This race all started with a vision for a really fun and different race that would feature the awesome trails we are so lucky to have at Pocahontas State Park. I wanted it to be a mountain biking event unlike any other in the region. I’ve been the spectator at enduro races in VA and WV and thought the format was interesting and fun. Typically, an enduro race is held in the mountains on downhill trail. While the Richmond area doesn’t have mountains- we do have rad trails with some neat downhill sections (all built by Clark Jones and many, many volunteers)- and I wanted to showcase those.

The Pocahontas trails, specifically the Swift Creek section, have exploded in popularity in the last few years. A bigger and better parking lot has been desperately needed and fundraising had been ongoing in order to develop the funds needed to make a new parking lot a reality. I thought this style of race would be popular, so I decided it could be used to serve another purpose of helping to raise these funds for better trail access with a new parking lot.

In the 2 years that the race has been held, it has raised approximately $15,000 for the park!…and I think that’s saying a lot considering that the 2020 race occurred during the COVID pandemic and in conjunction with historic flooding that severely damaged the trails- shutting them down for several months.

Unfortunately, I was not able to continue as director for the race this year but I’m thrilled that others have stepped up to keep it going. From year one to year two, we saw major improvements to the race as we went from handheld timing to chip timing.

This year, with the help of so many dedicated volunteers, I expect it will continue to grow and improve. I anticipate it will become one of the best annual events at Pocahontas and, dare I say, the most fun mountain biking event in Virginia!