Due to a lack of registrations, I have decided to cancel the event.
I want to thank Abby Design and Construction for their extremely generous support.
I will try again next year.
Andrew Stackhouse
Pirate Race Productions
info@pirateraceproductions.com
We are excited to welcome Abby Design and Construction as a premier sponsor of the Mile High 6&9 Hour Mountain Bike Challenge!
Abby Design and Construction is operated by avid endurance racer Daniel Hemp, his wife Toni, and daughter Abby. Based in Banner Elk, they specialize in quality homes and renovations while utilizing eco-friendly building practices. Whether you are looking to build your dream house, or just to spruce up your deck, turn to a fellow racer for your next construction project.
Thanks to everyone who withstood the epic weather and raced this weekend. I hope that in spite of the mud, that you all let your riding buddies know about what a great trail system we have up here, and that you keep coming back to ride as we work to expand it. Again, I can not say enough good things about the folks who made the trails, and this event, possible: Daniel Scagnelli and all the employees of the Town of Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation Department and Rory Ellington and his crew at the Beech Mountain Club, who put in countless hours building trail, finagling permissions, and coming up with everything from the shuttle to drinking (and bathing) water on race day. Thanks to Jim Smalley and his crew for officiating and scoring, and generally keeping my act together. I also want to thank Lee Whitmann and everyone from the Beech Volunteer Fire Department who put their plans on hold this weekend and sat around in the rain on standby in case something happen. There were a ton of volunteers who worked hard to make the race happen: John Gibbs, Daniel Hemp, Anet Lamberson, Shawn Lautner, Kathy Schroeder, Greg Seiz, Joe Wiswell, and especially my infinitely patient bride, Rosie. Of course, the event could not have happened without our sponsors: Mountain Times Publications, BlackCat Burrito, Emerald Mountain Realty and Rentals, Archers Inn and Jackalope’s View Restaurant, MaguraDirect.com and Uvex, Cane Creek Cycling Components, and most of all Magic Cycles – Mike Boone and Jon Fennel went above and beyond, not only providing financial support, but transporting equipment, shuttling racers, cutting trail, and slogging around all weekend in the rain ensuring the race ran smoothly.
Again, thank you.
Here are the results on USAC:
https://www.usacycling.org/results/?permit=2011-1092
Also, please take our racer survey:
Racing starts at 8AM sharp – please set a shuttle if you can.
XC is on schedule and everyone is doing the full 5 mile loop. The course was bone dry today, the storm blew through quickly, and its real windy, so throw on yer high volume low pressure knobbies and do it up
Course looks great and is ready for you to come rip it up!
On site registration and camping check in is open Friday from 5:30 until 8:00PM, Saturday 9-noon and 12:30-4:30, and Sunday 8:30-12:30
Be sure to look at the Directions page before you set out – don’t blindly follow your GPS in the High Country.
Rooms are still available at Archer’s Inn, and there is a great bar and restaurant at the Jackalope’s View just a couple minutes down the Beech Mountain Parkway toward Banner Elk where you can enjoy some well deserved post-race libations.
Planning on getting some laps in before your race this weekend? Check out the pre-riding schedule on the bottom of the Schedule and Registration page. The Super-D and Short Track courses overlap the XC course, so there is time set aside so everyone has enough time to get their reps in before they line up.
Super-D SCHEDULE CHANGE races will start consecutively by category (first Cat 2 racer follows last Cat 1 racer, etc). Race is still being run as an individual time trial: racers start by category at one minute intervals. RACERS GET TWO RUNS, BEST TIME COUNTS. Check out the course video shot Saturday 6/11
Archer’s Inn is the official lodging sponsor for the Magic Cycles AMBC Race Weekend and the Mile High 6 & 9 Hour MTB Challenge. To book a room or luxury cabin, click over to the reservation page or call 1-888-827-6155.
You can now sign up for the Mile High 6 & 9 Hour Mountain Bike Challenge at BikeReg.com. Register now for only $50 for Solos, $90 for Duos and $120 for Trios in the 9 Hour, and $45 for Solos and $80 for Duos in the 6 Hour. Registration goes up $5 per PERSON on July 1, and another $5 day-of, so sign up early and save!
After 8 hours of labor, the Super D, while far from done, is ridable.
To get there:
Follow the Backbone trail uphill past Grassy Road 2 and Elk River Overlook trails.
The start line is the top of the hill.
Follow Backbone into the woods
Take your first right onto singletrack (Chamberlains Loop)
Singletrack dumps onto Grassy Road 2
Turn right and climb slightly to intersection and turn left
At sign for Powerline Dropout turn left on berm onto singletrack
Pass first trailhead on left (that is the outbound XC extension)
About 10m later, bear left on next trailhead (you are now on following the inbound XC extension backwards)
Right now, the only clear trail is the Super-D. However, if you see a fork in the trail, stay right.
Eventually the trail drops down to the right, and descends all the way to the power lines
When you get to the power lines look for the orange tape at the far side – when you get across there is a pretty big log that still needs to be cut.
Go over the log and follow the trail through the wood and it will kick out on the old Super-G trail.
Right now both the old Super-G trail and much of the West Bowl trail is very steep and eroded – you can choose to turn right here, and make a rather miserable hike-a-bike back up the power line to Power Line Dropout and continue on the Emerald Outback Loop. If you chose to go downhill, use caution.
Follow Super-G to the bottom, and then take a left on West Bowl trail, follow that to the end, go straight into the sandy lunar landscape about 100m and take a right, that old jeep road will take you to the intersection of Beech Mountain Parkway (the very steep climb), Woodcreek Ln, and Buckeye Ridge (which the locals call Chestnut Falls). The finish line will be thereabouts.
