Bike & Brew festival organizers aim for simplicity in new venue
Participants in the fifth annual Outside Bike & Brew, a weekendlong festival marrying a passion for pedaling with a love for craft beer, will get a change of scenery that organizers hope will be more convenient for riders.
While the past four festivals have been held in May at venues in Santa Fe, this year’s event will be held Saturday and Sunday at Glorieta Camps, about 20 miles southeast of the city.
Tim Fowler, the event’s director, said the change “makes things simpler.”
In the two of past four years, he said, riders “got snowed on.”
Glorieta Camps, a 2,400-acre retreat and adventure camp center, is “a self-contained venue” with ample camping and trails on-site, Fowler said, offering easier access for rides.
In previous years, participants had to take a shuttle or ride their bikes at least three miles to reach a trailhead. Now, Fowler said, “We can have our riding right where
the festival is. It does change the event a bit, but we think it’s for the better.”
Rawson Adams, an employee at the MellowVelo bike shop, agrees.
“I think the change of venue is exciting,” Adams said. “The trails in Glorieta are world class. … If the venue is good enough for professional athletes, it’s good enough for professional beer drinkers with a biking problem.”
Over the weekend, bikers of all skill levels can join long rides — on mountain trails, roads or gravel pathways — test gear, attend how-to workshops and demos, and check out a display of handcrafted bicycles. And, of course, drink beer. The event includes a beer garden and food truck rally.
This year’s craft brews include options from Albuquerque’s Canteen Brewhouse, Santa Fe Brewing Co. and Second Street Brewery. Salt Lake City’s Uinta Brewing was on the original roster but had to cancel, Fowler said.
There will be at least four beers per brewery, totaling at least 12 options.
“There are few things that go better after a good ride than a great craft beer,” Fowler said. “It’s just that simple.”
Among the scheduled rides are a Mountain Bike Marathon with a 35-mile and a 16-mile option; the Glorieta Gravel Grinder, a more than 50-mile gravel road ride toward Glorieta
Mesa; and a group ride with mountain bike pros Syd Schulz and Macky Franklin.
The Outside Bike & Brew Funduro — a three-stage, three-trail downhill ride — is a great way for mountain bikers to test their endurance and downhill speed, Fowler said.
“You have to pedal up,” he said, but only the downhill is timed. “All of these things are fun rides. Nobody’s winning any medals. It’s just glory between you and your friends.”
The Bike & Brew, founded in 2014, is sponsored and promoted by Outside magazine. This will be the second year the festival is under the ownership of Velo New Mexico, a cycling-focused nonprofit that hopes to engage cyclists of every skill level, from casual riders to pros.
Fowler, executive director of the organization, said he expects several hundred participants at the Bike & Brew each day, “maybe more depending on weather.”