Rowdy Dawg MTB Race – First Mountain Bike Race & A Wild Detour!
Some races go exactly as planned. Others? Not so much—but they still make for an unforgettable ride.
This was my first official mountain bike race, and I opted for the Beginner 5.5-mile course, since I was still getting familiar with the trails. Little did I know, this race would turn into its own kind of adventure!
🔥 Rowdy Dawg MTB Race – The Event & Course Setup
📌 Race Date: October 27, 2019 📌 Location: Upper Pandapas Parking Lot, Blacksburg, VA – Poverty Creek Trail System 📌 Course Selection: Beginner (5.5 miles) 📌 Trails Covered: Queen Anne, May Apple, Poverty Creek
This race is part of a huge MTB & trail running weekend, including the Enduro Super D & Brush Mountain Breakdown Trail Run—which I also ran beforehand!
🔥 Double race weekend, double the challenge!
🚀 The Ride – Unexpected Twists & Trail Navigation
✅ Storms leading up to race day left course markers messy ✅ Between this & the earlier trail run, signs were hard to follow ✅ Accidentally took a wrong turn… and completely rode the wrong route 😅
💡 What started as a straightforward ride turned into an improvised adventure!
To make things even wilder, a kid happened to follow me—meaning both of us ended up on the wrong course. While I wasn’t too bothered by the accidental detour, he was definitely frustrated by the DNF (Sorry, kid!).
Since I rode off course, my final mileage ended up a little shorter than planned, but I still got a solid ride in!
🏁 Race Results – Finishing Strong (Despite the Detour!)
📌 Total Distance: Less than 5.5 miles 📌 Total Time: 36 minutes
🔥 Not the course I expected, but still a solid first MTB race experience!
🚀 Reflections – Lessons & Looking Ahead
✅ Trail navigation matters—especially after storms & multi-event weekends ✅ Always double-check course markers & turns before pushing forward ✅ Despite the mix-up, I got solid experience on the trails
💡 Next time, I’ll aim for better navigation—maybe even the Sport XC distance!
🔥 Looking Ahead – MTB Racing Goals & More Trail Riding
✅ Refining my skills for tighter turns, climbs & fast descents ✅ Making sure future rides stay ON COURSE 🤣 ✅ Possibly taking on the Sport XC 13-mile race next time!
🚀 One wild race down—many more to come!
