StrongLand Off-Road Roaring Run Mountain Bike Race Report 2012

The 24th Annual Tour de Strongland kick-started its two-day festivities with an off-road mountain bike race on the Roaring Run Trail , Kiski Township yesterday.

The Warriors
The forecast of 80% chance of thunderstorms may have kept some people away. However 36 wheeled warriors - including three kids - showed up with undeterred to battle the elements. Experts (15 mile course) were flagged off at 9.15 am, Intermediate racers (11 miles) at 9.30 am and the Novice riders (3 miles, 9 -11 years of age) about 15 minutes later.

The Course
The first one mile was double track next to the Rails Trails, then cut out on to the Rails Trails and banked sharply right before the Bridge, to a tight hill-acious single track Loop. Then back to Rails Trails for a nice downhill finish. The Loop was planned to include an exciting splash across a shallow creek, but due to the rain and burgeoning creek, Novices were diverted around that section.

Crossing the Creek

The forecasted 9 am thunderstorm arrived prematurely and had depleted itself by race time. It was a gentle drizzle for the rest of the race. This made for a refreshing jog to the creek where I lay in wait to shoot passing riders with my waterproof lifeproof cased Iphone.

I also captured a photo of volunteer race marshalls helping make sure riders stay on course.

Helpful volunteer marshalls make sure riders stay on c-

Okay, sorry, wrong pic... Here's a better one.

"I think it's this way". :p

Race Strong
It was a good race. Excellent signage, plenty of race marshalls and volunteers, grill hot dogs (with donation) and a wet but very rideable course at the riders' chosen level. The $35 race reg fees come with a quality cotton t-shirt and a chance at winning a bike from sponsor Pro-Bike. Maybe a bit steep for the novice 3 mile race, which was basically a kids race.

Race PICs!
View the rest of the pics HERE. (Most of the creek stake-out pics turned out blur. Sigh! I couldn't risk getting my Panasonic Lumix wet so had to make do with the iPhone)

Three kids, three proud winners!

xo Gracie 

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Shannock Valley Mountain Bike Race Report 2012

The Shannock Valley 15th Annual Mountain Bike Race certainly had a lot in store for the 82 riders lined up at the Start this morning. The forecast '30% chance of rain' turned out to be a 100% heavens-wide-open deluge that turned the trails into a mud fest, albeit surprisingly rideable one.

(Note: you can skip the entire report and get right to the 300 Race Pics HERE)

Mark Liti, a satisfied survivor of the mud fest

Except maybe, for the hills.

Fat Tire Challenge Sigel 2012

This year's edition of the Fat Tire Challenge in Brookville PA had it all - Thrills, Spills, Gore and Glory... and the most adorable Lil Fat Tire kids on wheels to ever grace the series (now in it's 7th year). Aside from a few unfortunate ferns I sat on while shooting pics of the race, no wildlife was harmed in the documenting of this race!

Pick your poison - 14 mile (Sport) or 24 mile (Expert) promised some nice double track logging path, huge climbs on narrow single track, and the famed, notorius Rock Garden (more on that later). All that against a  backdrop of dense forest, blooming mountain laurel and overlooks so lovely that you might even forget how horribly your lungs are burning, your quads and charley-horsed calves are screaming... you might even smile! Ok well, maybe not. :p

Yellow Creek SP Monthly Race: June

We were anticipating a 100 degree F scorcher of a race this time, but conditions ended up cool with a short refreshing drizzle instead.

I photographed the bikers and runners as they partook of the immaculately groomed race course (thanks to the wonderful efforts of the Friends of YC trail maintenance crew).  Having ridden most of the race course last month (where I DNFed - and I say this with my head held high hee hee), I had in mind a couple of spots that might make for good pics. Before the 10.30 am race start, I had skulked away and made haste towards the first choice spot in the Pine Forest where I crouched silently, waiting to shoot unsuspecting athletes as they came by.

The Yellow Creek Grassroots Mountain Bike Race #3

This was gonna be my first mtb race but I DNFed! And Dave on a unicycle, completed the entire twelve bumpy, rock-studded, root-riddled miles. On a unicycle. :o

Dave Krack on his unicycle, towers over me

Still, I had a whale of a time! The organizers - Friends of Yellow Creek State Park - have been putting up these monthly races for several years now and the rides just keep getting better! ( from what Spencer says anyway). For a total noob such as myself, some sections were a lot of fun - gentle little mounds on single track. And I managed to make it up a couple of hills too! But I walked my bike down a few, and I walked over all the narrow bridges. And the baby creeks. And whenever I felt scared (which was a lot hehe). *hangs head in pretend shame*

There was this CRAZY drop into the raging river. I barely made it across alive!

Ninth Annual Subaru 24 Hour Champion Challenge 2008

Summary of post

Thrills and spills... guts and glory... pushing and breaking the limits of human endurance in a 24-hour mountain bike relay race at Seven Springs Resort, PA.

(The pic above taken by Mark Dempster)

The Race

Over 300 men and women, in teams, duo or solo, tested their mettle mountain-biking repeatedly on a punishing 12-mile course this past Labor Day weekend. The aim was to complete as many laps as possible within 24 hours, which meant riding in the night. That's right - d-a-r-k. The course has a tight, twisty single-track through the woods, some extremely technical barely walkable 'rock garden' sections and a long, steep, uphill, heart-attack-inducing climb.

Yellow Creek SP Mountain Bike Race Series: #3 May 2010

In the biggest turn out so far, 27 racers blasted out of the starting blocks for the third race of the season for the bad@ss 10.5 mile YC Grassroots Racing Series 2010.  The sun was shining, the birds were chirping...

Yellow Creek State Park Monthly Mountain Bike Race Series 2010

The ubiquitous Buffalo Riders were out in full G-4 Force at the Inaugural Yellow Creek State Park Mountain Bike Race, on the morning of 27 March 2010. 


The temperature was a cringe-inducing 30 degrees F... Registration at was at 9.30 am, and 10.30 am saw 16 brave riders at the start line. Among the ranks of these stout-hearted were Anthony C., Pat K., Ben E. and Spencer Clark, supported by Lindsey C. the Buffalo Riders photog. I on the other hand was sound asleep in my nice warm bed :).


The Shotgun Start 10.30 am was the beginning of a kick-@ass 10.5 mile loop wasting no time setting the pace for the race with a dizzifying 100 foot climb. 

At the top, the trail opens up into a grassy plateau that all too quickly channels into a tight single track with zig-zaggy switchbacks in a gorgeous pine forest setting. Then there are some