My Life On A Bike

Tucked up in the western edge of North Carolina not far from the Georgia border is a jewel of singletrack fun called the Jackrabbit Trail. Having heard various reports of fellow cyclists riding there this summer, we finally got our chance to check it out this weekend. SABA, along with some other Sorba chapters, called a group ride to show off their handiwork.

We were greeted in the parking lot by Joanna of the Saba chapter, and she showed us the recent article in Dirt Rag about the trails. Check it out! So instead of me butchering all the facts, click on that link to read Joanna’s article.

I’ve been catching alot of slack lately for not updating the blog. Truth is, I’ve been going through an extremely difficult season right now and the blog has been put on the back burner. I have not been doing much riding at all, once a week at best, and almost did not go on this ride. Thankfully, Roger talked some sense into me and got my sleepy head in the car for the 2 hr drive up this morning. Despite the fact that my legs were weak and I suffered greatly the entire ride, I’m glad I went.  The Jackrabbit trails are great fun!

We had a big crew and the weather was absolutely perfect.  After a month of almost non stop rain, we were all thrilled with the prospect of sunny skies and warm temperatures.

There is not much climbing to speak of on Jackrabbit, but don’t let that fool you into thinking you will not get a workout. It made me think of Florida riding where you never get a break from pedaling. It will work you. The trail is smooth and has fantastic flow so you can go fast, fast, fast!

Mike Riter did a superb job building the 15 mile labyrinth of singletrack that uses every inch of land designated. Skirting the edge of Lake Chatuge will remind one of the trails of Tsali around Lake Fontana. At one point, the trail leads out to the “beach” where you can enjoy picture perfect views of the mountains all the way to the top of Brasstown Bald.

After riding all the trails, we were still ready for more. Roger and I had been chasing the wheel of Brian all morning, a young energetic racer. Being local, he knew all these trails as well as some more that weren’t in the Tour Brochure. A few us took him up on his offer to take us on a bonus ride, and we followed behind him like little ducklings.

This excursion reminded me of our early mtn biking days when the trails were merely faint tracks that went up long climbs and twisted through the trees. Thick leaves covered the trail enough that it was almost a challenge to find the way, so we kept a close lock on Brian lest we lose our way. We finally hooked into the beaten path that climbed up up up and up some more.

We all know how Al feels about hill repeats, so you can imagine what he thought about the climbs. I try to keep my blog G rated, so use your imagination, or you can go to YouTube and see the video he did, “Hitler wants to ride his mtn bike.”

The Captain and Robin were both on singlespeeds, so they had their work cut out for them on this section. The good news is that at the top of every climb a downhill is waiting on the other side. Flying down was fun, if not tricky through all the leaves, but I enjoyed the thrill and for a moment in time forgot all my cares. Thanks, Brian, for the bonus ride! Well worth it!

If you like smooth fast flowy singletrack, then look no more.  Jackrabbit fits the bill!  Thanks, SABA for another excellent trail system to add to the list!  See you on the trails.