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COPPER HARBOR -- Biking in the Upper Peninsula is a main attraction, and now it's official.  The U.P. is home to some of the most breathtaking trails in the world.

Last fall, the International Mountain Bike Association designated biking trails in the Keweenaw as 'Epic Trails'.

"It gives us national recognition; the group that designates these rides has only done 48 of them in the world," says ride leader Nelson Sommerfeldt.

And to celebrate, Copper Harbor Trail Club, in cooperation with the Keweenaw Trails Alliance, hosted the first-ever "Ride the Keweenaw Event".

Sunday, Downwind Sports, Cross Country Sports, and The Bike Shop, showed up at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge for bike demos, tune-ups and to promote their products.

"All of this activity, you know, is really kind of creating a buzz about Copper Harbor and biking and really drawing people up from a lot of places, you know, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, downstate, so it's working out really well," says CHTC President Aaron Rogers.

The Keweenaw Adventure Company in Copper Harbor also provided free rides to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge.  This allowed cyclists to experience the trails faster and more conveniently.

After bike demos at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, cyclists convened at the Copper Harbor Trail Head to experience the Epic Ride.  The ride consists of 12.3 miles of different trails in the Keweenaw.

Organizers of the first-time event say they hope the enthusiasm will hold next year.

"We hope it's something that we can build on, and it will become an annual event every Memorial Day to kick off the summer," says Sam Raymond of the Keweenaw Adventure Company.