S
Scott
Guest
Thursday, January 13, 2005
By DALE MEGGAS
West Side Sun News
Ray Petro feels like the whole world is watching him. And that's OK for the
enthusiastic owner of Ray's MTB Indoor Park, a brand new indoor mountain
bike park in the Walford Industrial Park just east of West Boulevard in
Cleveland.
Everybody in the mountain bike industry is looking to see if we are going to
be successful, said the North Ridgeville resident, who cast fate to the wind
and took a chance on what is truly a labor of love.
Those who like to mountain bike are bound by the weather, Petro said. From
spring to the late part of the fall, we can go outside and take to the
trails, but when the clocks change to standard time in the fall and the
weather changes for the worst, we can't get out. When the trails get too wet
or snow-covered, you can't ride. I missed it, and so do others who love to
mountain bike.
So, with that, Petro, who has ridden a mountain bike for the last seven
years, struck on an idea he and others who ride hopes takes off like one of
the ramps at his 66,000-foot track in a former warehouse.
The easy part was finding a site.
I just happened to be looking around for a site and I found this one, Petro
said. The owner, who had seen the property go vacant for the previous six
years, was for it, and we got started.
What is now Ray's MTB Indoor Park showed the wear and tear of being a vacant
warehouse until Petro and many volunteers began construction of the park
back on Aug. 25.
We had to clean the place up first and then work on ideas for what we wanted
to do as far as the interiors and the course would eventually be, he said.
Now, the walls are painted green and feature trees to simulate the
out-of-doors that mountain bikers would encounter in the woods along the
trails.
That was done with the help of Scott DeVol of Canton, who in many ways
served as Petro's interior decorator for the one of a kind mountain bike
park.
The course, which will soon grow to 71,000 feet, is a mile that Petro feels
is more than just a mile.
It's a mile, but it's a pretty tough one, he said. We wanted it to be
challenging for those who want a challenge and make it flexible enough for
us to change if we want to down the road, he added.
While open just since Thanksgiving, Ray's MTB Indoor Park has made a
difference in the way many have looked at the Cleveland area.
We get from 800 to 1,000 hits per day on our Web site to see what we are all
about and we have had hits from all over the world, said Petro, about 20
years removed from graduation at Solon High School.
Now, we are getting people who tell us that they wish they lived in
Cleveland. Many of those who have already tried us out are those from other
Great Lakes cities like Detroit, Milwaukee and Toronto, who have the same
weather problems in the winter as we have here. They are willing to drive
and get away to see what we are doing here.
Locals who have found their way to Ray's MTB Indoor Park find the indoor
facility a new way to enjoy the sport year-round.
And the word of the birth of the park also landed Petro on the front of a
business publication.
I have remodeled the homes of a number of CEOs and they tell me they have
worked their entire careers looking to get in Crain's, and I do it with a
bike park.
The attraction for local clientele also has much to do with when the sun
goes down in the winter.
Even if the weather was good, we get some guys who work all day and can't
get away until late afternoon. With limited sunlight after we change our
clocks for standard time, it's dark by the time some of them would get out
and ride, added Petro, whose day job is operating a remodeling company.
I had a couple of very good years in the remodeling business and just wanted
to do this. I'm not married and I don't have any kids. And this is something
I didn't want to regret not giving a try.
While the park is in its infant stages, Petro has seen help come from many
corners.
We've had demo bikes donated by Eddy's Bike Shop in North Olmsted and
another eight donated by Spin Bike Shop of Lakewood, he said. We don't rent
bikes, but we have some demo bikes for people to tryout to see what we are
like.
And to get the word out to the fraternity of mountain biker riders, Petro
has been able to engage the help of Dan Ward of Rocky River.
Dan is a fellow rider who was responsible for our logo and our Web page,
said Petro. He's among those who have volunteered to help see if we can make
this work.
What Ray's MTB Indoor Park isn't is a kids' park.
We aren't a skate park for young kids, said Petro. Skate parks do a good job
for those who use them. And we only allow mountain bikes. BMX bikes are too
small.
The BMX bikes have wheel circumferences less than 24 inches, the minimum to
run the course at Ray's MTB Indoor Park.
We allow those under 16 to come if they are accompanied by an adult. Many of
those who ride just want to be among adults. Many mountain bike riders have
been to skate parks, but enjoy coming here much more. They want to leave the
skate parks to the kids and come and ride with other adults.
And like other high-risk activities, Ray's MTB Indoor Park also requires
riders to sign a waiver.
It's the same thing you might sign at a snow ski resort or other activities
like that. But those who ride are very appreciative willing to sign. They
want this to succeed as much as I do.
While he was deep in the development of Ray's Indoor MTB this past October,
Petro hopes to find his way to Las Vegas this year at that same time. That's
when the biggest bike show in the country meets to share ideas.
It's called Interbike and it would be nice to go to it and say that we have
been successful with this, he said.
That success means having someone to help on a day-to-day basis.
I have both Joe Prisel and Dan Smith working daily, said Petro. They make
their own schedule between the two of them. I let them do it, he said about
Prisel of Parma and Smith of Cleveland.
Prisel, a former Gravity Games competitor, is a recent convert to the
mountain bike fraternity.
The Gravity Games takes the top 20 in the world but I decided to move over
to mountain bikes and now I am a pro rider, he said of what he does away
from Ray's MTB Indoor Park.
There are a number of events that mountain bikers participate in, Prisel
said. Red Bull sponsors events in Moab, in southeast Utah, and has another
event in Vancouver, British Columbia. The event in Vancouver is more of an
urban event, while the Utah event is in the Rocky Mountains.
And, while Ray's MTB Indoor Park will have its doors open to those who can't
find a ride-worthy path outdoors in the winter, Prisel will take time away
to participate in a Jan. 20 event in Seattle. He will then return to
Cleveland for a quick change of suitcases and fly to Peru to ride in an
event down in South America.
We have to be there by Jan. 23 for a few days of meet and greet with the
media and race later that week, Prisel said.
That all leads up to Prisel hosting his own event on Feb. 5 at Ray's MTB
Indoor Park.
We hope to have at least 40 riders in the pro event and anther 60 in the
amateur event, he said of what is being called the King of Rhythm Jump
Contest.
By DALE MEGGAS
West Side Sun News
Ray Petro feels like the whole world is watching him. And that's OK for the
enthusiastic owner of Ray's MTB Indoor Park, a brand new indoor mountain
bike park in the Walford Industrial Park just east of West Boulevard in
Cleveland.
Everybody in the mountain bike industry is looking to see if we are going to
be successful, said the North Ridgeville resident, who cast fate to the wind
and took a chance on what is truly a labor of love.
Those who like to mountain bike are bound by the weather, Petro said. From
spring to the late part of the fall, we can go outside and take to the
trails, but when the clocks change to standard time in the fall and the
weather changes for the worst, we can't get out. When the trails get too wet
or snow-covered, you can't ride. I missed it, and so do others who love to
mountain bike.
So, with that, Petro, who has ridden a mountain bike for the last seven
years, struck on an idea he and others who ride hopes takes off like one of
the ramps at his 66,000-foot track in a former warehouse.
The easy part was finding a site.
I just happened to be looking around for a site and I found this one, Petro
said. The owner, who had seen the property go vacant for the previous six
years, was for it, and we got started.
What is now Ray's MTB Indoor Park showed the wear and tear of being a vacant
warehouse until Petro and many volunteers began construction of the park
back on Aug. 25.
We had to clean the place up first and then work on ideas for what we wanted
to do as far as the interiors and the course would eventually be, he said.
Now, the walls are painted green and feature trees to simulate the
out-of-doors that mountain bikers would encounter in the woods along the
trails.
That was done with the help of Scott DeVol of Canton, who in many ways
served as Petro's interior decorator for the one of a kind mountain bike
park.
The course, which will soon grow to 71,000 feet, is a mile that Petro feels
is more than just a mile.
It's a mile, but it's a pretty tough one, he said. We wanted it to be
challenging for those who want a challenge and make it flexible enough for
us to change if we want to down the road, he added.
While open just since Thanksgiving, Ray's MTB Indoor Park has made a
difference in the way many have looked at the Cleveland area.
We get from 800 to 1,000 hits per day on our Web site to see what we are all
about and we have had hits from all over the world, said Petro, about 20
years removed from graduation at Solon High School.
Now, we are getting people who tell us that they wish they lived in
Cleveland. Many of those who have already tried us out are those from other
Great Lakes cities like Detroit, Milwaukee and Toronto, who have the same
weather problems in the winter as we have here. They are willing to drive
and get away to see what we are doing here.
Locals who have found their way to Ray's MTB Indoor Park find the indoor
facility a new way to enjoy the sport year-round.
And the word of the birth of the park also landed Petro on the front of a
business publication.
I have remodeled the homes of a number of CEOs and they tell me they have
worked their entire careers looking to get in Crain's, and I do it with a
bike park.
The attraction for local clientele also has much to do with when the sun
goes down in the winter.
Even if the weather was good, we get some guys who work all day and can't
get away until late afternoon. With limited sunlight after we change our
clocks for standard time, it's dark by the time some of them would get out
and ride, added Petro, whose day job is operating a remodeling company.
I had a couple of very good years in the remodeling business and just wanted
to do this. I'm not married and I don't have any kids. And this is something
I didn't want to regret not giving a try.
While the park is in its infant stages, Petro has seen help come from many
corners.
We've had demo bikes donated by Eddy's Bike Shop in North Olmsted and
another eight donated by Spin Bike Shop of Lakewood, he said. We don't rent
bikes, but we have some demo bikes for people to tryout to see what we are
like.
And to get the word out to the fraternity of mountain biker riders, Petro
has been able to engage the help of Dan Ward of Rocky River.
Dan is a fellow rider who was responsible for our logo and our Web page,
said Petro. He's among those who have volunteered to help see if we can make
this work.
What Ray's MTB Indoor Park isn't is a kids' park.
We aren't a skate park for young kids, said Petro. Skate parks do a good job
for those who use them. And we only allow mountain bikes. BMX bikes are too
small.
The BMX bikes have wheel circumferences less than 24 inches, the minimum to
run the course at Ray's MTB Indoor Park.
We allow those under 16 to come if they are accompanied by an adult. Many of
those who ride just want to be among adults. Many mountain bike riders have
been to skate parks, but enjoy coming here much more. They want to leave the
skate parks to the kids and come and ride with other adults.
And like other high-risk activities, Ray's MTB Indoor Park also requires
riders to sign a waiver.
It's the same thing you might sign at a snow ski resort or other activities
like that. But those who ride are very appreciative willing to sign. They
want this to succeed as much as I do.
While he was deep in the development of Ray's Indoor MTB this past October,
Petro hopes to find his way to Las Vegas this year at that same time. That's
when the biggest bike show in the country meets to share ideas.
It's called Interbike and it would be nice to go to it and say that we have
been successful with this, he said.
That success means having someone to help on a day-to-day basis.
I have both Joe Prisel and Dan Smith working daily, said Petro. They make
their own schedule between the two of them. I let them do it, he said about
Prisel of Parma and Smith of Cleveland.
Prisel, a former Gravity Games competitor, is a recent convert to the
mountain bike fraternity.
The Gravity Games takes the top 20 in the world but I decided to move over
to mountain bikes and now I am a pro rider, he said of what he does away
from Ray's MTB Indoor Park.
There are a number of events that mountain bikers participate in, Prisel
said. Red Bull sponsors events in Moab, in southeast Utah, and has another
event in Vancouver, British Columbia. The event in Vancouver is more of an
urban event, while the Utah event is in the Rocky Mountains.
And, while Ray's MTB Indoor Park will have its doors open to those who can't
find a ride-worthy path outdoors in the winter, Prisel will take time away
to participate in a Jan. 20 event in Seattle. He will then return to
Cleveland for a quick change of suitcases and fly to Peru to ride in an
event down in South America.
We have to be there by Jan. 23 for a few days of meet and greet with the
media and race later that week, Prisel said.
That all leads up to Prisel hosting his own event on Feb. 5 at Ray's MTB
Indoor Park.
We hope to have at least 40 riders in the pro event and anther 60 in the
amateur event, he said of what is being called the King of Rhythm Jump
Contest.
