Rowdy Dawg XC Race Course

Race - Oct 29, 2023

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Not Allowed

Features Drops/Jumps · Views

Highlights of the loops include the sketchy loose climb up royale, the flow of Queen Anne, the lung buster climb up Snakeroot, and the blazing fast downhill of horse nettle into the finish.

In order to participate in the Rowdy Dawg race, riders must pay an entry fee, but aside from that there is no parking fee etc.

The race course begins with a flat doubletrack section of horse nettle trail which is a crucial starting point to get a good starting position for the first climb. After the first main climb, riders will single-file down Joe Pye trail where they will encounter a mix of tight singletrack, punchy climbs, and fast downhills. After riding a quick section of Poverty Creek trail, racers will be forced to pedal up the loose climb of Royale trail. This climb features rocks and roots as it meanders up the lower regions of Gap Mountain.

After almost a mile of unrelenting climbing, racers will get a chance to catch their breath and pass other riders on a forest service road descent. This road leads right into the flowy singletrack of Queen Anne trail, filled with roots and small undulations into mini ravines spitting you out onto the forest service road once again.

This next portion of road is a crucial passing spot before the often muddy singletrack section of Poverty Creek trail. Once done with Poverty creek and the very similar May Apple trail, riders will begin the lung buster climb known as Snakeroot. Snakeroot begins easy, almost like a singletrack version of the forest service road, but once it drops into a chute, it gets much more difficult. The climb from here on out contains some of the gnarliest singletrack in the trail system with countless rocks and roots covering impossibly tight turns all while maintaining a very steep grade.

Once at the top, riders will get to catch their breaths on a quick section of singletrack before dropping into the final downhill of the race, Horse Nettle. Horse Nettle begins as a forest road with a loose surface and steep grades, but eventually turns into a blue level singletrack that doesn't let up on the way down. It's fast, fun, and bumpy all the way down, past Joe Pye, and back down to the flat doubletrack from the beginning where riders will sprint it out to finish the race.

This route was first used for racing in 2019.