The XC race course, this year, will run clockwise. The main difference over last year's course is that the brutal southern climb is absent. Of course, this will be thrown in out of generosity from the staging/starting area to the actual race loop to thin the pack before entering the singletrack.
The loop is basically a tour of much of The Bluffs cross country system. There are some new trails that didn't exist last year. Some portions, including the brutal mid-race climb, are now crushed limestone. There are two temporary connectors that are necessary to facilitate the loop without any two-way traffic.
The staging/starting area will be at the parking lot on MacArthur Drive. Riders will start in waves and use
Douglas to go under the MacArthur Drive bridge and access the
Crushed Limestone Trail on the north side of the Bob Simpson Bridge. This brutal climb is only included in the start of the race to thin the riders out before entering
Goat across from the southern tip of
Pony. This point is where racers begin the official race loop, where lap timing occurs, and is the official finish line.
Riders will travel north on
Goat until making a left turn at the top of
Deroin. Before the downhill of
Deroin begins, the course crosses the
Crushed Limestone Trail to the first temporary connector trail (the same as the 2023 race) joining the west side of
Comeback Loop. Continue north until the trail reaches the old park ruins and cross the
Crushed Limestone Trail to
Jekyll & Hyde.
At the
Roly Poly and
Lee's Loop intersections, keep right. Stay on
Jekyll & Hyde as it nears the
Hay Loft . Shortly, riders will arrive at the graveled section of
Jekyll & Hyde. Ones nerve will be tested as downhill speeds meet the overlook in a slight left turn. Keep on the gravel as one passes the other end of
Roly Poly. One more sketchy gravel turn after a descent before the intersection with
High Rider. Keep straight on the dirt of
Jekyll & Hyde rather than turning right with the gravel.
A fast descent is quickly interrupted by a left turn onto Tripple H, one of the new trails included in the course this year. Riders will eventually rejoin
Jekyll & Hyde just before the "gap in the wall." Continue north until
Jekyll & Hyde meets
Lowrider where the most brutal section of the course begins.
Turning right onto
Lowrider marks the start of the climb back to the top. Most of the climb is on
Sunbridge Road which is wide and graveled offering an excellent opportunity for passing. It isn't as steep as the elevation profile suggests. Rather, it's a long, sustained, but gentle climb. Just before the trail emerges onto Huntoon Road, riders will turn back south onto the "all weather" section of
Comeback until it joins the
Crushed Limestone Trail briefly before the top of
Chimneys.
A fast descent on the upper section of
Chimneys is interrupted by the second temporary connector just before the old brick foundation. This temporary connector is an old section of the historical
Comeback Trail. It allows the riders to access
229 East without any two-way traffic. The course turns right onto
229 West before it rejoins
Chimneys near the
Crushed Limestone Trail.
The course remains on
Chimneys until it reaches the old park ruins and riders will turn left onto the east side of
Comeback Loop. When the course approaches the south end of the
Comeback Loop, one will continue straight (left at the intersection) on the spur to the
Crushed Limestone Trail. A very brief descent to the left will bring riders to
Pony where they will stay until it reaches the lap timing/finish line.
Continue with onX Maps
Sign in with Facebook
Intermediate
Race - Nov 2, 2024
Unknown
0 Comments