Event: Rattling Offroad Weekend 50 mile race
Place: Halifax, PA
Ridden: August 2014
Click on video to play
The Stan's NoTubes Rattling Creek Offroad Weekend 50 mile marathon race was the adventure for this past weekend.
As forewarned in the race e-mail, 1/4 of the climbing was in the first 3 miles. The race pretty much started with a climb to the top of the mountain. The climb started on a gravel road then turned onto single track. After this major climb, the course was primarily on the ridge. There were some long, double track and single track climbs thrown in here and there but primarily the course followed the rolling terrain of the ridgeline.
Overall a good race for both Joël and I. We both pushed hard and felt there is nothing we wished we would have done differently. I was 3rd open female and Joël was 9th open male.
All finishers received a Rattling Creek shot glass. Joël celebrated the day with a well deserved shot of rum.
The Stan's NoTubes Rattling Creek Offroad Weekend 50 mile marathon race was the adventure for this past weekend.
The race weekend, put on by Mike Kuhn and The Outdoor Experience, is advertised as "an event to build trails and communities". The race includes a 50 mile race, a 30 mile race, and a 50 mile "experience" category (essentially a supported trail ride, same course as the 50 mile race only riders have extra time to make the cut offs and they are not competing for awards). Camping is available in the community park all weekend in the nearby town of Lykens.
The trails for the race were located in Weiser State Forest. The state forest covers almost 30,000 acres, having 33 miles of shared use trails, numerous miles of unmarked trails, and 50 miles of roads (most of which are gravel). Trails are open to hikers, equestrians, and cyclists. Combined efforts of two groups- The Friends of Weiser State Forest (who were at the race) and The Rattling Creek Singletrackers have created and maintained an incredible network of trails on the ridge.
As forewarned in the race e-mail, 1/4 of the climbing was in the first 3 miles. The race pretty much started with a climb to the top of the mountain. The climb started on a gravel road then turned onto single track. After this major climb, the course was primarily on the ridge. There were some long, double track and single track climbs thrown in here and there but primarily the course followed the rolling terrain of the ridgeline.
Rocks, rocks, and more rocks is the main way to explain the technical aspects of this race. At many places on the trails huge man-made rock piles were built. They looked imposing but were quite fun and challenging to ride. Throw in numerous log overs and bridges and one has to be on their A game to not crash during this race.
One really great aspect of this race is the support. Aid stations, are plentiful at every 10 miles. The same aid station was hit at miles 10, 20, and 40. A self-serve water only station was at mile 30. So despite the hot and sunny summer weather there were multiple places to rehydrate and eat. After the race riders were treated to hoagies, snack foods, and drinks.
Overall a good race for both Joël and I. We both pushed hard and felt there is nothing we wished we would have done differently. I was 3rd open female and Joël was 9th open male.
All year long I have been saying how much I like riding the Giant Lust Advanced, but this race made me appreciate how wonderful of a bike it really is. With the 27.5" wheels I felt like I was just rolling right through all the rock gardens, it was awesome! Thank you to my bike for a great ride! After seeing many racers trailside with flat tires, Joël was thankful for using Stan's NoTubes sealant and the Giant tubeless ready wheels. Despite the dry, dusty conditions, the Pro Gold Extreme lube kept our drive chains running quite.
All finishers received a Rattling Creek shot glass. Joël celebrated the day with a well deserved shot of rum.
- words by Jess
- video by Joël