The snow is gone (at least for now) and it’s time to celebrate what makes Eagle such a great place to live and to visit.

The Eagle Outside Festival and Rocky Mountain Bike and Outdoor Expo is coming to town this weekend with a whole slate of activities planned. First up on Saturday will be the inaugural Firebird 40 mountain bike race and rounding out the fun will be a longboard race and the bike-building Chromoly Chef competition. The action continues Sunday with the Mother of a Half Marathon and the women’s only Firebird la Femme MTB race.

Throughout the weekend, festival go-ers can take advantage of free demos offered by a slew of bike and outdoor companies.

Festival organizer Mike McCormack has reached out to the state’s biking community with the message that Eagle is the prime spot to visit this weekend.

“We’re telling people why they need to come to Eagle. It’s Colorado’s delectable, dirty, little secret, ” he said.

As of Tuesday, McCormack said more than 150 racers had registered for the event.

“As typical in Colorado, people wait until the last minute,” said McCormack. “I see us at 350 to 400 participants in the mountain bike races.”

And as of now, the event is looking at a favorable forecast. McCormack noted the weather is supposed to be mostly sunny for the weekend, and he pledged that if the skies take a turn for the worse, the event is prepared.

“If there is a chance that we will hurt the trails, we will shut it down,” he said.

Sponsors for this weekend’s action include the town of Eagle, the Dusty Boot, The AmericInn, Mountain Pedaler, GU Energy, Drift Innovations, StreetSwell Longboards, and the GreenSpeed Project. For more information about the Eagle Outside Festival and Rocky Mountain Bike and Outdoor Expo, visit http://www.eagleoutsidefestival.com.

Eagle Outside Festival Schedule of Events

Saturday, May 11

7 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Info desk and Firebird/Firebird la Femme registration/packet pickup open, Addison Building

7:30 a.m. – Packet pickup/on site registration for Mother of a Half Marathon, Eagle Valley Medical Center parking lot

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Rocky Mountain Bike and Outdoor Expo

9:30 a.m. – Firebird start (40-mile categories ONLY), Eagle Ranch Village

Noon – StreetSwell 10K longboard push race presented by Honey Skateboards (sign up at StreetSwell tent by 11:30)

12:30 p.m. – Firebird start (8-mile categories ONLY), Eagle Ranch Village

1:30 p.m. – Firebird start (32- and 20-mile categories ONLY), Eagle Ranch Village

Sunday, May 12

8:30 a.m. – Mother of a Half start, Eagle Valley Medical Center parking lot

7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Info desk and Firebird la Femme race registration packet pickup open, Addison Building, Eagle Ranch Village

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Rocky Mountain Bike and Outdoor Expo

9:30 a.m. – Firebird la Femme start, all categories, Eagle Ranch Village

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Allison Gannett’s Rippin’ Chix Skills Camp (Beginner to intermediate. Must pre-register. $50 fee applies)

2 p.m. – Chromoly Chef competition

Rocky Mountain Bike and Outdoor Expo

Dozens of brands and reps from the bike and outdoor industries available for free demos during the Rocky Mountain Bike and Outdoor Expo this weekend.

Demo hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, and the expo will be set up around Eagle Ranch Village.

Here’s who will be here:

Santa Cruz Bicycles – bringing the new 650B Bronsons, Tallboys, Nomads, Blur XC and Blur LT’s

Pivot – something wicked this way comes … and they’ll be bringing it here.

Niner

Yeti

BH Bikes

Felt

Specialized

Ergon

Mountain Pedaler

Rocky Mountain

Street Swell longboards…and bikes!

Ibis

Ellsworth

Orbea

Kona

Vail Valley Medical Center

Wilier

Ridley

BMC

Twenty2 Cycles

Fizik/Continental

KHS Bicycles

661 – One Industries

Sheila Moon Apparel

Pissei Cycling Clothing

Intense Cycles

Oveja Negra Threadworks

Scott USA

Castelli

NiteRider

Axis Sports Medicine

Fox Apparel

Lezyne

Moontime Cyclery

Venture Sports

Fizik/Continental

Scott Running Shoes

Tumble Bubbles “water balls”