In late October, we hopped in the car and headed south. There, we found the Southeast’s bike epicenter and plenty of inspired mountain biking in Knoxville.
Aspire (Clinton, Tennessee)
Dreams and aspirations do come true. We found a shining example of this in Clinton, Tennessee. Aspire is the largest private park in the Southeast, totally privately funded and built by local dreamer and businessman Joseph Hollingsworth Jr. with his partner, Brenda Starwalt. Aspire opened Oct. 6, 2024. All the activities and venues are free and open to the public. The almost 400 acres include a stunning veteran’s service and sacrifice memorial. Thirteen spires reach to the sky, symbolizing the original colonies that are surrounded by plaques of all fifty states. Stop by and walk the stone steps to the memorial, find your state, pay tribute to the Liberty Bell replica, and find the man in the red bandana (a hero from the 9/11 attack).
Keep exploring on foot or on wheels, and find the Launch (kayak, fishing, river access), The Exchange event venue, an adventure playground for kids of all ages, and a bark park for furry friends. Bikers will definitely take note: Aspire has the Grit’N Bank It pump track, downhill paved jump lines, and 22 miles of single-track mountain bike trails. The on-site Pearl Restaurant and rooftop deck have post-ride refreshments overlooking the stunning landscape and wildflower meadows. Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness (just 20 minutes away) is a known and well-deserving mountain bike destination. Add in Aspire and nearby Windrock Bike Park; the area’s bike stock just went way up. My tip, add it to your bike portfolio and share the wealth!
Inspired Biking at Knoxville’s Aspire
We spent our Halloween at Aspire, it was more sweet than spooky! As we rolled up, I admired the stunning infrastructure and architecture, plus the Frida statue perched on a stand of impressive rocks overlooking the bike skills park area. We warmed up on the paved bike park lines, finding plenty of rollicky runs; we rode the sculpted banked berms, and wall rides plus practiced on plenty of jumportunities. After refueling at The Pearl for a lunch of deviled egg appetizers, farm-fresh salads, and iced sweet tea, I was ready for more miles.
From trailhead 2, Josh and I rolled some leafy, hilly miles on Rendezvous Ridge trail and enjoyed the trail signage that always gave options: Advanced or easy arrows depending on the state of my legs. We found plenty of gorgeous views along our route, the fall colors blanketing the Clinch River Valley below. We finished our ride from Vim & Vigor to the Dragon then to the Right Stuff, a fast, jump-ladden downhill. It deposited us right next to the zipline. Of course, we couldn’t resist a few zips. Everyone, adults too, gets to be kids at Aspire. In the spirit of tricks or treats, we chose treats and cold beverages from the Pearl bar. From our comfortable rocker lounge chairs, we sipped, relaxed, and savored an aspirational and adventurous day.
PS: the holidays are near. Get your tickets to Aspire’s walking holiday light show, Aspirations in Light, the largest display in the Southeast.
AMBC Fall Fest
The 15th annual Fall Fest was also a great excuse to make the road trip to Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness and Baker Creek Preserve. The 2024 version was Nov. 1 – 2, essentially a giant weekend party celebrating everything on two wheels. AMBC (Appalachian Mountain Bike Club) hosts and organizes the expo and events, including the lady’s Joy Ride, women’s power hour, The whip-off competition, and the pump-track best lines under the lights. Plus, film screenings, live music, plenty of tasty food trucks, and a good old-fashioned hoedown square dance. Josh and I blended in with a couple of thousand other like-minded bikers who like to ride, hoot, and holler at big air, and, yes, sip a few beers.
The feelings of inspiration continued all weekend. Big kudos to AMBC for facilitating a bike raffle that raised over 60K in donations, all of which were sent to SORBA communities hit by Hurricane Helene. AMBC is Knoxville’s trail and bike steward organization. They dig trails (and maintain them, too) and organize group rides to become the purveyors of post-hurricane goodwill.
Stay and Play Cottage, South Knoxville
We stayed nearby in a South Knox neighborhood at a comfy and quaint rental, just 10 minutes from Fall Fest epicenter. The Cottage on the Hill was a perfect retreat to rest and rejuvenate in between the Aspire visit and fest days. The cottage has 3BRs, 2 baths, a well-appointed kitchen, and an enclosed back porch (perfect spot to store bikes and gear). Hot Tip, AMBC is working on more new trails off Sevierville Hwy, a quick ride out the door. Find a few pals and make this your stay-and-play home base. Bonus: you can ride year-round in Knoxville, so the Michigan pals will be back when the snow flies up north.
AMBC Joy Ride
AMBC’s sister organization, Joy Ride, was also a focus at Fall Fest. Their mission is to get more women on bikes and create a welcoming, non-intimidating atmosphere for women, regardless of their skill level. Saturday morning, I hung out with almost 100 other Joy Riders on the Fall Fest group ride and reveled in some dirt sister group time. We split into smaller groups with team leads for advanced, intermediate, cross-country, or beginner levels.
There’s nothing like time with rad ladies because we all know this sport is pretty dude-centric. Big thanks to Madeline and Caroline for all the organization, and a big shout out to all the group leaders who showed us around Baker Creek’s “party in the woods” scene. Later on, I was stoked to get some runs in with the hubs and managed to snag a Transition Sentinel demo (my dream bike) for a quick rip on Saturday. Cruze Valley and Barn Barner are still faves, and I can’t stop whooping while flying over berms and hitting some jumpy stuff.
Fire Drill Jump Line
A new expert jump line dedication was also Fall Fest official business. Some local bigwigs and even the mayor showed up to officially cut the dirt ribbon on Fire Drill. Several local pros followed up the scissor move by delighting the crowd with big air off some seriously lippy jump entries, one that sends you sideways right into a whale tail. So, I put my bike down and grabbed my camera. It was an absolute blast watching and shooting pics of my new riding idols: Lilly Driver, Nina Buitrago, and Bernadette Merriman….they make it look so fluid and easy. Get it, ladies.
The Aspire visit and AMBC’s Fall Fest experience tilted my fun and inspirational meter to HIGH. We’ll be back for more inspired mountain biking in Knoxville. I am reminded that we must surround ourselves with people and activities that inspire us!
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