Night riding at the Frederick Pump Track

When the sun goes down, the fun doesn't stop. The Monocacy Village Park, home of the Frederick Pump Track, is open from Dawn to 10 pm. A few of us headed out for a full moon ride, but cloud cover meant we broke out the lights as the sun fully set.

Frederick Pump Track At Night on Vimeo.

Sunrise at the Frederick Pump Track

PSA: Don't Ride the Pump Track When It is Wet

#1 Rule of the Frederick Pump Track: If the pump track is wet or muddy, do not ride!

Photo from Around Town: Pump track - The Frederick News-Post

The Frederick News-Post stopped out during the pump track build and snapped a few pictures.

Photo from Around Town: Pump track - The Frederick News-Post : Home

What is a pump track?

Maybe you've heard the term pump track and were wondering what it is. Or maybe you were on your way up East Street and saw mounds of crafted dirt and kids (and adults) riding bikes on the edge of Monocacy Village park.  Well, that cool new park facility is a pump track and here's a quick definition of what it is.

A pump track is a dirt play ground for bicycles, providing a continuous loop with banked turns and rolling mounds of dirt. This allows riders to travel without pedaling by utilizing momentum to keep moving. Pump tracks are used by bicycle riders of all ages to develop essential skills in a low risk environment while also developing fitness. Pump tracks are inexpensive to build, take up a small footprint in the park and require very little maintenance making them ideal for city parks.

You can ride the pump track on a lot of different bikes: 20" BMX bikes, 24" BMX bikes, 26" dirt jump bikes and pretty much any type of mountain bike. My personal favorites are  26" dirt jump bikes and 24" BMX bikes because they are easy to pump and flow.

Want to check out the Frederick pump track? Head over to this page for directions.