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The following is a brief 2022 description from the Fool’s Gold MTB Race Event promoter:
The course begins at Montaluce Winery and will have a neutral rollout for approximately 3 miles on pavement, then transition to gravel roads. The 60 mile course begins with a stout 3 mile gravel road climb. Then our route heads north off the ridgeline onto some of our favorite secret backcountry trails, then across to FS 69, and finally back up to Hightower Gap and the usual route. A bit more climbing to Winding Stair Gap followed by a fast gravel descent takes riders onto the singletrack of the Turner Creek Trail. The 38 mile course heads directly to the Jones Creek Ridge Singletrack Trail along gravel roads, giving riders the opportunity to space out.
The 38 mile course essentially just cuts off the first section of gravel road climbing and ridge riding, and heads directly to the singletrack loop.
Much of the singletrack is newly re-constructed and flowy, with an assortment of fast gradual climbs to short grunts. There is another 3 mile climb up Bull Mountain, and the descent on the Bull Mountain Trail is one of the best in the Southeast. This course has a good mix of all trail types and does not cater to any one particular style of rider, though fitness is rewarded due to the abundance of climbing. In terms of technical difficulty, the majority of the course is intermediate, with a few short, advanced sections throughout the course.
Please see the Fool’s Gold MTB Race Event website for more, and for links to other events hosted by the Event Promoter.
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