Our friends over at Blue Ridge Adventures are gearing up for their next two events: the Jerdon Mountain Challenge (JMC) and the Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell (ORAMM). They are held on consecutive days, July 30th and 31st. I doubled up and did both events last year, which made for a tough weekend! I’ll once again be making my way to NC late this month to take part.
ORAMM is in its 17th year and needs little introduction. It’s one of the largest endurance races in the Southeast. The course is a tough one: 62 miles and 10,500 feet of climbing. There’s quite a bit of road and gravel mixed in to help separate the giant field, but the singletrack you get to ride is stellar. Highlights are Kitsuma (which you ride twice) and Heartbreak Ridge.
The Jerdon Mountain Challenge is the perfect intro to endurance racing. At 26 miles and 3,600 feet of climbing it’s substantially shorter than ORAMM, but you still get some great trail on Star Gap and Kitsuma. If you’ve been eyeing ORAMM but aren’t quite ready to ride that long yet, the JMC is a great stepping stone.
Both races are almost sold out, so if you want to sign up, better do it soon!
Register for the Jerdon Mountain Challenge
Register for the Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell
If JMC and ORAMM don’t fit into your schedule, be sure to check out Blue Ridge Adventure’s other races: the Couch Potato and Swank 65 in November, and the Pisgah Stage Race in April 2017.
