The Challenge at Mountwood is traditionally the first race of the year for many mountain bikers from Ohio and West Virginia. This year’s race was a first of another kind for the KNOBby Side Down racers in the novice division. For Angie Burgess, Amie Jones, and Cassa Reeder it was their first mountain bike race ever. For Mike Jones and me, it was our first time racing in years.
Before the race: me (Kevin Burgess), Angie Burgess, Amie Jones and Mike Jones
While this wasn’t my first race ever, it definitely seemed that way. My real first race was about 10 years ago. I entered an OMBC race at West Branch less than a month after buying my first true mountain bike. I considered myself fairly fit and had been riding bicycles practically all of my life, so racing my new bike seemed like a good idea. That first race was a rude awakening. Most of the novice racers were nothing like the “beginners” that I envisioned. I thought they would just be a slower version of me. That clearly wasn’t the case. They were serious riders and their bikes made my new machine look like a department store bike. That race was followed by another mediocre performance the following year. After that, my interest in racing fizzled as my family grew.
At this race I felt like I belonged yet I was still surprisingly nervous before the start. I knew I was prepared but my heart and mind were racing. I began questioning myself. I began questioning everything. I hoped to finish in less than an hour, but was that realistic? How muddy would it be after all of the rain the previous week? What would the course be like? I had ridden at Mountwood multiple times, but never on the section of trail that comprised the novice race. Would the race course be more technical than the sections I had previously ridden? I tried not to worry about the other riders, but I couldn’t stop myself from sizing them up. Some looked really fast. Is it normal for novice men to shave their legs? Some were riding REALLY expensive bikes. Would I finish dead last despite actually training? Would I reach the first climb at the back of the pack and have to follow a steady stream of novice riders pushing their bikes up the initial climb? Should I continue letting everyone crowd in front of me at the start line, or should I say something?
Within a flash, the race was underway and all of those thoughts were out of my mind. It was a mass start for the novice class that included men, women and children. The first 1.8 miles of the course was a double-track gravel road climb. These factors combined to create total chaos as everyone fought for position before reaching the single-track. I was eventually able to get on the wheel of a guy in a blue jersey who was riding at a good pace. I followed blue jersey guy for a few miles passing a lot of the aforementioned men, women and children as we rode. We eventually met up with Cassa Reeder, another KSD newbie. The three of us rode together for what seemed like miles before I somehow got by them before the final downhill.
The race was a huge success for entire novice KSD crew. Cassa won the women’s novice division. Angie had a great first race finishing 5th of 11 women in just over 58 minutes. Amie also finished strong despite going over her bars. (Amie is still learning the meaning of keeping the KNOBby Side Down.) I beat my one hour goal by 10 minutes and finished 9th out of 32 novice men. Mike also beat his time goal and finished 19th.
At this race I felt like I belonged yet I was still surprisingly nervous before the start. I knew I was prepared but my heart and mind were racing. I began questioning myself. I began questioning everything. I hoped to finish in less than an hour, but was that realistic? How muddy would it be after all of the rain the previous week? What would the course be like? I had ridden at Mountwood multiple times, but never on the section of trail that comprised the novice race. Would the race course be more technical than the sections I had previously ridden? I tried not to worry about the other riders, but I couldn’t stop myself from sizing them up. Some looked really fast. Is it normal for novice men to shave their legs? Some were riding REALLY expensive bikes. Would I finish dead last despite actually training? Would I reach the first climb at the back of the pack and have to follow a steady stream of novice riders pushing their bikes up the initial climb? Should I continue letting everyone crowd in front of me at the start line, or should I say something?
Within a flash, the race was underway and all of those thoughts were out of my mind. It was a mass start for the novice class that included men, women and children. The first 1.8 miles of the course was a double-track gravel road climb. These factors combined to create total chaos as everyone fought for position before reaching the single-track. I was eventually able to get on the wheel of a guy in a blue jersey who was riding at a good pace. I followed blue jersey guy for a few miles passing a lot of the aforementioned men, women and children as we rode. We eventually met up with Cassa Reeder, another KSD newbie. The three of us rode together for what seemed like miles before I somehow got by them before the final downhill.
The race was a huge success for entire novice KSD crew. Cassa won the women’s novice division. Angie had a great first race finishing 5th of 11 women in just over 58 minutes. Amie also finished strong despite going over her bars. (Amie is still learning the meaning of keeping the KNOBby Side Down.) I beat my one hour goal by 10 minutes and finished 9th out of 32 novice men. Mike also beat his time goal and finished 19th.
Cassa Reeder – First Place Beginner Women
The overall experience was even better than the great results. I learned so much during the race. I learned that when Kenny says to sprint to the first climb, you should sprint to the first climb. I learned that 11 year-old boys can sprint surprisingly fast, but they are extremely unpredictable and are likely to stop unexpectedly at the worst possible time. It was a blast, hanging out with the rest of the team after the race at the KSD tent. It was fun to compare war stories and see who “won” the Skirt of Shame. By the way, that award went to Todd Davis.
Tim Shepherd, Todd Davis and Dicky Dee
The 2015 Challenge at Mountwood was just a great race in every way. The weather for the race was perfect for early April. The people of the River Valley Mountain Bike Association and the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association put on an amazing event. Despite a week of record rainfall preceding the event, they had the course in incredible shape. The event went very smoothly considering there were over 250 riders from West Virginia, Ohio, and surrounding states. The volunteers, parking, registration, food and facilities were as good as it gets for a mountain bike race (in my very limited experience). If you’ve never raced or even ridden at Mountwood, I highly recommend it. It was the best start imaginable to the second chapter in my mountain bike racing adventure.
-Kevin Burgess
-Kevin Burgess
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