The Hoosier Mountain Bike Association continues to grow its Indiana mountain bike trail network, its membership and its cornerstone fundraising event - October's Brown County Breakdown. Taking place on Sunday, October 11 this year, the 5th Annual Brown County Breakdown attracted over 560 entrants from 11 different states and raised more than $16,000 for HMBA's trail building fund!
Since the first Brown County Breakdown in 2005m which saw 85 riders hit the trail, the Brown County State Park trail inventory has grown dramatically - adding over 20 new miles of professionally built trails for all classes of riders. For the inaugural ride five years ago, Brown County saw heavy rains on the day of the vent. Courses were adjusted to save the newly forged Hesitation Point trail and for the safety of the ride participants. This year again had rain in the forecast with 4-8 inches of rain predicted on Thursday and Friday before the ride. While the final rainfall was on the lower end of the amount forecasted, the ground and trails were absolutely saturated, the creeks high and the area was put under a flood watch. With a little help from volunteers late on Friday, the well-built trails in the State Park were completely rideable and ready for Sunday's main event.
And so, at sunrise on a clear, frosty morning with temperatures in the mid-30's and the maples beginning their Autumn display, over 500 riders started their long ride in the woods. Participants chose from 20, 40, 60, 70 or 100-mile routes. Twenty-milers would remain in Brown County State Park while the longer routes would take riders south out of the park. Using small sections of horse trail and infrequently used ridge-top fire road, riders made their way to the Hoosier National Forest, it's Nebo Ridge trail and beyond. Riders entered the trail system by riding the recently completed Pine Loop Trail and strung out quickly along the North Tower Connector, North Tower Loop and Aynes Loop trails. Strategically placed bluegrass musicians kept spirits high, and riders finishing the long climb to Hesitation Point - about 11 miles into the ride - enjoyed the sun cresting the treetops and homemade goodies provided by the Friends of Brown County State Park.
On through Walnut Trail, the slippery rocks and roots on this technical trail caused pause, or worse, for many riders. Early on, most continued to power through all the way south and down to the Hidden Cabin Sag, but the saturated 2.5-mile ridge-top fire road soon began to deteriorate. Before long, the fire road was a soft quagmire requiring patience, power and time to plow through it. Steering was optional. The deer trail again delivered the riders down and off the ridge to the campfire, music, food and respite of the Hidden Cabin Sag. As the day progressed, the weather remained sunny, and the temperatures rose to almost 60 degrees - a perfect mid-October day!
Slower trail conditions forced many to scale back their ambitions, some of which were sky-high because of last year's 83-degree day and dusty, hard and fast trail conditions. Slightly more than two-hundred riders attempted the 60- or 70-mile loops incorporating the Nebo Ridge trail. Bue only two riders this year - compared to more than a dozen in 2008 - were able to complete the 100-mile course. Kudos to Dan Campbell of Centerville, OH who absolutely suffered through an unbelievably tough 100-mile course in about 7.5 hours, and to Bill Williams of Westfield, IN, who completed the 100 miles on his rigid single speed in just over nine hours. Of course, these two epics were only two of hundreds of other epic rides - perhaps of shorter distance, but in most instances were no less challenging.
Riders fueled up at the sage stops at record rates: consuming 300lbs of bananas, 500 pb&j's, 400 Jimmy Johns sandwiches, 500 Hammer gels and dozens of pounds of cookies and pretzals. And of course, at the end, riders continued their work by consuming over 200lbs of pulled pork and fried chicken at the Jug's Hog Roast!
This year's event benefited from a growing array of Saturday, pre-ride activities including a product demo/expo which included Trek, Saris/Cycleops, Scott, Mavic and Niner. Trails were closed in the morning, but participants were able to test ride bikes in the parking lot until the trails opened in the afternoon. Many participants checked into the camping area at the Start/Finish and setup their tents while patiently waiting for trails to dry. As the afternoon wore on, the festivities kicked into gear with free beer from Bloomington's own Upland Brewing Co. The Dragonfly and Oktoberfest were a huge hit as participants stood in line to have their cups, mugs, pint glasses and more filled with the tasty beverages. Raffle tickets were sold through the day and as evening fell the winner was announced. Congratulations went to Ty Sovern of Mitchell, IN who was the lucky winner of the Cannondale Rush 7. As the evening came to a close, participants and friends congregated around a few small fires to keep warm and make final preparations for the following day's ride.
In addition to more riders, the 5th Annual Brown County Breakdown attracted more sponsors who, in various ways, helped to improve the event. Great cash and product sponsors like Upland Brewing Company, Cannondale Bicycles, Saris, SRAM, Kona, Hammer Nutrition, Global Toaster, Compendium Blogware and Defender Direct helped support us this year. And the best bike shops in Indiana again provided invaluable assistance with course logistics, sag mechanical help and swag contributions. Thanks to Nebo Ridge Bicycles, Revolution Bike & Bean, Bicycle Station, Bicycle Garage Indy, Joe's Cyclery and Gray Goat Sports. A big thanks goes to Weed Patch Music of Nashville and Kara Barnard, owner, for coordinating all of the live music for the weekend. Thanks also to the Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance National Mountain Bike Patrol for course monitoring. We would also like to congratulate the following winners: Craig Scott of Bruceville, IN who won the Garmin Colorado 400t GPS, Greg Wright of Noblesville, IN who won the Saris Bones RS car rack and finally Steve Surrette of Carmel, IN for winning the rare pink SRAM XO group.
Next year's 6th Annual Brown County Breakdown will be held the weekend of October 9 and 10, 2010. We will be looking to incorporate new trail again and will continue to surprise and delight riders. It is sure to once again be a great ride in the woods with a few hundred of your closest friends!
Cheers,
Tim Casady ~ Nebo Ridge Bicycles
Jonathan and Tania Juillerat ~ Sub-9 Productions
Event Co-Directors
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