You can now get our new logo on t-shirts, stickers, and tote bags through Yellowhammer Creative! This is a short-term campaign that closes on 4/25/22, so get it while you can because it will be a while before we are able to do another run!
If you’re seeing this post you have probably noticed that things are looking a little different around here. We are excited to announce a cool new collaboration with Yellowhammer Creative to update our brand for the first time in over 20 years! You have probably seen t-shirts, tote bags, and posters designed by Yellowhammer all over Birmingham (check out some very cool shirts they have done for Oak Mountain State Park and Red Mountain Park). The package from Yellowhammer includes updated logos (see images above and below text) and color scheme. Merch including the updated logos will be coming soon.
Special thanks to board members Will Abner and Jacob Tubbs for taking the lead on this project and working with Yellowhammer to get this done!
You can now register for BUMP N’ GRIND 28 happening 6/4 & 6/5/2022 at Oak Mountain State Park. Our new race director Jacob Tubbs and VP Will Abner have been hard at work making some exciting changes to this year’s race format.
First, we are bringing back the omnium! This will allow racers competing in the Super D, Short Track, and XC races to compete for an overall title in their category. Sign up for the omnium at registration and see how all aspects of your riding stack up!
Second, the Cat 1/2 XC course is being modified from previous years to include our new trail Slingshot. This will add 3 miles of fast, flowy machine cut trail that includes a bunch of rippable berms, as well as a couple of significant climbs to thin the herd.
Lastly, we are excited to announce a new collaboration with The Hammies for the kids race this year. Max Klein will be bringing his popular Little Hammies series to BNG this year to get our future shredders some FUN racing experience.
As always, we need YOUR help to put on a great event and really showcase our trails to people from all over the region. If you aren’t racing (or are only racing on one day) please help us out by volunteering at the race. There is a Google Sheets signup sheet linked here. There are still some details lacking as things are still being finalized, but we always need people to help with signup/racer support, course marshaling, and sweep riding. Rumor is we will be hooking those of you who sign up early with some of our new and improved merch, so don’t delay.
Photo by Alejandro Pullin
At the end of last year we applied for IMBA’s Dig In program to fund the design phase of a skills area at Oak Mountain State Park. We are happy to announce that we exceeded our goal of $10,000 and raised $10,684. We also qualify for an additional $2,000 in matching funds from Shimano thanks to your generous donations! The money raised here will be used to hire a professional firm to work with us and the park to produce a detailed, professional design for a dedicated skills area at OMSP. This process is just beginning, so keep your eyes and ears open for more announcements regarding this in the coming months!
Many of these Dig In proposals fail to meet their fundraising goals, so exceeding ours speaks to not only the generosity of our members and MTB community in the Birmingham area but to the excitement for a skills area at OMSP. We are all really looking forward to moving ahead with this project!
Storyteller was initially planned to be cut at the same time as Thunder. Thunder as it exists now was meant to be the easier of 2 options down the mountain. The rumors circulating at the time were that only a few people would be able to ride the hard line down the mountain. Due to the cost and difficulty of the build the second line was dropped at the time and fell off the radar for several years. However, the dream was kept alive by a few people who saw how special it could be.
In February of 2021 we reflagged and resubmitted the second line for approval to the state park. Approval to move forward was granted July 2nd , and on the morning of July 17th we hit the trail at 730 am and began cutting our new trail. Over the summer numerous volunteers came out to lend a hand digging, moving rocks, and clearing brush. On October 9th, after several hundred volunteer hours and about 30 yellow jacket stings later the trail was completed. The final product is roughly 1 mile long with about 500 ft of elevation drop. This trail is the only big mountain down hill trail in the state of Alabama with numerous steep rolls, mandatory drops, and tons of off camber sections.
The Name
Storyteller Overland is a Birmingham based manufacturer of overlanding adventure vans. They have been sponsors of past Bump N Grind races, and great supporters of the BUMP mission. In their quest to promote community and the spirit of adventure, Storyteller Overland has donated generously to help us continue our work in the Birmingham mountain biking community. We are incredibly appreciative of their support and believe the name “Storyteller” is a perfect match for our new trail at Oak Mountain State Park.
/Written by Chase Draper/
We will be shuttling Peavine Falls Road and the Boyscout Road from 10am-3pm on Saturday, September 18, 2021.
Entry will be $35 and will include a meal after. Chef Sean will be putting together some Mac N Cheese Bowls with your choice of topping either 14 Hour Smoked Brisket Chilli or Gojuchang Grilled Chicken Thighs. Cahaba brewing company will be providing a variety of beverages for those of age. All proceeds go to the building and maintenance of our local trails. Attendance will be capped at 100 people. Pre Registration is available at the link below.
The 28th Annual BUMP N GRIND will take place on June 4th and 5th, 2022 at the Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama.
This race is our biggest fund raiser each year which allows BUMP (501c) to continue our mission to Build, Maintain, Preserve, and Ride the great trails in Birmingham. BUMP volunteers spend over 1000 hours each year to maintain approx. 50 miles of single track trails between Oak Mountain State Park, Tannehill Historic Ironworks State Park, and Trussville Sports Complex. This fundraiser allows us to keep the trails flowing, and look for opportunities to add more miles.
Saturday offers great downhill races with Super D and AIR D races along with kids races and unicycles. There are some great spectating opportunities at “Blood Rock” during the SUPER D, and of course the box drop for the AIR D race. Lace up your boots and hike in and don’t forget to bring out your cow bells to cheer the racers on. Sunday is our cross country (XC) racing. The CAT3 Junior race (12U) is 5 miles, CAT3 race is 8 miles, CAT2 is “the loop” finishing right at 20 miles, and CAT1 racers get to challenge themselves to almost 30 miles of awesome trails. With great racing all weekend you won’t want to miss this race. This is a points paying USAC sanctioned race. The learn more visit www.bumpngrindraces.com
Jump in on action – complete one or all four of BUMP’s virtual challenge rides taking place in August! Four challenges are actual race courses at BUMP-N-GRIND race that set for September 5th and 6th at Oak Mountain State Park.
Leaderboard resuts are posted weekly on our Strava, Facebook and Instagram pages. Challenges end on August 31st, 2020. Join in and have fun!
Description of the course: start at South Trail Head in front of Dogwood pavilion, up Peavine Road to Johnsons Mountain, come down Johnsons, cross to Foreplay, Toads all the way back to the road, left on road past feeding zone then left into Family, Rattlesnake, take Lake return and yes, up and over “The Hill” back to South Trail Head for the finish. https://www.strava.com/clubs/20979/posts/10917367
Description of the course: start at the overlook at the top of Peavine Road, ride down the Fire Pit, Blood Rock, and Quarry Trail finishing at Peavine Road where Quarry crosses to Johnsons Mountain. https://www.strava.com/clubs/20979/posts/11040409
Description of the course: start at South Trail Head in front of Dogwood pavilion, riders go into Lake trail, cross over to Seven Bridges, up Camp Road to Garrett’s Gulch, Chimneys, Cat Dog Snake to North Trail Head, climb Red Road, blast across the top of the ridge to BUMP connector, BUMP Trail, down Blood Rock, Quarry, cross to Johnsons, Foreplay, Toads back to the road, left on road past feed zone, left on Family, Rattlesnake, Lake return then up and over “The Hill” to the finish at the South Tr ail Head. https://www.strava.com/clubs/20979/posts/11147445
Description of the course: Lightning trail down. https://www.strava.com/clubs/20979/posts/11254204
Pump Track Closed for renovations: BUMP is giving the Pump Track at Oak Mountain a facelift with the help of Barry Nobles, Oak Mountain State Park, and Shelby County.
We are really “pumped” about this project and are looking forward to the end result. Construction of the improved pump track started on June 11th, with final touches expected the week of June 22nd. Please stay off of the Pump Track during this work, and stay tuned for exciting news about the grand re-opening event coming soon. Watch our social media accounts for updates.
UPDATED 04/29/20
As per Governor Ivey’s newly issued Safer at Home order effective on April 30th through the May 15th, 2020, we will be able to host group events limited to 10 participants and while keeping 6 ft minimum distance between participants. Summary of Safer at Home order can be viewed here.
Even with all that’s going on regarding COVID-19 around this country, and around the world, we hope you have a chance to get outside and ride. Please continue to use good practices regarding social distancing and personal care. Be mindful of other trail users, maintain the distancing, and if you don’t feel good stay home. Use good judgement, and we will all get through this together.
BUMP MTB Ladies Tuesday Night rides will resume on May 5th, Trail Workdays will resume on May 9th. To be added to the Trail Workday group email list or the MTB Ladies group email list, email us at [email protected] Check our calendar for upcoming events.
