Mountain Biking - USA Cycling Gravity National Championships coming to Beech Mountain, NC!!

Downhill and Four-Cross only (XC will be at Sun Valley, ID). Just got posted late today:

http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=5792

I was kinda pulling for Snowshoe but this is cool. And the dates are awesome too: Sept 24-25. A late-season Nats for a change.

OK 66, gastro, hammy, highrevs and y'all - - where the heck Beech Mtn. and what's it all about? I hear there's only 800' of vertical but that's not a deal-breaker. Heck, look at Sea Otter. Is it a cool venue?

It has potential! I spent a few days up there this past summer for a friend’s wedding. We rode some newly cut XC trails and a some of the DH trails from this past seasons series. I've also spent tons of time there during the winter sliding around on a snowboard. The little town of Beech is pretty cool and not too far from Boone, NC. I think Boone is the biggest town that's close by. The resort itself has some pretty awesome terrain and major potential for a good DH course. If the builders that did Hawksnest are involved in track design/build it should pretty awesome. Those guys know how to build trails.

Here are some shots from ’09 that show a few of the features on the mountain.

http://www.kinetic-images.com/Bikes/Beech-Mountain-TRipple-Crown/Race-1/DSC7766-8/599971352_KEKFr-XL.jpg

http://www.kinetic-images.com/Bikes/Beech-Mountain-TRipple-Crown/Race-1/DSC7721-1/599971179_etNSY-XL.jpg

http://www.kinetic-images.com/Bikes/Beech-Mountain-TRipple-Crown/Race-1/DSC7815-2/599971428_GSKq4-XL.jpg

http://www.kinetic-images.com/Bikes/Beech-Mountain-TRipple-Crown/Race-1/DSC7697-6/599971045_rLCDd-XL.jpg

Thank, Robert! Reminds me somewhat of a more-deciduous Port Angeles. Understand one should bring a backup set of mud tires?

Understand one should bring a backup set of mud tires?

Yes that would be a good idea. It is the east coast after all.

Late Sept. is a little early for some of Pisgah's best seasonal offerings but but we can still get you on some good stuff if you plan on rendezvousing with the TGMBG.

highrevs covered anything else I could possibly say about the mountain...nice shots dood.

Hellz yeah to a TGMBG gathering! I say we put together a plan and make something of this. We could do a long weekend with hitting up nationals and getting some saddle time in/around Pisgah. I think that would prettymuch rock.

On top of all that, I know that this race will have one top-notch photog in attendance fo' sho' ;).

In October 1976 I took part in a downhill race (http://sonic.net/~ckelly/Seekay/repack.htm) among friends that was the origin of this sport. I put on the first 20 or so off-road downhill races between 1976 and 1979.

It took a long time for this discipline to get respect from "official" bike racing, but it seems to have finally arrived.

Vindication.

^^ It's fun to realize that downhilling started the sport and is still at the spearhead of its progression today :thumb:



Gosh, in '76, I was still twisting throttles primarily and setting my sights on doing Barstow-to-Vegas.

Well durn... In '76 i was still pooping on myself and learning to crawl. :D

Hmmmmm....cool beans! I guess we should be making plans?

^^^ Yes we should!