Took us a little less than two hours to get there. Watch construction and police along US275.
This is a new trail ...
Saturday, July 14
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5 comments:
... with only a couple spots having the grass worned to dirt in the prairie areas. In the trees - pine needles, some dirt, and slippery cones at the south end. It was mowed 22" on each side of center in 1-2' grass. A lot of blind and sharp corners stealing momentum. It is bumpy - use full suspension if you have a choice.
It reminds me of the first year of Tranquility.
Todd was out mowing when we got there. He rode with a gps and is suppose to send me the data file from his ride. He thought there was 600' but the hills are not steep. The grass does increase rolling resistance.
Maybe 3-4 separate log crossings. A couple short, steeper climbs, most of it is Tranquility-like sloping climbs/descents with sharp cutbacks to rob momentum and speed.
Took Tim and I about 30 minutes for one lap, not including 1/4 mile gravel road climb to trailhead.
This trail could be race in the rain, in fact, getting some good rains before/during the race would help wear in the tread.
A pic is worth a thousand words. Next time I'll try and remember to take some.
Any thoughts on the trail or suggestions for the race from those who rode there?
Well, the approximately 4.5 mile trail is mostly all energy sucking mowed / packed prairie grass as you stated, with some loose pine needle / pine cone areas thrown in. For SS, I'll be a riding 1-2 teeth easier gearing because of the increased rolling resistance. I also found several corners difficult to take at any speeds greater than a crawl. Overall, I think the course is good for being new, it just needs time and more riding to get it established. And yes, it is bumpy! I forgot to snap any photos as well.
I would definately agree that it was hard to keep momentum. Even on the flatter praire sections, you need to work to keep your speed up because of the bumpy surface.
Dale and Tim have more experience than I do, but this is one of the slower courses I've been on, but is was still a very fun ride. A lot of time was spent out in praire areas, so if it's hot on race day, that will definitely affect times.
I also run single speed and usually use 32x18 at Tranquility, 32x15 at Manawa, 32x16 at Swanson, and raced 32x20 at L&C. I did the first lap at Muskenthine with 32x18. It wasn't too bad, but I never really spun up past that gearing(which may have been because we were taking it easy), so I switched to 32x20 for the next lap. I think that was a tad too easy and 32x18 or 32x19 might be a better option.
Other things I remember: The trail isn't obvious in a few spots, so trail marking will be important on race day. Knowing how to flatten corners will be important for keeping a bit more speed on this course and will definately add up. Watch for eye pokers, there are a few. There is not much shade for must of the lap. Restrooms and running water are available on site. Oh... and the Wolf pub in town has excellant food.
This past Saturday a group of us BMCC riders traveled up to Muskenthine to try out the new trail. The key word here is NEW... as in still bumpy and lots of grass instead of dirt. Nonetheless, we had fun and I feel this course has a good deal of potential if enough riders use it and help it evolve.
Muskenthine has a more 180 degree hairpin turns than I have ever experienced so speeds are slow and riding resistance in the tall grass gives you a good workout. There are no real major climbs to deal with and limited technical sections so the the course is novice friendly and I think a single speed would fair well here due to much major climbing and no real high speed sections. Because of the bumpy conditions I highly recommend a dual suspension bike if you have one, at least until the course becomes worn in.
A nice surprise were the numerous scenic views along the trail overlooking the lake and surrounding land. Plus there is a nice large bathroom by the parking area and even a rinse off site that sits on pavement (good for getting rid of ticks after a ride, I found 3 on my person.)
Plan on driving 2 hours each way from the Metro and don't let rain scare you away. There is plenty of grass to keep much mud from forming and the moisture would help soften up the trail.
Happy riding!
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