Revenge of the Rattlesnake

I went up to the Mecca of mountainbiking this weekend. Canaan of course! It is so awesome there right now. It is so beautiful with the leaves starting to change and the northern feel of the woods. The trails were covered in red maple leaves. The conditions were very dry for Canaan, which meant there was still some primordial mud bogs that would take a shoe off.

The race was put on by Blackwater Bikes who were my very first sponsor. Roger and Matt did a hellavu job making a super gnarly course with loads of singletrack. It was 45 miles and took me 5:30. There was some picky riding in there, especially Pointy Knob. I don't think anyone loved that trail, but I really liked it and have mad respect for riders who can give stuff like that a go. Steve Hill won in an almost sprint with Benji who couldn't really sprint that great because he was on a singlespeed. Those guys were rippin it.

How many races have incredible technical singletrack and then have the best pizza in the world afterwards. Yes, Sirianni's of Davis, WV had hot pies, lasagne, and pasta salad. And the local brewery had kegs as well. Plus a cash payout and a nice vibe mad this race one of my favs for the year. Its hard to believe more folks don't like doing this race. I raced my Fuel EX(no, I don't have the new one yet!) It was nice having 5 inches in the back and my pike on the front. How many cross country races do you want a pike for?

Plus, we got bandanas that were the race map. That is the tradition of the race dating back to 1983 when it was called the 40K. Laird Knight put it on. 12 people started and none finished. Hardcore!