Misgav Bike Festival 2016

The second Misgav Bike Festival is in the books. We thought that we saw everything last year, but then came the second edition of the northern Israeli bike festival produced by Benny Lahat along with Misgav council and TeamMisgav sports team. Misgav Bike Festival has set the standard for Israeli bike events for the second time.

Despite a nearly unbearable heat wave and some technical issues causing time schedule delays, the large crowds that came made this one of the biggest bike festivals in the world.

The festival featured an international XCO race on a course that some of the spectators referred to as a mini dh course. There was a close battle between Israeli Shlomi Haimy and Russian Anton Sintsov battling for precious UCI points in order to compete in the Olympics. It also had a Dual slalom race where veteran Boaz Goren (46), who came victorious against Guy Bar, Israeli's most international rider.

The main event for the crowds was Israel's first slopestyle competition, set out to be better that we could ever imagine. With big elements and bigger tricks executed by Israel's top riders: Almog Alfuma, Eyal Tzroya and Nadav Davrath who won the event with a clean and spectacular run.

The XC race was the main event for the racers.

Dima Repkin and Yonatan Yatom, top Israeli enduro rider. Racing XC?

The youngsters battling it out on the DS course.

This was a close one.

SPY+ was one of the main event sponsors.

The crowd got to get a great expo.

Tal Oren with a stylish whip on the slopestyle event.

You can also do it on a moto bike

Almog Alfuma in a perfect backflip.

Or not.

See ya next year in Misgav Bike Festival.

Thanks to we:ride for this coverage.

Photos: Johan Hjord: