1996 Olympic MTB Course: trail 16

Friday afternoon in Conyers, Georgia, Georgia International Horse Park, 1996, drove home the Olympic mountain bike course. It is very exciting American Olympic course, but those of us who natural areas to live it we. Chris Eatough race solo who every year annual 24-hour race course Conyers (24 hours) to use and documentaries 24 saw him VII World Championship course.

Shortly after the Olympic course wildness and mudhunny I could not follow one year later she describes. Fortunately, local SORBA Club pick up the ball, to keep the trail today, to continue. You can place and of course have been some changes since 1996 games, wooden TV camera platform strategy turn see granite coating still yellow course boundaries. And disappeared under the original course Golf course sand traps in the photo below shows green.

On Friday, "fault loops" decided to initiate the start of the main parking area next to the field. Better along the way here dozens of times, but for some reason the wrong direction, the trail goes wrong I started to houshil brush is suffering. Well, I only ran into one of the other mountain bikers and Road Runner and neither of them seemed to mind. This section is, of course, to Woods and generally pretty challenging stuff, occasionally only root garden.

Fields is back and ride parking place in the past, I "granite loop", beyond the Parkway split. Intersection of easy ride – of most dangerous part of sharp, steep rim see oncoming traffic and bicycle intersection (four total) were cut for some reason someone decided of bulging Middle impossible to evergreen trees to plant. To pass before the tree around peak speeding cars are hurtling on opposite sides of the road and waited.

And granite tread features long, stretching from the beginning to a completely different published the second half of the course (photos that do justice to) quick lung bursting climbs decomposition. I always how much my Mule granite-take beating, Moab slickrock doesn't seem forget. Ascending, descending and ascending order, and will again, granite after descending on the sidewalk I tight twist some fresh trail re-routes and the dip in the Woods has found. Conflicting though doubt trail very scenic I thought actually here in 1996 Olympian's mind.

Final climb granite backups at all times I have been challenging-in fact my is my arch-nemesis (dgaddis term to borrow that) I can tell you. Climb is remarkable-average length, slightly steep almost is not smooth, but for some reason I can ride to the top went. I previously climbed either from either the morning or the top-spin and roots spent Friday wasn't the exception. Said Hill on my GPS alone 7 point of view of course difficulty (about 150 feet / miles) miles of 1,000 feet or more rose to. East side on the bicycle Road Atlanta but not bad!

16 Trails; 1 more to go.

Add Site Url to Free Web Directory


Original article

Trail 16: 1996 Olympic MTB Course

On Friday afternoon I drove to Conyers, GA and the Georgia International Horse Park, home of the 1996 Olympic mountain bike course. It’s the only Olympic course on US soil which is pretty exciting, but for those of us who live in the area we sometimes take it for granted. There used to be an annual 24 hour race on the course (24 Hours of Conyers) and for those who watched the documentary 24 Solo, it’s the course where Chris Eatough races for his 7th World Championship.

Shortly after the Olympics the course fell into disrepair and mudhunny tells me she couldn’t even follow the trail just a year later. Fortunately the local SORBA club picked up the ball and continues to maintain the trails today. Of course there have been a few changes since the 1996 games but you can still see the wooden TV camera platforms placed at strategic turns and the yellow course boundaries painted onto the granite. The photo below shows where the original course vanishes underneath the golf course sand trap and and green.

On Friday I decided to start on the “Steeplechase Loop” which begins in the field beside the main parking lot. I’ve ridden here dozens of times but for some reason I started going the wrong direction on the trail, ignoring the “Wrong Way” signs along the way. Oh well, I only ran into one other mountain biker and a trail runner and neither of them seemed to mind. This section of the course is wooded and generally pretty rolling with only the occasional root garden to make things challenging.

Riding back across the field and past the parking area, I crossed the divided parkway to access the “Granite Loop.” The street crossing is easily the most dangerous part of the ride – for some reason the sharp, steep curbs were never cut for a bike crossing (4 of them total) PLUS someone decided to plant bulging evergreen trees in the median that make it impossible to see oncoming traffic. Peeking around a tree I waited for the speeding cars to pass before sprinting for the other side of the road.

The second half of the course is completely different from the first and features long stretches of exposed, decomposing granite tread and quick lung-busting climbs (the photos never do it justice). I always forget how much of a beating my hardtail takes on the granite – it’s not like the slickrock at Moab at all. After ascending, then descending, and ascending and descending the granite again, the trail dips into the woods where I discovered some fresh trail re-routes full of tight twists and turns. The trail is really quite scenic here, though I doubt that thought went through the minds of the Olympians competing in 1996.

The final climb back up to the granite has always been a challenge for me – in fact I guess you could say it’s my arch nemesis (to borrow dgaddis’s term). The climb itself isn’t that remarkable – average length, moderately steep, and mostly smooth – but for some reason I’ve never been able to ride all the way to the top. I’m either too spent from the earlier climbs or I spin out on the roots at the top – and Friday wasn’t any exception. At the top of the hill my GPS said I had climbed more than 1,000 feet in just under 7 miles which puts the course difficulty into perspective (nearly 150 ft/mile). Not bad for a bike trail on the east side of Atlanta!

16 trails down; 13 more to go.

Add Site Url to Free Web Directory


Original article