Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and to honor their friend and hero, Mark Reynolds, Bev and Kerry Brown, owners of Rim Nordic Ski Area in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, will hold another exciting So. Cal. Mountain Stage Race on June 26 and 27. Proceeds will benefit the Mark J. Reynolds Fund which purchases bicycles for children whose families don’t have the money to purchase them. Appropriately enough, the organization’s slogan is “Helping Kids one bike at a time.” This event has been held for the past six years.
Before his tragic death, Reynolds loved nothing more than to climb on his mountain bike and take off for the solitude and quiet of nature or for races where he could pit his mountain biking skills against others who loved the sport the same way he did. Tragically his life ended on January 8, 2004 while he was on a ride on a trail at Whiting Ranch in Orange County. Mark was fatally attacked by a mountain lion and his shocking death and loss was felt by hundreds of his mountain biking friends and his family.
Because he used to love driving to the mountains and participating in mountain bike races at Rim Nordic, the Brown’s have been holding a special fundraising race during June ever since his death. For information on his remarkable life log onto www.markreynoldsfund.org.
Saturday events will include a Hill Climb, Dirt Crit and Super D events and they are each challenging in their own way. Sunday’s events include cross-country racing which will be held in the same classes and categories as the upcoming X-C series events which take place July 11 and 25 and Aug. 15 and 29.
Saturday’s registration will be held from 7 to 8:30 a.m. followed by the arduous Hill Climb at 9 a.m. The “Super D” starts at 10:30.The Super D will start at the top of the Hill Climb. The Dirt “Crit” begins at noon. Sunday will be dedicated to the cross-country event that include tandems, men and women’s categories.
The entry fee for the So Cal Mtn. Stage Race will be $70 if participants register on or before June 19. “Late-comers” will pay $80 on race day or if they register after June 19. The price for “juniors” is $50 and a free T-shirt will be given to the first 100 entries. Mark’s family donates special medals to each rider who participates.
For information on this special fundraising event call Rim Nordic at (909) 867-2600 or log onto their website at www.rimnordic.com. Rim Nordic is located on Highway 18 directly across from Snow Valley Mt Resort, just five miles past the community of Running Springs. Interested participants can register online at active.com or fax entry from the website.
