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Why do all off the endurance races around have like no singletrack.

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BushwackerinPA

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So as recent transplant to northern Vermont scounting out all of the endurance races around here and talking with people who have done them, most feature much less than 50 percent singletrack.

seriously there are couple races in West Virginia that have over 45 miles of singletrack in a 50 mile race with out repeating. Is there anything like that in new england?
 
#4 ·
New England as a whole is still developing in the mtb trail building dept but right now there is a ton of momentum. 50 miles is a lot of non contiguous single track especially if you are trying to crush people with climbing. Some of the races are to attract people to the area where they are trying to develop single track. I think part of the reason for hosting the race is to get folks to involve themselves to help increase the riding in those areas. If you visit a place you think has potential, get involved. I don't doubt that any place hosting a big race with large double track sections does not want that to be all single track one day.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Flat Pedals said:
New England as a whole is still developing in the mtb trail building dept but right now there is a ton of momentum. 50 miles is a lot of non contiguous single track especially if you are trying to crush people with climbing. Some of the races are to attract people to the area where they are trying to develop single track. I think part of the reason for hosting the race is to get folks to involve themselves to help increase the riding in those areas. If you visit a place you think has potential, get involved. I don't doubt that any place hosting a big race with large double track sections does not want that to be all single track one day.
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first you dont need to crush people with climbing if its there its there, but alot of these races Hampshire 100, Whiteface 100 elect seem to be alot of steep doubletrack acents followed by steep double track decents. Who would ride that for fun?

I think 30 plus miles in a 50 mile race would be great.

Huntington
Stowe
Kingdom

are 3 places I know could do this if the local clubs wanted it to happen, I highly doubt stowe wants it to happen.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
snowdrifter said:
It's kind of difficult to do a lot of passing on singletrack ehh?
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it is, but even the WV race that has 45 mile of Singletrack it starts with a 1 mile on dirt roads, and people let you buy when you call out a pass. The race is 50 miles its not like your going to hold you position for 50 mile so people just let you pass.
 
#8 ·
There is 40 mile race at Stewart AFB in Eastern NY. It is a 20 mile loop that you do twice. Pretty awesome terrain, unlike any other place i've seen in the Northeast. Looks like a different ecosystem entirely. There is a good bit of rock but it's all shale type. It's weird going over shale rollers, and when dry you can climb the stuff rediculously well. It's mainly all singletrack but the singletrack opens up in many areas due to the arid land it goes through. The place is a great set up for races.

I remember one of the races being called the Darkhorse 40. They also have a singlespeed specific race.

I don't race, but i enjoy riding the marked up race loops afterwards.
 
#11 ·
Bushwhacker,
Have you looked at the Carrabassett Backcountry Challenge in Maine? It's part of the USCAN endurance series: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=716094

This probably will have more double track than you like but there big mountains and a very beautiful setting. A lot of singletrack is in the works up by Sugarloaf/Carrabassett Valley. This was the place I was thinking of when I mentioned folks wanting to showcase the area and build interest. Might be worth a trip over from VT.

Here is a link to the Carrabassett Nemba http://www.nemba.org/aboutnemba/Carrabassett.html
 
#15 ·
I too decry the lack of singletrack and tech offered on the current endurance races in NE. I think Flat Pedals is right. Most of the areas the races are in are still developing true MTB trails. Also, it seems like the majority of the racers are Roadie Hammerhead types who benefit from smooth wide flat trails vs. folks like me who would benefit from a more techy/fun course. My theory is that MTB is starting to shift to more technical interesting riding so the races will need to follow suit or they will fade away. It will take some time though.

That being said 12 hours of Bradbury has a pretty killer course. Not a ton of elevation but pretty rooty and technical in spots. The majority of it is wide singletrack so it's fun and you can still pass.

The same folks who put that race on are putting on 12 hours of Millstone. I have high hopes for this course.

I also heard that the Ultimate XC race in Canada is 97% singletrack and that's a 100k race. I'm doing that one next year!
 
#16 ·
As stated above, the Bradbury 12 is a solid 10-12 miles of singletrack looped over 12 hours. The Darkhorse 40 is on July 31st. It was mentioned earlier too, and it's a blast. 2 20 mile loops, a beer tent, and plenty of great flowy singletrack. Their ss race is also badass. It's very different since it's generally underwater/muddy.
 
#17 ·
Tamed

woodyak said:
That being said 12 hours of Bradbury has a pretty killer course. Not a ton of elevation but pretty rooty and technical in spots. The majority of it is wide singletrack so it's fun and you can still pass.
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did bradbury the 1st 2 years coed duo. great course. everything that great glen is not. how that lame ass race (gg) has lasted this long is beyond me. especially if you compare it to the 24 hours of holiday farm in dalton mass. fvck was that a killer course! 4 miles mostly up, then 4 miles mostly down with a ton of one track.

only svck about bradbury is the couse got smoothed out a bit and the fact that it is no longer a real lemans start like they did it the 1st year across the street. great course to race the one speed geared up a bit.

I also heard that the Ultimate XC race in Canada is 97% singletrack and that's a 100k race. I'm doing that one next year!
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ya but dans courses aren't very much fun. not nearly enough climbing. especially his old jay race;)

rog
 
#18 ·
It's just too difficult to have a big single loop race that is mostly singletrack in New England. Between what other people have said about the lack of continous trails, to having to coordinate the many land owners that a course like that may have to go through(i.e. the Hampshire 100), to the fact that many people won't show up if you make it a single long loop (you get better attendnce throwing a 6-24 hour race and let people do it on teams). However short lap races like Pats suck, especially if it rains and then turns to crap. 8-15 seems to be like a good distance for laps.

With all that said I would love to have a long single track race, that's what I was hoping last year at the Hampshire 100, but that didn't happen. Lots of dirt roads, the sand pit next to the airport, there were however some really fun sections of singletrack in that race so it almost came out even.
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Flat Pedals said:
Bushwhacker,
Have you looked at the Carrabassett Challenge in Maine? It's part of the USCAN endurance series: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=716094

This probably will have more double track than you like but there big mountains and a very beautiful setting. A lot of singletrack is in the works up by Sugarloaf/Carrabassett Valley. This was the place I was thinking of when I mentioned folks wanting to showcase the area and build interest. Might be worth a trip over from VT.

Here is a link to the Carrabassett Nemba http://www.nemba.org/aboutnemba/Carrabassett.html
Click to expand...
its not about building singletrack,although I would love to see more built. The deal is I have already heard that Carrabassett is alot of (steep) doubletrack.
 
#20 ·
It's just too difficult to have a big single loop race that is mostly singletrack in New England. Between what other people have said about the lack of continous trails, to having to coordinate the many land owners that a course like that may have to go through(i.e. the Hampshire 100)
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This sums it up well. I think with time, more single track will be available for races such as the H100. The trails are out there, but many landowners are apprehensive about opening up their land for races. Here's a breakdown of the H100 course from 2009:

Over 7000 ft of climbing, 49% double track/jeep trails, 28% single track, 11% dirt roads, 7% paved roads, 5% don't know what to call it!
 
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