I was a little disappointed not having much lined up cycling-wise after heading to Snowshoe to watch the UCI World Cup race. I guess I didn't think I'd live through the experience. Mebbe after seeing real athletes do my hobby at a level so far beyond my capabilities, I'd take up something like Scrabble.
Dunno.
But here I am alive and still riding and with a lump of paid time off and nothing to do with it.
Fortunately, there actually is a lot to do.
Starting this weekend, I'm heading up to Greensboro to play bikes with Watts at the
King and Queen of the Watershed race. I like the format, for sure. Sounds a bit like the Tour duh Charlotte (and the Definitely Not Tour de Charlotte this past March). Race, party pace, race, party pace... etc... party.
Taking a week off after that to breathe and feel human and then jumping in Watts's Van-a-ma-thing to drive across the lower half of the country to ride bikes. Mebbe stop in Chattanooga, Memphis, Nashville... who knows? Our final destination?
Bentonville.
I've dreamt about going to Arkansas to race the
Ouchita Challenge for years, only to have my dreams dashed after googling travel directions (it was a fifteen hour drive every time). I'm finally making the leap'ish in that direction. We've all had the trails in Bentonville thrown in our face continually, what with the rapid development of a huge trail system funded by the Waltons. It's become a destination in pretty short order, and I wanna see it all before I'm ded. The
OZ Trails Off-Road "race" is fifty miles, so it sounds like we'll get to see a fair dinkum under some duress, the rest we can ride at our leisure... I guess. Also, make bike party and hopefully see some familiar faces.
This does mean that I'll miss the
Lula Lake Land Trust 5 Points Fifty that same weekend.
I went two years ago. It was everything I wanted a race to be. Camping, remote course, a big challenging loop... so challenging that I was afraid to go back last year. Anyhoo, bummed to have a conflict, but mebbe next year. My cup truly runneth over.
And finally...
The
Fonta Flora Barn BurnerOnly 50k and 2,500 feet of climbing, so not exactly playing to my "strong suits," but a trail system that gets a lot of good happy feels from everyone I know who has ridden there. It's not too far from where I live, AND it's not a "so many laps of riding in circles for so many hours" kinda race that crushes my soul. In other words, even if my back starts to hurt, I'll just need to slow down and suck it up (this time). I've been activating my glutes, so mebbe those days are behind me?
Who knows?
All that should leave me with a properly burnt-out feeling going into the off "season."
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2 comments:
I live in Bella Vista, AR. The majority of the OZ Trails are located here and not actually in Bentonville although there is quite a bit in Bentonville as well....I literally can't leave my house in any direction without seeing/hitting mountain bike trails. While I am definitely stoked and in no way complaining about having the OZ Trails here, they are all machine cut and pretty predictable. You pretty much just ride groomed trails for miles with the occasional and mostly man made rock gardens/jumps/drops thrown in....No comparison to the Ouachita Challenge IMO. Syllamo's Revenge in Mountain View, AR is another of the state's crown jewels and rivals the Ouachita as well...Don't get me wrong, there is a good time to be had in Bentonville but for the mountain biker who is a purest when it comes to riding single track it leaves something to be desired IMO....If you just need to check Bentonville off of your bucket list then I guess you have to come here but personally I wouldn't travel halfway across the country to ride these trails. Just my $.02.
Appreciate the info, but I'm coming for the experience and the bike party and the road trip stoppage along the way. Since I have Pisgah right here, I get my share of gnar gnar rides when I need them. That and I'll be traveling with Warts and two rigid single speeds, so I'll be looking forward to the adventure of it all regardless of what comes our way.
BTW: Syllamo mighta been the race I was thinking of instead of Quachita. It has been so long since I considered a trip (halfway) west that I can't remember. My days of traveling super far solely for a long one day event are definitely numbered.
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