With significant help from local sponsors, designers, and a lot of volunteers, the Town of Lyons, Colo., is building Boulder County’s first pump park in time for its 7th annual Smith Optics Lyons Outdoor Games, presented by Oskar Blues, held June 12-14. The three-day event includes various extreme biking and kayaking competitions, as well as demos and comps in other sports, from skateboarding to fly fishing.
“The new pump park will add an exciting mountain biking component to the Games,” stated Lyons’ Parks and Recreation Director Dave Cosgrove. “Now bikers will be able to go really big. The jumps will send them flying. It should be thrilling for both competitors and spectators.”
The pump park will also open the door for local and regional bikers of all skill sets to hone their skills prior to hitting the nearby open space trails, he added. Located within town limits in Bohn Park, it will combine aspects of dirt jump riding, skills riding, and a pump track. Parts of it, including the practice loop, will be rideable year round because it will incorporate the native Sandstone of the area, donated by Lyons-based Blue Mountain Stone.
Lee McCormack, founder of Pump Track Nation, designed the course. “This kind of park hasn’t been done,” he stated. “The inclusion of natural terrain and materials makes it unique.” Parks in other areas of the country often utilize bridges, but in Colorado riders must contend with riding over rocks.
“This park is being created specifically for fun’s sake, but also to help people enjoy the local riding,” McCormack explained. He has spent hours actually recreating some difficult sections of local trails, utilizing his own experiences on those trails and measurements he took.
The pump park, says Glenn Bell, owner of Lyons-based Bitterbrush Cycles and one of the course’s main advocates, will be a boon to the town’s recreational offerings. “We can have more competitions other than the Lyons Outdoor Games, generate a lot of fun, and maybe get people to stay in Lyons and shop.”
Bell initiated the creation of the pump park soon after opening his shop. He soon got the Town on board, enlisted the help of McCormack, and less than a year later, it is now a reality.
“It’s going to be a place anyone can ride and have a great time,” Bell said, enthusiastically.
“It’s just another great collaborative effort in Lyons that truly highlights what our parks department is capable of accomplishing with very few resources,” Cosgrove added.
The town will be holding bike clinics at the park, as well as competitions. For more information, please visit the www.LyonsOutdoorGames.com, or contact Dave Cosgrove at davec@townoflyons.com.
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