Rowdy Dawg 2009 Mountain Bike Race - Beginner Course Preview - Blacksburg, VA

This Sunday, I am shaking off three months of rust to mountain bike in my second career race. My first race was a Show-Me State games competition at Rockbridge Memorial State Park in Columbia, Missouri in the summer of 2006. The Poverty Creek trail system in Blacksburg, Virginia is very similar to the Rockbridge trail system in that both include rolling hills with challenging climbs and fast descents; all through dense forest that consist of a mix of logs, rocks, streams, and leaves.

Rowdy Dawg Trail Map and Parking

The Rowdy Dawg mountain bike race is taking place about 20 minutes northwest of Blacksburg, VA. The parking lot, starting line, and finish line are in Broce's field near the intersection of Lick Run Rd/State Route 781 and State Route 708/Straley Valley. I recommend approaching State Route 708 from State Route 781 to avoid the pothole laden sections of State Route 708. Further, the race courses cross State Route 708 northeast of this intersection so spectators should definitely take State Route 781 to State Route 708. I am not sure if restrooms will be provided but Boley Fields is a short walk away and has two national forest outhouses. Cell phone service is weak along State Route 708. 

State Route 708

All levels of racers start and end on the southwestern end of the Poverty Creek trail. The 10 mile beginner race starts by riding northwest on a clockwise loop on the following trails in the following order: Poverty Creek, Trillium, Skull Cap, Queen Anne, and Poverty Creek. The trail starts in a field and hops onto a gravel road before connecting to Poverty Creek trail. Racers will take a left turn onto Poverty Creek where the trail sign can be seen in the following picture.

Poverty Creek Trail

The Poverty Creek trail begins with a long steady climb and then rolls up and down on moderately smooth single track. It is a great trail to start a race because it gets your heart pumping while providing some time to lock into the trail before it becomes more difficult.

Ride on Poverty Creek for 3.1 miles before turning left on Trillium. 

Trillium Trail

All racers ride on Trillium for ~1.0 mile before turning left on Skull Cap trail. Trillium is rockier than Poverty Creek and includes one prolonged climb. In addition, the leaves are making some stretches of trail more slippery than they would otherwise be.

It also includes a few puddles that may widen and deepen with rain on Friday night and Saturday. Riders should consider wet conditions when selecting their cycling apparel.

Skull Cap Trail

Skull Cap trail is also 1.0 mile long but includes a combination of both tree roots and rocks. It is the most technical section of trail that the beginner racers will ride on. There is one noteworthy tough climb that will be even tougher if leaves become rain soaked between now and race time.

The following picture is backwards looking and shows a two foot drop that I will be walking my fully rigid bike around ;). A similar two foot drop on Young Gulch Trail in Colorado broke my rear axle so I have been avoiding them ever since. A video camera setup about 5 yards down the trail would likely capture some sweet jumps from the expert riders. Sport, Expert, and XXC racers will turn left onto Prickly Pear trail (not documented here) while beginner racers will turn right when Skull Cap dead ends at Queen Anne trail.

Queen Anne Trail

The Queen Anne Trail is 0.5 miles of fast, smooth, and descending trail that ends at State Route 708. This short stretch of trail is the fastest and easiest that the beginners will ride on.

Beginner course racers will turn right onto State Route 708 before quickly bearing left onto Poverty Creek trail. The following picture shows the Queen Anne trail ending at State Route 708. The final 100 foot approach to State Route 708 contains a set of gnarly tree roots hiding under leaves and that caught me off-guard.

Finishing on Poverty Creek Trail

Beginner racers double back on Poverty Creek for about 4.5 miles of mountain biking that consists of stream crossings and puddles. The first section of Poverty Creek trail is fast and flat as it follows State Route 708. Further, it provides an opportunity to recharge before tackling the final set of climbs on the other side of the road.

All racers will follow Poverty Creek trail back to the finish line including the State Route 708 crossing seen in the subsequent picture.

Riding on Poverty Creek trail in the reverse direction provides much of the same challenges as the beginning of the race and that include fast descents, quick climbs, and a few technical switchbacks.

In sum, the Rowdy Dawg 2009 Mountain Bike Race should be a huge success and a lot of fun because the trails are well marked and in good condition. On Sunday or Monday, I will post my experiences after, hopefully, completing the beginner course.