Believe it or not, this Friday will mark the 40th anniversary of the original Repack race in Marin County. Yes, that Repack race that kicked off the sport of mountain biking as we knew it. You could say that this weekend will be the 40th birthday for mountain biking as a whole, which is a mighty fine achievement for what began as a niche sport for beardo weirdos (Ed. Has anything changed??)
See below the flyer for the event, and an email that Chipps received from Joe Breeze; one of the original Repack racers.
“This coming Friday, October 21 will mark the 40th anniversary of Repack the race. I suppose one might want to be at the top at 9am that day. Who knows what they might find, but if it’s like other years ending in 6 over the last four decades they’ll find quite a few riders, some sporting more denim than a cowboy rodeo, on bikes fit for a bull rider. And as usual, the course will be lined with rangers offering their thanks to the folks who gave them there wonderful jobs in the beautiful out of doors. But be clear, there will NOT be a race.
That afternoon at 5pm, in downtown Fairfax, there will be, with absolute surety, a special Repack-40 “Happy Hour at the Hall” at Marin Museum of Bicycling, home of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
Best,
Joe”
Not sure what all the fuss is about? Then check out the preview for the classic Klunkerz movie that documents those original Repack races and the people who created the sport that we all know and love today;
