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Louisiana State Parks has announced the upcoming inaugural “Rollercoaster of Love” Mountain Bike Festival, to be held at Bogue Chitto State Park this Saturday and Sunday.

The festival will conclude with the first mountain bike race held on the newly constructed mountain bike trails inside the park. Hosted by the Northshore Off-Road Biking Association, the weekend mountain bike festival will include events for mountain bikers of all ages. These events will include a Funduro race, mountain bike riding instruction, and the Mega Zeph Mega Jam, a mountain bike jump party featuring lots of jumps and aerial stunts. Refreshments will be available from Tangipahoa Parish locally owned brewery Gnarley Barley.

“With the increase in popularity of mountain bike riding, we wanted Louisiana to feature some of the best trails around,” Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said. “Through the hard work of my office, Louisiana State Parks, the Northshore Off-Road Biking Association, and so many more, we were able to expand the existing four miles of bike trails to 14 miles, over some of the most diverse terrain in the area.

“We are inviting everyone to come out and experience a world-class event on our world-class mountain bike trails in south Louisiana.”

On Saturday, bike riders can register for the Funduro. This fun-filled Enduro race will start at 9 a.m. and happen in stages, with the lowest overall times being declared the winners. There is no registration fee for this event.

Additionally, Saturday will feature the Dirt Coaster Academy at 2 p.m. Two certified mountain bike instructors will offer a free, mountain biking fundamental class. This instruction is perfect for the beginner looking to learn or as a refresher for the more experienced mountain biker looking to brush up on skills. There is no registration fee for this event.

Saturday will end with the Mega Zeph Mega Jam at 4 p.m. The Mega Zeph jump party will feature mountain bikers taking on the bigger jumps at Bogue Chitto State Park, performing aerial stunts with each jump.

The main event of the Rollercoaster of Love Mountain Bike Festival starts Sunday morning, with onsite registration at 8 a.m. and racing getting underway at 9 a.m. There will be 17 different categories of races open for registration at the Rollercoaster of Love Mountain Bike Festival registration page. The races are the seventh stop in the Gulf South Regional Mountain Bike Series.

For more information on the Rollercoaster of Love Mountain Bike Festival, or to register online ahead of the races on Sunday, visit the event registration page (www.bikereg.com/roller-coaster-of-love-mtb-festival). Online registration ends Thursday at 12:01 a.m. You can also register on site the day of the event for the cross-country race on Sunday, or join a registration party on Friday night, at The Giddy Up in Folsom.

Learn more about Bogue Chitto State Park at www.lastateparks.com/parks-preserves/bogue-chitto-state-park.