CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Bob Ash, longtime local resident, recently opened the doors to his new bicycle shop, Carrabassett Valley Bike, off Route 27 at the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center.

The shop is open Friday through Monday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and offers mountain bike rentals, bike repairs, beverages and trail snacks, and area maps of local bike trails.

The shop has opened to meet the increasing demand for a premier mountain bike destination. Local efforts have included the formation of a regional chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association, the construction of new trails built in cooperation with the town and the bike club, and the creation of a new race, The Carrabassett Backcountry Cycle Challenge. It’s a 60-mile event that is part of a regional endurance series. The race was first held in July 2011 and attracted more than 150 riders from New England and Canada. It was so successful it will return in July.