1-31-07 // Places: Proving Ground Country Club to open in '07

Lars is cool

Located 50 miles west of New York City in a quiet NJ town along the banks of the Delaware River will be the first ever Mountain Bike Country Club. The facility is currently known to some as Shangri Lars, but will be officially operating as The Proving Ground Country Club. Whatever you call it, it’s a ridiculously fun and diverse piece of real estate that will provide endless fun on two wheels.

The facility is built on a 23-acre privately-owned parcel that includes a flat open field with a pump track and kicker ramps, as well as a dual starting gate. It also boasts multiple downhill super-cross lines, two full-blown mountain-cross courses, a huge pit bike track, and several downhill singletrack trails and XC trails. The best part is that all the trails have easy lines so it caters to riders of every level—even first time riders.

The concept is simple says founder Lars Tribus. “Riding is fun. A lot of other people like to ride, and hang out with other people who are cool, that also like to ride. Since I like riding with cool people who also like to ride, I made a place where ONLY cool people who like to ride can ride with other cool people who like to ride! In all seriousness, I’ve been riding and racing for over a decade and I’ve seen many great riding spots around the world. Some get plowed or destroyed and some survive. Most of my BEST memories come not from not where I was riding, but the scene and the camaraderie that goes with it. The Proving Ground will embody all that is true in sharing your soul for mountain biking with other dudes that feel the same way. I’ve already invested a couple hundred thousand dollars in the project, but it’s not a business venture to make money.”

The Proving Ground will be a 100% non-profit mountain bike country club where all membership dues go back into the park for big machine rentals, kegs of good beer, and the tools and equipment needed to keep it up to snuff. All members will have an equal say in how resources are utilized and all the books will be fully transparent to members. If you are interested in being put on a waiting list to join, email Lars Tribus at Larsdog@msn.com.

On the side, The Proving Ground will host skills and race clinics, underground races, and fun weekend jams. Keep an eye out for MATCH 9 Videozine for a taste of the kind of terrain The Proving Ground has to offer.