Ray's World

Every type of rider can find their line under one roof at Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park

There are very few places that all skill levels of riders can enjoy together. If you take a new rider out for a ride, the pace will be certainly be slower. Sometimes when you are out with a novice, it’s like the ride doesn’t even count.

Somehow Ray Petro figured out a way to build a park that everyone from a first-day rider to a seasoned pro can shred together. I’ve always found this to be the most interesting thing about Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Cleveland, Ohio. On a recent trip to Ray's, I talked with a wide variety of riders about what they loved about this amazing place.

Bob Delaat


"I’ve been riding Ray’s since 2003, and have worked here as well. Ray’s is special because it offers more than any other indoor facility. There are options for BMXers, singletrack riders and people who are new to cycling in general. Ray’s makes riding 365 days a year in Cleveland a reality. I would have moved South a long time ago if it wasn’t for Ray’s."


"I love pushing my jumping skill and getting creative with transferring in the Profile World Room. Ray’s has provided a better existence for my physicality, just being here. I’ve started to race again, and riding the pump tracks and the outer loop jumps is great training."


"Kids are so glued to screens these days. Ray’s is cool because it gives parents an opportunity to take their kids to do something real and engaging. It’s great that children today are more technically advanced with electronics, but nothing in the digital world can substitute for the experience you can get at Ray’s."

Patrick Elwood and Jason Min


Patrick - "We are from the Greater Toronto Area and it is our first time at Ray’s. We were interested in checking out Ray’s because we heard it was more geared toward mountain bikes than traditional skate parks. The way everything is laid out, it makes you explore and have to figure out your way around, like a maze. Once you get the layout dialed you can ride a ton of different things in one lap of the park. You can ride big jumps, log rides and pump tracks in one continuous line."


Jason - "At some skate parks it gets congested because everyone wants to ride in one certain area. At Ray’s you can flow around traffic jams with shortcuts and look for a zone that isn’t as busy. I think it's also really cool that they close down every summer to change things up. It makes us want to come back next winter and have a completely new experience. We will be here with a much bigger crew when our friends at home hear about this trip."


Keith Miller


“I was riding here at Ray’s from day one. I had never been anywhere like Whistler or the North Shore, so this was my first time seeing anything like that. The way the park was built really suited my style so I instantly felt comfortable here. I began volunteering at the park for various events and competitions. Ray and I got to know each other better over the years and in 2010 he asked me to manage the park. It was a hard decision to leave the benefits of the corporate job that I had, but the opportunity to do something that I am passionate about outweighed the pay cut."


"I like spending a lot of time on my rear wheel. Riding at Ray’s has really taught me how to pump and manual to get up to a good speed, and to keep it there. I like taking a racer’s approach to the pump tracks and box jumps to keep my flow up. Riding here all winter also allows you to keep your skills sharp and ready for outdoor riding. I go straight for it when I hit the trails, because I’ve been blasting berms and boosting jumps the whole off-season at the park."


"All of the major American theme parks like Disney, Six Flags or Cedar Point change things every year to attract people back to the park. Whether it’s a new roller coaster or water slide, they know that they have to keep things fresh to keep people coming year after year. Ray knew that we had to do the same thing to keep riders interested in riding the park."


"First and foremost, Ray’s is a mountain bike park. Ray knew that as soon as the sun comes out, mountain bikers are going to want to be outside. Ray saw the summer as a perfect time to shut the park down to make the kind of changes that would make riders interested in returning year after year. Ray has an incredibly creative mind, and he embraces the challenge of reinventing the park in the summer."

Rae Gandolf


"I visited the park the first year it opened, because my boyfriend heard about it and it sounded interesting and different. We didn't go back for a couple years, probably because we didn't know quite how to embrace it. After a few visits and a transition to flat pedals for park riding later, I began obsessing with the jump lines and the technical skills sections. Ray's is amazing for developing bike-handling skills. Features don't get altered by the weather or other riders, which makes riding them more predictable. There is also more of an opportunity to session specific things than on a traditional mountain bike ride."


"The park is a place where I can get a "first" on nearly every visit. Whether I backside a jump, manual between two pumps, or clear a skinny line for the first time, it is very rewarding and exciting for me. Learning to jump and handle my bike at Ray's definitely helped with my downhill racing success."


"The Women's Weekend was started by Nina Buitrago and Ray as a free weekend with a bunch of female pros from around the country. The idea was to inspire and draw more women to the park and to mountain biking, and it worked! Over the years, the coaching and clinic component has developed along with the massive evolution and availability of skills instruction for mountain biking. If you are a female, nothing compares to the confidence and inspiration you can tap into when riding with a group of other females when some of them match and exceed your own ability. I was so fortunate to discover that feeling at the first women's weekend (as a participant) and that's the reason I've been to every one since, coaching the past eight or nine! The event has helped me to develop lifelong types of friends that I can visit to ride with all over the country. Needless to say, I was honored to be asked to take over the hosting of the event last year."


"Ray's is also a place where it's typical to run into people I know - making it easier to stay connected with riding friends. I can get all the riding in that my body can take, while still catching up with new and old friends a bit. My boyfriend and I felt so fondly about the place, one day about six years ago we asked Ray if we could get married there. We were stoked with his reply, and now have even more incredible memories of sharing what we love about the park with 100 family and friends in an epic wedding day."


As you may know, Ray suffered a spinal cord injury while riding outdoors on the trails in Cleveland in September 2017. The mountain bike community is richer for having someone like Ray as one of its own. Pick up your #RideForRay gear at the park, or you can donate to help defray his medical expenses at the GoFundMe set up for him https://www.gofundme.com/RayPetro


Thanks to Keith, Bob, Patrick, Jason and Rae for sharing their Ray's experiences. Thanks to Black Market Bikes, Manitou, SunRingle, Hayes, Answer Products and Thomson for helping me to make the most out of my time at Ray's.