Bear Creek Resort in PA was the site of the 2013 USA XC Mountan Bike National Championships. While I don’t compete for a National title in my race category, I still love to attend and compete at a National level. The amateur course at Bear Creek was a much longer course than the Pro course. Much of the Pro course shared some of the features of the amateur course. Like the rocks and the rock and the roots and the drop-offs and rocks. Yes, it was a very rock and very technical amateur race course. And, in my opinion, overly technical. I am a very good technical rider, but I am also a very cautious rider. I loved riding the trails, but for a race course, I do feel it was a bit over the top. Not everyone competing is a elite rider. With that said, I will again add that I loved riding the trails at Bear Creek. Will I go back for the 2014 USA XC Mountan Bike National Championships? Yes, I will!

USA Cycling XC Mountain Bike National Championships

I raced on Thursday morning (July 18). And after Wednesday’s pre-ride in a humid 100 degrees, Thursday’s race at 85 degrees was welcome. One 7 mile lap would definitely beat the heat…but barely. Shortly after the finish of my race, we were back to nearly 100 degree and humid. I had a poor start. I didn’t want to go out too fast and blow up on the first climb entering the woods. Most everyone else did go out fast. So, entering the woods, I was pretty far back. I rode steady and I rode strong. I dismounted at a couple of ridiculous short sections, but actually did ride the majority of the course. Over the last mile or so, I ended up passing quite a few riders. However, I had no idea if any of them were from my race.

I ended up in 10th place with a time of 1:03:23, 12 minutes better than my pre-ride. I would have liked a better result, but I’ll take a top 10 with some pretty fast guys from all over the country. And as always, a huge thanks to Hammer Nutrition, Duro Tire, Rudy Project and TriFlow Lubes.

Full results for the 2013 USA XC Mountan Bike National Championships can be seen here–>>RESULTS