What do you call it when Music and Mountain Biking come together? BIKEAROO! For 3 years in a row we held events that combined music and bicycling. 2007 was the Walnut Mountain Tour, 2008 Liberty Bicycling Festival, and in 2009 was Bikearoo. The point of the events were to get visitors into the area to see and use the great natural parks that we have within the Town of Liberty, and have fun while doing it. Here is a brief history of the events and what’s in store for the future.
In the Winter of 2006, after enjoying a summer of riding including participating in the Tour De Goshen in Orange County – Nick Piatek (founder of LBT) thought it would be cool to hold an event at Walnut Mountain where people of all abilities could enjoy riding. The Walnut Mountain Tour 2007 was born. The event combined tours of the carriage trails for less experienced riders, time trials for experienced riders, food, and bike demo’s from local shop Cinder Track Bicycles. The event brought nearly 100 people over the course of the day which was a success for the first event of it’s kind at Walnut.
In 2008 LibertyBikeTrail.org thought bigger and the Liberty Bicycling Festival was born. This event combined live music, tours of Walnut Mountain, a 40 mile road tour of Sullivan County, local vendors, non-profit groups, and beautiful weather. This event was by far the most successful event for LibertyBikeTrail.org with almost 400 visitors throughout the day. Visitors came from hundreds of miles away to Liberty to participate. The concert at the event included 3 bands: Strangers Wasted (New Jersey), Sofmoure (Liberty,NY), and Kill By Inches (Queens, NY). Vendors included LoCasio’s Gourmet Foods, Pepacton Natural Foods, Cinder Track Bicycles, Liberty Fitness Center, and more.