth.
The success of the Showdown was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of the following: Darn Tough Socks, Long Trail Brewery, Vermont Peanut Butter, Mocean Mate, Green Mountain Distillers, Chucks Bikes, The Skier Shop, East Burke Sports, Backcountry Magazine, Dirt Rag Magazine, Killington Mountain Bike Park, Highland Mountain Bike Park, Trapp Family Lodge and the Fellowship of the Wheel.
For more information about the Green Mountain Showdown and the eMBie Awards, contact Ryan Thibault at 802-585-5495 or ryan@mtbvt.com.
