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MOUNTAIN BIKE COURSE - 24 kilometers (Cut-off time 10:00 am)
Course Description by TriSports Racing staff member and former XTERRA World Champion Jimmy Riccitello...
Once out of the water, you’ll ride a smooth stretch of dirt road that will allow you to get yourself and your bike sorted out. Make it quick, though, because once you hit the trail, you won’t be taking your hands off the bars much!
The course climbs gently up a bumpy jeep road to the green water tower. This tower will serve as your beacon on the return trip to signify that it’s a short downhill jaunt to the transition area. Right now, however, it signifies where the hurting starts.
From the green water tower, you bomb down a rutted jeep road to a sharp left turn. This section is among the fastest, and is not for the squeamish. Don’t get your front wheel caught in a rut or you’ll be head-over-heels for sure.
At the bottom of the hill, you cross a road and ride down into a rocky and sandy wash (dry riverbed…hopefully). You follow the wash to a culvert that takes you to the other side of the road. From there you pass through a gate and into the forestland.
Once through the gate, you gently climb for the next 3 miles on a “bike path-like” trail. Passing will not be a problem whether climbing or descending. The trail is pleasantly rugged, with just enough rocks, tree parts and ruts to make it fun, and almost enough to piss you off! The scenery changes from forest green to coal black part way up the climb as you ride through a forest of trees ravaged by the Rodeo-Chediski fire. The black sticks that used to be trees stand as a stark reminder of the fury of Mother Nature. Right about now you may be wondering if the ghosts of that fire are contributing to the burning sensation rapidly building in your legs as the climb gradually gets steeper.
After the 3 miles of gradual climbing, prepare yourself for 1.5 miles of steep climbing and more leg burning. This climb is very similar to the climb in the Xterra World Championships in Maui—both the terrain and the steepness. For those of you with designs on the Xterra World Championships, this course is a must!
The last part of the climb winds up to the top of a knoll and is steep, yet doable. Once at the top, the fun begins! Just don’t let the course profile fool you; there’s still some work to do. First and foremost is staying on the trail and out of the woods on the ride down. Second, the hill isn’t quite steep enough to coast down at a fast pace. All of you speed junkies will have to put a little pressure on the pedals if you want to take full advantage of your max speed potential. And if you’re taking advantage of your max speed potential, you have to pay attention because the turns come quick. One loss of concentration will result in a detour through the trees.
After about 3.5 miles of fast descending, you turn onto a dirt road. You will never be so happy to see a dirt road in your life! The dirt road is super fast (more descending) but contains just enough ruts to keep you honest.
After a couple more miles and sharp right down a quick descent, the dirt road turns left onto the “bike path-like” trail on which you started. Once through the Forest Service gate, you head down into the culvert, and proceed to climb back up to the green water tower (your friendly beacon). It’s a short, stiff climb, but once at the top, you are rewarded with a quick downhill into the bike-to-run transition.
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