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MMBA Race Calendar |
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Written by M. Longhofer
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Sunday, 03 June 2007 |
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Mountain Bike Racing is in full swing here in New England! The trails are drying out and we are looking forward to a fun race season. With race #1 in the Maine Mountain Bide Association series under our belts, the following is the remainder of our race calendar with a brief description of each race course with a few of my personal embellishments included!
June 24 – Clifford Park Assault – Biddeford, Maine. Also on the NECS calendar.
This race is loaded with challenging single track – lots of ledge, drops, twists and turns and the infamous “Smack This” – the big rock that most are afraid to ride but really is quite benign (when it’s dry anyway). To toot my own horn a little since this is my article, I was told in years past that I ride this thing better than any of the guys. Now that’s how to “Ride Like a Girl!” This course is fun and challenging and makes for a great test of bike handling skills. The promoters always put on a great event which includes things that spectators can enjoy – like “ride the board” or a hill climb competition.
July 15 – Maine Sport Run Off – Camden, Maine.
This race is located at the Camden Snow Bowl, a pretty tame “mountain” by ski standards but by biking standards is another story! The race starts with a climb up the ski lift section of the mountain, which is great to spread out the field prior to dropping into tight, rooty, rocky single track. Last year at this race, I was putting so much power to the pedals (or so I like to kid myself) climbing that I snapped my chain. No chain tool?! D’oy! Note to self – no more racing without chain tool as it especially hurts when you are winning and have to drop out for such a stupid reason. Anyway, this course is sure to please with a variety of climbing, fantastic single track and the reward toward the end – the thrilling descents!
July 29 – Bradbury Mountain Enduro – Pownal, Maine.
Also on the NECS calendar. Many of you are familiar with this course due to it being a part of the EFTA line up for many years. For those of you who don’t have the good fortune of having such a phenomenal playground in your back yards, Bradbury just continues to get better and better every year. The rangers and other trail dudes and dudettes are constantly building new trail and this summer will be no exception. I believe the one lap format will be back with new trail in store. For those of you who haven’t ridden here before, Bradbury is nothing other than FUN! It is loaded with single track with many bridges, stone gardens, twists, turns on impeccably maintained trails. The Park has camping facilities and Freeport, Maine, with LL Bean and plenty of shops and restaurants, is just a 10-minute drive from the park.
August 19 – Carabassett Cross Country Challenge – Carabassett Valley - Sugarloaf USA, Maine.
Another favorite in the Maine race series line up. This course starts with some XC Ski trails sections to thin out the field a bit then launches into a climb, and some more climbing, followed by just a little bit more climbing. It’s great for racers who like to climb (duh…) as the field gets blown apart a bit more. I distinctly remember this climb the first year I did this race in 2002. Just when I didn’t think I could keep going I hit the known “condominium section” of the climb (just toward the end) and someone had Bob Marley cranked on his or her stereo. At that point, I had convinced myself I was going to DNF after the first lap but thanks to Bob and what follows the climb, I finished the race and have for 5 years running – with a smile (or is that a grimace??) on my face. In fact, it is the event that I moved up to Expert at three years ago. So, aside from the aforementioned climb, here’s the reward – some unbelievably fun descending, hammer fast fire roads/XC Ski trails, and some of the best/most fun single track I’ve ever ridden. And if you are lucky, my former team, Team Six Pack (NOT known for our Abs….), might be at the top of the first descent in the woods with boom box, lawn chairs, and cooler with cold bevies as they were one year (man were they a life saver!) cheering on the masses! One of the other cool things about this race is that you can camp out right in the parking lot at the race venue free of charge. There have been some fun times in that parking lot in summers’ past!
September 2 – Rangeley Lakes Saddleback Challenge – Rangeley, Maine.
This race was new to our line up in 2006. And it was not to disappoint. The promoters did a top-notch job of laying out a new race course, including cutting brand new single track for the event. The course was fairly flat with hammer fast fire roads to start which helped to red line the heart rate from the gun (oh, the sweet feeling of Lactic Acid!!). The course then dropped in and out of brief sections of single track and fire/logging roads intermixed. The promoters have promised the addition of more new single track for this year’s course. Again, the promoters pulled out all the stops, which included free food at the event for racers. Rangeley is a great vacation destination and this Labor Day weekend being a three-day weekend, lends itself well to making a full weekend of it with family, friends, or solo. Last year, I went up with some friends and stayed in this awesome cabin overlooking Rangeley Lake, just 10 minutes from the race course. Our amenities included full kitchen, laundry, TV/DVD/Stereo, outdoor grill (pre race burgers the night before hit the spot!) and plenty of sleeping space. It was a nice touch that made a race weekend feel pretty darn luxurious!
September 16 – GrillZ Memorial – Reid State Park – Georgetown, Maine.
Also on the NECS calendar. This is the final frontier on our race calendar as well as our shop’s race. The trails at Reid State Park are without a doubt, a blast, and deliver just about everything a mt. biker would want: sweet single track, quick, short climbs, park trail hammer fast/recovery sections (your call..), roots, rocks, pucker brush (ouch!), bridges, streams, and one heck of an amazing ocean view right from the parking lot. The park has showers, places to cook out, and a beach to swim at. The promoters put on a great event, which includes Carla’s infamous cookin’ and has been some kickin’ chili in years past. It’s a bittersweet sort of event with it being the last race on the calendar and with fall breathing down everyone’s necks, so it’s a must stop on the mt. bike the race circuit before making the switch to ‘cross racing!
So, there you have it – racing in Maine in a nutshell. I certainly do them no justice via description of the written word, so y’all will just have to come see and race them for yourselves. From myself and all of us here in Maine, we welcome your visit to Maine really hope to see you at some of our events! And please feel free to contact me directly with any questions about our events.
Here’s to a great summer and race season! Ride on and ride safe!
Mary Longhofer, MMBA President and Team Bikeman.com racer
mainemountainbike.com |
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