Hundreds of mountain bikers and trail runners from all around the nation will join the fun at the fourth annual Prickly Pedal Event on Saturday, Jan.19, 2019. Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, the 40-mile bike course showcases the Maricopa Trails diversity and will start in the Town of Cave Creek and finish with a celebration at Lake Pleasant Regional Park.

“This is not a race for the weary,” said Brian Derrick, president of the Maricopa Trail and Park Foundation. “Riders can expect steep, rocky climbs and descents. The Maricopa Trail is a one-of-a-kind trail that connects Maricopa County’s 10 regional parks by forming an emerald ring around the Valley. And this year, we are welcoming runners as well to take on the rugged terrain.”

Mountain bike racers will begin the race at Flat Tire Bikes in Cave Creek and travel the Maricopa Trail towards the 10-lane boat ramp at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Aggressive ascents and descents, flats, rocks, water, sand, mud and roller coaster runs are all part of the fun and challenging course. An 8K trail run will begin near Pleasant Harbor Marina (Old 87th Ave) and travel the Maricopa Trail towards the 10-lane boat ramp at Lake Pleasant Regional Park.

The Prickly Pedal trail run begins at 8 a.m. and the bike race begins at 8:30 am on Sat., Jan. 19 with the after party and award ceremonies from 11-4 p.m. at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. The free Kids Race (ages 6-10) starts at 1 p.m. on a specially designed course which begins at the Main Stage at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Riders, runners and their guests are invited to join the after-race party and awards presentation. The festivities will include a raffle, refreshments, beer garden and music. Top finishers will be awarded a medal, with winners earning a cash prize and bragging rights across their age bracket.

The event is coordinated by the Maricopa Trail and Park Foundation, a non-profit organization which strives to provide sustainable financial support for the newly constructed Maricopa Regional Trail System. All proceeds from the Prickly Pedal Event support the Maricopa Trail and Park Foundation. The race is sponsored by City of Peoria, SRP, APS, SRP, Toyota, EPCOR Water, Cox, Schneider CPA, Prime Solutions Group, Spooner Physical Therapy and RIESTER Advertising.

Maricopa County is home to one of the largest regional parks systems in the nation with over 120,000 acres of open space parks that include hundreds of miles of trails. The Maricopa Trail connects all 10 county parks and features aggressive ascents and descents combined with rocks, water, sand, mud and roller coaster runs making the trail a fun challenge for bikers.

To learn more about Prickly Pedal, visit http://pricklypedal.com/ or connect on Facebook facebook.com/pricklypedal.