By Leonard Finkel
Sedona Golf Resort will be host the 4th annual Sedona Bike & Brew Festival on August 26, 2017. The event, believed to be the first of its kind, features a mountain bike race directly on the Gary Panks-designed championship golf course.
Scottsdale rider Matt Connors will defend his title, after peddling to victory in the Men’s Open Division of the 2016 Sedona Bike & Brew Festival. Amy Chandos of Flagstaff will be back to defend her Women’s Title. Last year, Amy’s time beat all the Men’s times from the Sport Division! This year’s event kicks off Saturday morning, August 26th, with rider registration. The six-mile course will take the riders around all 18 holes, 80 acres of fairways, tee boxes, cart paths, natural and manmade features. Races will include six different competition classifications for men, women and juniors. After the race, the Juniper Bar & Grille (Sedona Golf Resort’s restaurant), will host dinner along with live music and selections from Oak Creek Brewery (Sedona, AZ), Four Peaks Brewery (Tempe, AZ) and others. The event will conclude with an awards ceremony, and a raffle benefiting local charities.
New this year: Organized group rides will take place Sunday morning, August 27th. There will be groups for advanced, intermediate and novice riders to enjoy some of the best trails Sedona has to offer.
The Sedona Community is encouraged to come out Friday & Saturday and cheer on the racers. There is no admission fee for the general public. Food and drink will be available for purchase.
The race fee is $75 per person, or $150 for the VIP package. Both packages include a certificate to come back at a later date and play golf at Sedona Golf Resort. Juniors age 17 and under are $5. To sign up or to read more go to sedonabikebrew.com.
Leonard Finkel is the author of The Secrets to the Game of Golf & Life and former editor in chief of Golf Journeys Magazine. His work has been featured in almost 200 publications including Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Golf Illustrated, Golf Tips and Player Magazine. He has written more than a dozen cover stories for Golf Today Magazine. He has written extensively about golf and travel and has added poker to his writing repertoire. Finkel also works as a marketing and public relations consultant. His specialty niche is writing advertorial copy. Prior to his career in golf, Finkel owned a chain of retail stores and a consulting and import company based in Asia. He attended the University of Utah.