Tennessee’s Big South Fork plans annual New Year’s bike ride

Published 10:02 am Friday, December 13, 2019

ONEIDA  (AP) — Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and the Big South Fork Bike Club in Tennessee are planning their annual “Mail Run” for mountain bikers on New Year’s Day.

Bikers meet at 10 a.m. at Bandy Creek Visitor Center. Rides vary from 8 to 35 miles (13 to 56 kilometers), allowing bikers to choose their distance, the park said in a news release. Hot chocolate and coffee will be available before the rides.

“The ride is traditionally called the Mail Run because ‘neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of the night’ keep us from getting out there on the first of the year,” said Joe Cross, president of the Big South Fork Bike Club.

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The park has almost 300 miles (483 kilometers) of trails that allow mountain biking. In 2012, it was the first national park to receive the International Mountain Biking Association’s Epic Ride designation.