Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger had the grand opening for the first phase a couple of weeks ago, and it was incredible. If you were there, you know. If you have gone there since, you know. Even if you have just seen pictures or videos, you probably know. My name is Isaac, I've worked at CORA for a little over three years now, and I have been mountain biking on CORA trails for over 14 years, since I was in high school. I'd like to write about what this bike park represents for me as a rider, and for our region overall.
I arrived at the grand opening of “The Flow” a couple of hours early, to a mostly empty bike park. There was just one person riding, a 7-year-old in a full-face helmet, absolutely sending it on the jump line with some coaching from his dad who was watching. That scene captures so much of what this is about. Think about a playground, where the kids are on the equipment and the parents are on the benches nearby. There is not much else that gets kids and adults engaged in the same activity, in the same place, at the same time, the way this bike park already does. It creates a special kind of community around riding that feeds into itself, and it is the clearest evidence I can offer for what investing in bike-forward outdoor recreation actually produces.
The Flow has three main parts, a kid-focused area with some short wooden platforms, a pump track with several variations, and the main course, a 1,000-foot jump line with some pretty large, but also rollable and forgiving tabletop jumps down and back. It is no exaggeration that this is unlike anything else in our region, and the City of Erlanger, Mayor Fette, Innovative Dirt Solutions, and the other project partners deserve a huge round of applause for making this happen. It is also just the first installment in a much larger plan for the Eons Adventure Park. Take a sec to scroll through that page if you haven't seen it before, it's pretty exciting.
I am especially excited for this, because despite my decade and a half of mountain bike experience, I'm really not that good at jumping, or comfortable in the air. The first part that makes this bike park great for building skills is that there is so much all in one spot. You don't have to go ride several miles into the woods to hit the jump line trail and then ride all the way back to the top, you just hit the jumps again and again and again, focusing on what works and what doesn't, and building a bit more confidence each time.
Second is the community aspect. The grand opening was a unique experience since there were so many people there, but something that cool will always draw a bit of a crowd, where riders can watch and learn from one another. It was a special thing getting in line to drop in and hear teenagers talking about which one of their friends was hitting the line the best, and who they wanted to watch to try and get better. That turns learning into a game, something you do with your friends while you are active and outside. Again, what else do we have that is doing that? This is a paved bike park rather than a trail in the woods, but the skills you build here are exactly the ones that will open up the trails to you, and you are still out getting fresh air and working for it.
As a true community asset, this bike park really does welcome just about everyone. All ages, all skill levels, there is something to do. The kid-focused area has a very approachable, flat route to ride that takes you through some fun, colorful gates and a tube, and has some small raised wooden platforms. The idea is really a playground for bikes, nothing too challenging, just a safe and fun way for young riders to get comfortable on a bike and want to come back. The pump track is the piece that works for absolutely everyone. It is a fantastic way to get better about moving with your bike as you ride, and pumping over rollers to help keep your speed and give you a smoother ride. If you are just starting out, see if you can make it around one time without pedaling. If you are past that, see how long you can keep going. And the jump line is where the progression lives. For all but the best riders there will always be a challenge waiting there, jumps to try and clear, manuals to try and roll cleanly, tail whips off a big jump, and the list goes on.
Something else that has me excited about this, as a CORA employee specifically, is how it is a proof-of-concept for the mission and strategy that we have been behind for years. That being, work with partners to identify opportunities, create plans, and steward the earliest stages of a project to the point where it is self-sustaining and can attract millions of dollars of support on its own, making the project a reality. CORA was involved at the early stages of planning for Eons, in fact, it was one of the first project stakeholder meetings that I attended as a CORA employee around three years ago. The City of Erlanger, Innovative Dirt Solutions, and other project partners have carried this concept forward, creating access for our region where none existed.
Here is the part I wish more people knew. For the kind of amenity it is, a paved bike park is relatively inexpensive, especially measured against what it gives back to a community. And we have identified opportunities like this all over our region. Only a fraction of them are currently anywhere in the pipeline, whether that is being planned, being funded, or being built. The ideas and the locations are not the bottleneck.
To close, I will once again implore you to go check out The Flow at Eons if you haven't already. And when you are there, imagine what the future holds. Imagine dropping off that jump line and dipping down into a 20+ mile mountain bike trail system. Imagine a bike park close enough to home that your kids ride their bikes to it instead of getting a ride from you. Imagine it being the place your kid's mountain bike team shows up to practice every week. Imagine a regional network of connected trails, and communities built around bike and pedestrian connectivity, and sustainable outdoor recreation access for everyone.
That version of our region is affordable and it is achievable, and what decides how quickly it gets here is demand. CORA is already convinced, and we are going to keep singing the same song. The people who need to hear it are the ones who can act on it, your city council members, the businesses in your area, landowners, your HOA. If you want something like The Flow close to your own home, tell them so. That is what turns an opportunity we have identified into a project that gets funded and built.
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"The Flow" is a progressive bike park designed to acomodate riders of all skill levels. Fully equipped with a 1,000-foot jump line with a pump track, beginner skills course, and bicycle playground, the layout provides opportunities for riders to develop bike-handling, pumping, jumping, cornering, and feature-riding skills while progressing from introductory terrain toward more advanced features.
Isaac Hunter-Linville, CORA's Operational Support Specialist, is an avid mountain biker and cyclist, with years of competitive experience, thanks to his development through Olivia Birkenhauer, our Emeritus Chair of CORA and long-time mountain bike coach of Got Dirt MTB Training.