Puff the Magic Dragon

When I'm not mountain biking in Charlotte, I head to Pisgah. Pisgah is a mecca of mountain biking, but there is a very close second to Pisgah, and that would be Roanoke VA. Fortunately, my wife is from Roanoke and her family still lives there. Whenever we head to the Star City, my bike is generally in tow. The Blue Ridge Parkway, Carvins Cove, North Mountain, Fort Lewis Mountain, and even Pandapas Pond in Christianburg all have something to offer. The routes on North Mountain and Fort Lewis Mountain are no joke. They generally consist of very tight singletrack, rocky ridges, long climbs, and some very fun and, in some cases, ridiculous descents (thank you Elevator Shaft). I have walked every climb in Roanoke. Even when I'm "in shape" I'll generally have to walk uphill at some point. It's taken years for me to have the stamina to ride some of the stuff up there. On of my favorite routes traverses the North Mountain Ridgeline. There are three trails off the ridge (Deer, Grouse, and Turkey). Here's a few videos from a trip up there last year.

The Dragon's Tale race rolls out of New Castle, VA, runs down the spine of the dragon, runs up Grouse trail twice and returns on a few tails I haven't been on yet.  At 40 miles, it's a beast of a ride. I have had more pain dished out to me on these trails that I'm wondering why I would return to "race" on them. Honestly, I don't know. I just like riding my bike. Slaying this Dragon will take everything I've got. 

The historic course is described as...

Tight, narrow, mossy, off-camber Appalachian sidehill singletrack that run's a tight and rocky spine like ridgeline. It's a wonder that the bicycles of the 90's were about to complete the course. Not only did they complete the course, but "they" included world famous riders like Flyod Landis, Jeremiah Bishop, Gunnar Shogren, Sue Haywood, Carol Waters and Chris Eatough."

Tomorrow, I head out on the road bike to see if I'm fit enough to try this race. If yes, then I'm registering for the race tomorrow. If no, then I'm still going to Roanoke to ride the beast in a much more enjoyable pace. Either way, I win. I love Roanoke!