Monday, October 13, 2014

MoCo Epic 2014



The MoCo Epic is the 3rd MORE Epic of the year.  The first being the NOVA Epic (which I didn't ride), and then the Patapsco Epic Ride.  See here for the Patapsco recap.  This ride takes you on amazing mountain bike trails that are rolling and super fun to ride.  It's truly remarkable to have this many good trails so close to ride.

I haven't been riding all that much as of late, but have been playing a lot of tennis.  So my tennis game is very good right now, legs for riding maybe not so much.  So Sunday morning was a struggle just to get out of bed knowing what was in store.  I wasn't thinking about the absolute blast of riding through the Maryland woods, I was thinking about the 6+ hours that it would take to accomplish the feat.

There was additional incentive to ride as Jared and I volunteered 8 hours of trail building time to meet one of his scouting merit badges.  We slung a lot of dirt to fix some of the rutted trails.

I got a late start on the course, about 8:30am, when my initial target was around 7am.  It was a victory just to get out of bed.  It'd been raining the past couple of days and I didn't want to ride through mud for half a day.  I did pick up a snap-on fender for the front and rear.  They worked amazing, just check out the first video (no mud on my face).  I was only slight embarrassed to have them on the bike.


OK, so I opted for the 50 mile route instead of the 65.  I wasn't looking to crush myself on this day, and it turned out to be a good decision.  This course runs through Hoyles Mill into the Black Hill before crossing into the fun single track offerings of Little Bennett and Lower Magruder. Next up you’ll tour the Seneca Greenway into Clopper Lake before turning back to the Seneca Ridge Trail and Schaeffer. Overall this route is about 80% single-track with occasional paved country roads between parks.


Overall time for 50 miles was 6 hours 18 minutes.  The last 2 miles were the hardest.  A bit technical with little climbs, rocks and roots.  But then you come out of the woods and see the parking lot!  What a joy that feeling is knowing the ride is about over.  Don't get me wrong, I will ride this course every year for the next N? years.  I will admit it's getting harder.

Information about the MORE EPIC rides.   Here's the official ride map.

Click for my Garmin stats

 
Design by Free WordPress Themes | Bloggerized by Lasantha - Premium Blogger Themes | Hot Sonakshi Sinha, Car Price in India