We’re down to one last ski resort operating in Utah—Snowbird is still fighting the good fight—but the Wasatch is reluctantly limping towards spring through cool temperatures and intermittent precipitation. Desert riding has been in full swing, as your social media feed has no doubt alerted you, and it’s time to ramp up riding season in mountains around Salt Lake City at the Soldier Hollow (SoHo) Bike Festival.
The SoHo Bike Fest will take over the 2002 Winter Olympics Nordic skiing venue in Midway from Thursday, May 2 through Sunday, May 5 with bike demos, an industry expo and racing for everyone from first timers to top professionals. At the expo, attendees can peruse, geek out on and demo the latest and greatest bikes from Cannondale and Rocky Mountain, and Park City Bike Demos will bring a fleet of rides from Felt and Ibis. Perhaps most interestingly, local innovators Trust Performance will be on hand with their unique linkage fork, The Message, giving curious riders the opportunity to test the concept’s performance advantage without having to part with the eye-watering $2,700 required to own one.
Once the rampant consumerism inherent to mountain biking has run its course, festival attendees can explore Soldier Hollow’s trail system. The trails meander through the areas rolling hills with a moderate elevation change that won’t overwhelm early-season legs and lungs. Those seeking a challenge can sign up for a variety of amateur racing opportunities including short track, cross country, marathon and a stage race including all disciplines. Those who don’t participate in the race can still come check out elite professional riders from around the world at the UCI sanctioned S1 Stage Race as well as a UCI Junior Series cross country race. Seeing a professional bike race in person is mind-altering experience, as the astonishing speed and pro-level suffering will change your perception of what fast is.
The weather is going to be beautiful, so come check out new gear and awesome races, and get ready to hit the trails. A full event schedule is below.
Thursday, May 2
- Limited Bike Demos at Soldier Hollow
- UCI S1: Stage 1 at Soldier Hollow
- Elite Men Time Trial
- Elite Women Time Trail
- Amateur Stage Race: Stage 1
- Time Trial at Soldier Hollow
Friday, May 3
- Bike Demos & Expo at Soldier Hollow
- UCI S1: Stage 2 at Soldier Hollow
- Elite Men Short Track
- Elite Women Short Track
- Amateur Stage Race: Stage 2
- Short Track at Soldier Hollow
- Individual Races:
- Junior Short Track
- Junior Skills
- Amateur Short Track
Saturday, May 4
- Bike Demos & Expo at Soldier Hollow
- UCI S1: Stage 3 at Soldier Hollow
- Elite Men Cross Country
- Elite Women Cross Country
- Amateur Stage Race: Stage 3
- Cross Country at Soldier Hollow
- UCI Junior Series Races:
- 17-18 UCI Junior Men
- 17-18 UCI Junior Women
- Amateur Individual Races:
- Junior Cross Country
- Amateur Cross Country
Sunday, May 5
- Bike Demos & Expo at Soldier Hollow
- UCI S1: Stage 4 at Soldier Hollow
- Elite Men Marathon
- Elite Women Marathon
- Amateur Stage Race: Stage 4
- Marathon at Soldier Hollow
- Amateur Individual Races:
- Junior Marathon (1 & 2 lap options)
- Amateur Marathon (1 & 2 lap options
Read all of our outdoors coverage here.
