Bellingham's Epic Blend of Bikes, Beats, and Community Spirit 1

The third annual Northwest Tune-Up festival wrapped this past weekend, leaving Bellingham buzzing with excitement and thousands of attendees with unforgettable memories. This unique, multi-disciplinary event, held from July 12-14, 2024, is quickly becoming a must-attend annual gathering for mountain bikers, music lovers, and outdoor enthusiasts. The mountain bike trail mecca of Whatcom County was on full display - showcasing why dozens of cycling manufacturers, component companies, and outdoor brands have chosen to call this corner of the Pacific Northwest, home. 

Brandon Watts, Co-Founder of Tune-Up, explained the festival's ethos: "We have something special here. People come to Tune-Up because they find a sense of community within the outdoors. It's not only about showcasing pro athletes—it's about getting everyone involved in cycling or interested in outdoor recreation, no matter their skill level."

Bikes, Bikes, and More Bikes

The Waterfront festival grounds made for a wonderland as 13 major brands brought their demo fleets - attendees relished at the chance to test-ride the latest and greatest mountain bikes, e-bikes, or hybridized rigs. An additional 46 cycling brands popped-up in the public section to engage with their community, showcase their crafts, and advocate for their organization's purpose. 

While podium-chasers and casual riders alike found their place at Tune-Up, the sheer number of young cyclists was impossible to ignore. Hundreds of kids could be seen pedaling well into the evening, their enthusiasm and energy were quite infectious. The sight of so many children pushing the boundaries of our sport, served as a powerful reminder of the bicycles ability to inspire, liberate, and unite people across generations and divisions. 

Marquee Events

Nearly 60 racers participated in Friday's Shimano Pump Track Drag Race, racing head-to-head through rollers and berms without pedaling. In the Pro Women’s division, rising slopestyle athlete Shealen Reno confirmed the top spot, followed by Ainsley Haggart and Georgia Russell. In the Pro Men’s division, Bellingham-based Talus Lantz took first place, with Davis Melkanian and Callum Halloway rounding out the podium.

“I came back because I couldn’t get enough of these tuned-up vibes,” she said of her return. “This year, I was full throttle at the festival, and I had so much fun racing the pump track race and throwing down at the dirt jump jam.”  Shealen will continue northbound and make history next weekend, competing in all four of the Women's Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle events in Whistler, BC. In between riding sessions, Reno spoke on the recent shifts in MTB culture, "it's all about supporting each other, stepping up, and showing up where we can - that's why I'm out here, just sharing the stoke with all the people I see." 

Saturday's aerial spectacle saw lines of riders throw-down in the Maxxis Waterfront Jump Jam. This spectator-friendly event showcased incredible talent and tricks from riders aged 9 - 40 years old, along the new Tile Tank Jump Line.

New for 2024, Sunday’s Evil Gravel Gran Fundo, encouraged riders of all ages to explore Bellingham's extensive network of forest roads and single-track. With three route options and fun challenges along the way, the ride was a hit as it embodied the festival's spirit of blending competition with community engagement. Riders wore costumes and were met with friendly challenges in the form of dance-offs, scavenger hunts, and other unique games where they accumulated points and prizes. 

Bellingham’s signature all-mountain gravity race, the Galbraith Mountain Enduro Presented by Outdoor Research, attracted 517 total adult and youth riders for the bonus round of the Cascadia Dirt Cup series. On Saturday, Bellingham's own Jill Kintner dominated the pro women's field, while Cameron Joye took the top spot for the men. Full Race Results from Saturday.

The positive energy from Saturday seamlessly carried over into Sunday, marking a day dedicated to youth racing. Over 200 young riders, showed up ready to tackle the same challenging course. Despite numerous flats—nothing could dampen the spirits of these young riders. Full Race Results from Sunday. 

Additionally, a huge thanks goes to Race Cascadia for their generous donation of $6,000 to the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC), further supporting local trail development and maintenance. 

Pro Women: 

1. Jill Kintner // 15:34:61

2. Syra Fillat // 17:03:35

3. Ainsley Haggart // 17:11:45

4. Quinn Raynak // 18:08:30

5. Claire Kushnick // 18:20:42

Pro Men: 

1. Cameron Joye // 14:14:00 

2. Andrew Cavaye // 14:19:14

3. Talus Lantz // 14:41:53

4. Keith Robert // 14:45:97

5. Mark Allison // 14:51:70

More Than Just Bikes

Introduced this year, a secondary stage for the venue in the free public zone, bringing new energy and diversity to the weekend's musical offerings on Saturday and Sunday afternoon - with six local bands playing acoustic sets. 

Commitment to Sustainable Stewardship

What truly makes Bellingham special are its people and their cultural values of sustainability and stewardship. Event organizers partner with local nonprofits to create fundraising opportunities - from the craft beer garden, to bike parking - all proceeds benefit local nonprofit organizations, so to invest in growing participation and infastructure for outdoor recreation. Also, these commitments demonstrate how large-scale events and outdoor brands can prioritize environmental and social responsibility.

Northwest Tune-Up partnered with the following organizations to significantly reduce waste and promote eco-friendly practices.

• Ridwell Recycling: This partnership focused on recycling hard-to-recycle items, such as corrugated plastic signage, ensuring that materials were properly processed and kept out of landfills.
• Perennial Zero Waste: By working with local consultants at Perennial, the festival managed to divert a substantial amount of waste from landfills, reducing the overall environmental footprint of the event.
• The Cup Project: This initiative was particularly impactful, as it involved serving beverages in reusable cups. This effort alone prevented more than 7,000 single-use cups from ending up in the trash, highlighting a practical approach to waste reduction.

As the dust settles on another successful year, it seems the Tune-Up has found their formula: world-class riding, unique entertainment, and the unshakeable commitment to their community. For more festival information, visit www.nwtuneup.com and follow on Instagram or Facebook.

Northwest Tune-Up acknowledges that we are residing on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Nooksack, Lummi and other Coast Salish peoples, the original inhabitants of Washington's northernmost coast and Southern British Columbia. Since Time Immemorial they have celebrated life on their land, waterways and on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of their People to perpetuate their way of life.

The organizing team would like to thank the following festival partners who made this event possible to the community - Vital MTB, Cascadia Daily, KEXP, Rainier, Shimano, Outdoor Research, Maxxis, Mountain Dew, Transition Bikes, Superfeet, Evil Bikes, Freehub MTB Magazine, Port of Bellingham, and City of Bellingham.