Cruise the Blues Bike Festival
Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20
The Cruise the Blues Bike Festival is one of the longest running bike races and festivals in Kansas and this year we are celebrating 22 years of families, friends and fun on the Palen Family Farm!
New Festival Format
For this year’s event we are changing things up a bit with a new format that we hope will make the bike racing, riding, camping, festival fun and games better than ever!
Three Great Races!
The new 2-day festival format will showcase some of the best mountain bike trails, gravel roads and terrain in the region with our first ever Super D (downhill) race on Saturday and our epic Mountain Bike and Gravel Races on Sunday.
Festival Fun & Games!
In addition to the world class racing, the festival fun will include a Freeride Open House with free shuttles and guided rides on Saturday afternoon at Lone Hill, the first ever Bike Squid Games, Live Music and a special presentation by the Kansas Interscholastic Cycling League.
New Event! - Squid Games!
Following the Freeride Open House and Super Downhill race Saturday afternoon. We will have the first ever Bike Squid Games with fun riding games inspired by the TV show and viral Mr. Beast video, that will get everyone riding like a kid again.
Special Presentation! - Getting More Kids on Bikes with the Kansas MTB League
Following the Squid Games, the Kansas Mountain Bike League will share a presentation about their amazing 2025 season and the incredible coaches, student-athletes, parents and families and friends that make the riding in Kansas and the League so special!
Live Music & Parade of Lights
As the sun goes we will have some great live music and a fun parade of lights bike show before winding things down for the quiet camping hours.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Saturday July 19th
Festival Opens (Noon Saturday)
The festival will open at noon on Saturday, when riders are encouraged to come out to the farm, check-in for registration, find a camping space and get setup, grab some BBQ and a cool lemonade (from one of the best food trucks in Kansas), and ease into a great weekend of riding, racing and fun on the farm.
Camping on the Farm
RV and tent camping on the farm is free and available on a first come first serve basis. The camping facilities will include primitive restrooms with cold showers and wifi. Food and beverages will be available throughout the weekend from the food truck. The lights and music will wind down with camping quiet hours starting at 11:00PM on Saturday evening so folks can get some good sleep and be ready for a great day of racing on Sunday. For folks that want to focus on maximizing their racing performance there will be an additional “quiet camp”, tent only area at the Forster Pasture area and away from the main event venue area.
Food Truck
The food truck will be serving some tasty lunch and dinner on Saturday from 1PM-9PM and breakfast and lunch from 7AM-4PM on Sunday and accepts cash and credit card transactions.
Riding on the Farm
All race courses will be marked and opened for pre-riding starting at noon on Saturday and riders are encouraged and welcome to explore the routes and warm up for the racing on Sunday.
Freeride Open House on Lone Hill (Saturday 2PM-5PM)
In addition to the great racing, we will have a brand new riding event called a Freeride Open House where riders can explore the epic new trails on Lone Hill and dial in their berm turn, jumping and freeride skills with free shuttles, guided rides, and skills instruction.
The open house is a great way to discover and explore the great new trails on Lone Hill with free “shuttle” rides to the top and a great network of trails and terrain to explore. Riders are welcome to session the super D course and dial in their lines for the race, stretch out their legs and dial in for the racing on Sunday with a longer XC ride, or join a guided ride or skills instructor for a tour or some tips on better riding techniques.
Lone Hill is 1.6 miles from the main event area and riders can pedal, drive or jump on a shuttle starting at 2PM and will run until the Super Downhill race start at 5PM.
Super D Race on Lone Hill (Saturday 5-6PM)
The brand new 1.1-mile Super Downhill Race course will showcase “the best” downhill trail in the Blue Hills of North Central Kansas which features flowy berm turns, big jumps and progressive drops. The course is wide open and great for spectator viewing, filming and drone shots and all of the features are rollable, safe and fun for beginner level riders, but also designed for more advanced riders to be able to boost! The extended downhill course has 200’ of vertical with a few short pedaling sections and is super groomed and fun to ride on All-Mountain, XC and even Hardtail mountain bikes.
*Riders are encouraged to pre-walk and pre-ride the course during the pre-race practice session before dropping in for their race run. Riders will need to be at the race start on Lone Hill at 5PM for the pre-race talk and to queue for their race starts. Free shuttles for practice start at 2PM.
Festival (6-11PM)
Following the Super Downhill Race on Lone Hill, the festival will begin back at the Farm with the start of the official Bike Squid Games and Olympics, followed by a special presentation by the Kansas Interscholastic Cycling Association and then Live Music into the evening.
*The music and lights will give way to the quiet hours on the farm at 11PM so campers and riders can get a goodnight sleep and be ready for a great day of racing in the morning.
Squid Games and Bike Olympics (Saturday 6-7PM) New Event!
Following the Freeride Open House and Super Downhill race Saturday afternoon. We will have the first ever Bike Squid Games with fun riding games inspired by the TV show and viral Mr. Beast video, that will get everyone riding like a kid again. Riders will compete in fun solo, team and group elimination style events like in the show, until the final winners emerge. The squid games events will include classics like red light/ green light, follow the leader, merry-go-round and snake and are as much about fun and luck as they are about skill. The Bike Olympic Games are more about showcasing the amazing skills and talents folks have in the Bike Limbo, Bunny Hop, and Skid Contests.
*There will be lots of fun prizes and no registration is required.
Getting More Kids on Bikes with Kansas MTB League (Saturday 7-8PM) Special Presentation!
Following the Squid Games, the Kansas Mountain Bike League will share a presentation about their amazing 2025 season and the incredible coaches, student-athletes, parents and families and friends that make the riding in Kansas and the League so special!
*All Kansas League student-athletes and coaches are encouraged to wear their team jersey and kits for a special group photo.
Sunday July 20th
Race Registration (6-8AM) Same day registration!
Race registration will open at 7am for same day registration and packet pick-up.
Farm Fresh Breakfast! (7-8AM)
The food truck will be serving a farm fresh breakfast so riders can fuel up for the race and a great day of riding!
Pre-Race Safety Meeting (8:45AM) Stay Safe!
The pre-race safety meeting is to make sure riders are aware of the course conditions, the race routes and to go over the rules of racing to make sure everyone stays safe.
*All riders are required to attend and should be ready to go to start the race with the gear and bikes.
Mountain Bike & Gravel Race Mass Start (9AM) Early Race Start To Beat The Heat!
The mountain bike and gravel races start with a special mass start around the farm, led out by the Palen Family at 9am.
Gravel Race in the Blue Hills (9-Noon)
The 18-mile Blue Hills Gravel Race course showcases some of the most epic and beautiful gravel roads and tarmac in the region! The course loop starts and ends at the farm with an average lap time of around 90 minutes. Riders are encouraged to ride as many laps as they can until noon when the last lap cutoff happens.
Mountain Bike Race on the Palen Family Farm (9-Noon)
The 7-mile Palen Family Farm mountain bike race course showcases the beautiful rolling hills, shaded woods, pastures and fields of the Palen Family Farm with a fast, flowing and super fun xc trail network! The course loop starts and ends at the farm with an average lap time of around 75 minutes. Riders are encouraged to ride as many laps as they can until noon when the last lap cutoff happens.
Cruiz’n Kids Race (1PM-1:30)
Kids love riding in the Cruiz’n Kids Race and feeling the fun and excitement of racing in front of the crowd!
Bike Games (1:30PM-2PM)
More bike games to keep the party rolling into the Awards Ceremony.
Awards Podium Presentations (2-3PM)
The awards presentations will be at 2PM.
Last Call for Food and Festivals Close (3PM)
The last call for food will be at 3PM and the festival will officially ends at 4pm.
Also check out other Sports events in Tipton, Trips & Adventurous Activities in Tipton, Festivals in Tipton.
