INDOOR MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK IS RIDER'S HAVEN IN WINTER MONTHS
Owner Ray Petro Turned Innovative Idea into a Thriving Business

Story by Steve Dudukovich/ Photography by

The old warehouse and inactive smokestack that loom over Cleveland’s Walford Avenue and West Boulevard suggest the building is no longer useful. 

The unmarked driveway is surrounded by brick on one side and a chain link fence on the other. The fence curves around the back of the warehouse to a parking lot. 

Do not be fooled by the exterior. Inside the old building is a mountain bike enthusiast’s dream, an indoor mountain bike park.  It’s the result of a “nagging idea” owner Ray Petro had in 1996 that came to fruition in 2004.

Dozens of riders wait their turns on one of the platforms for a crack at one of the courses.  One rider takes off down one of the wood tracks and approaches a ramp that acts as a teeter-totter, simulating what a biker would do when riding a log downhill over a creek in the woods.  There are two of these ramps in a row.  The rider rolls across the second one as flawlessly as the first.  He finishes the course and rides off to another.

Other riders head to a more popular part of the park, a place where they can attempt tricks.  Riders can shoot up a ramp and do their best to defy gravity by performing a 360° before landing in a pool of sponges.

For such a park to exist, Petro needed to find the space. “Every time I would be out driving around and see a big building with a ‘for lease’ sign on it, the idea would always pop into my head,” Petro said.  “One day I phoned up one of the numbers in the Sunday paper, and the whole thing just kind of happened. I didn’t fight with it, it just all jelled really easily. It was really kind of neat.”

Petro, 41, was an independent contractor who owned his own business.  He knew how to build and remodel kitchens and bathrooms, but now he needed to build a mountain bike park.
Petro worried his idea would never become a reality. “There were a lot of sleepless nights just trying to figure out what worked,” he said.
In the midst of his many other concerns, Petro did not have to worry about objections from the city of Cleveland.

Petro credits the city and Councilman Jay Westbrook with facilitating his idea.  He said the city was flexible and understanding.  Petro believes Cleveland was supportive because of the nature of the project. “We were doing something that was good and healthy, we weren’t trying to open a night club or rave,” he said.

Petro, a mountain bike rider himself, needed to mull over all aspects of the park.  He needed to find out what his customers were going to ride; he needed to ensure the park he invested $50,000 of his savings in was safe. “I had to beg an insurance company to insure it,” he said.
Throughout his 20 years of running a construction business, Petro made many contacts in the construction trade that were able to help him when he decided to build the bike park.

Maintenance problems exist on the courses, but are not much of a problem for Petro. Riders let him know of lose boards on the track. His staff also rides the tracks to check for imperfections. He said the park’s maintenance is minimal. “If it’s built right and you use the right fasteners, it stays together really well,” he said.

Ray’s MTB Indoor Park, known as Ray’s to the regulars, opened in 2004 for experienced riders. 

Petro now is building more tracks for novices and will continue to do so. Next year he would like to offer novice sessions during the week so people can learn to ride.   “We are getting more and more popular and the general public wants to experience the place,” Petro said. “There is only such much I can do for beginners. We’re still trying to work that one out.”

Rusty Brown, a life-long rider, bought a $299 season pass to the park. “It really challenges your riding skills,” Brown said. “I think it’s great for people in this area to be able to ride all winter.”
Brown knows of nothing else like Ray’s.

Petro is trying to reach beyond the greater Cleveland area for business. He collected the names of bike shops in the northeastern United States and sent out 2,000 posters to promote his park.

Aside from the popularity among serious riders, the park is also popular among pre-teens.  However, park manager Bob Delaat does not want parents to confuse the park with a day care center for their kids.  Delaat said riders under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, so parents must stay if their kids are to ride.

The park closes in early April because the weather is good enough for riders to ride outdoors.  Petro enjoys the off-season because it is quiet, and he gets to be creative.  The park is too large to change entirely, so Petro usually concentrates on a certain section.

The start of the indoor season allows Petro to enjoy his favorite part of the job. Petro throws a big party where he unveils the changes he made to the park. “I was never good at standing around and making small talk and yakking all day,” he said.  “That just wasn’t me.  I’m more on the creative side.”

The park is bustling on a Saturday afternoon.  Mountain bikers whisk their way throughout the park from track to track.  A bystander runs the risk of being run over.
Petro does not worry when he is unable to be at the park because of his staff.  It is a sign the park is running smoothly and the kinks from the opening years of his “nagging idea” are down to a minimum.  “This is the first year I don’t feel like I have to be there every waking moment,” he said.