The inaugural Pike’s Peak Bike Week is happening right now down in Colorado Springs at Pike’s Peak International Raceway. Motorsports Entertainment and Pike’s Peak International Raceway have teamed up to bring a party to the Front Range that you won’t want to miss.
Mile High Sports had a chance to sit down with Pike’s Peak International Raceway Director of Sales, Dana Kahlhamer, at the raceway on Thursday to get the full story on the rally.
“Starting Thursday we have our alternative rock night with the Gin Blossoms and Blue October. [Friday] night we turn into military day. Our charity of the day is the United Service Organization and they are leading a ride. Jesse James Dupree, of Jackal, is leading a ride from Fort Carson to Pike’s Peak International Raceway, and we’re expecting more than 400 bikes to come down from Fort Carson to all arrive at the same time, which will be super exciting,” Kahlahmer raved. “Being military day, it’s going to be all about the Red, White, and Blue. We’re starting out with the Flaunt Girls and then we’ll have a local band in Wheel House then followed by Jackal.”
The festivities only get better from there.
“Then, Saturday ends with Lynard Skynard. So, how can you get any less biker and fun than that? I actually saw Skynard two weeks ago in Minnesota and got super excited picturing them at this venue. I thought their set was amazing and that [Pike’s Peak International Raceway] would be the perfect crowd and venue for that,” Kahlhamer explained. “So we have that and then a total twist on Sunday when we turn into Super Latin Sunday. We change the concept slightly as Tejon Bike Fest happens downtown as well as Pike’s Peak International Hillclimb so it’s kind of a gear head week all around, so there’s a lot of motorsports stuff just going on so we wanted to do something a little different to tap into a different demographic. We have a car show from noon until two on Sunday and have a completely different set of people, ending with the band War. It should be a great way to close out an amazing five days.”
Dana Kahlhamer understands that a motorcycle rally can be daunting to someone who isn’t necessarily a part of that lifestyle, but she encouraged everyone who has free time this weekend to head down to Colorado Springs and enjoy the fun.
“I would just encourage expanding your boundaries and getting outside of your own comfort zone. Don’t let your stereotype stop you from coming in and enjoying the people. We’re all the same, they just happen to be on two wheels instead of four,” Kahlhamer said. “That’s been a ton of fun because a lot of us at Pike’s Peak International Raceway are more used to the racing community and cars instead of motorcycles. But between the promotor and us, he’s bringing his perspective and we bring ours, and it’s just been coming together beautifully.”
While the first year of Pike’s Peak Bike Week hits high gear Friday and Saturday, Dana and the rest of the crew involved are looking forward to huge growth and opportunity in the coming years.
“Well you always want to shoot big, you want to dream big. We don’t have any real limitations besides our imagination because we have such a great facility to grow into. The way we have it set up this year we’re maximizing what we have on the infield, but we have acres and acres of more land to take advantage of in the future,” Kahlhamer noted. “We sold out our camping spots this year, so next year we already have a plan about where to put them to double the size. Obviously you look at places like Daytona and Sturgis that are so well established and have been doing this for decades, and we would love to be that. We’re small right now and we have high hopes that it’s going to turn into a large, growing staple for our community.”
There is still time to check out the fun this weekend, but if the timing doesn’t work, be on the lookout for next year and many after that.