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Mulberry Gap is hosting the 4th annual Singletracks Brutal Loop group ride March 31-April 1, and this year the event is going to be even bigger! In addition to the official Brutal Loop ride down Mountaintown Creek on Saturday, we’ll be adding a second day of riding on Sunday for those who can stay for the weekend.
Registration is not open yet, so for now, just keep that weekend open on your calendar. Reply to the thread here so we can notify you when registration is open.
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I’m next door in Carolina, if work allows I’ll make it.
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Registration is now open. There is a strict limit of 75 riders so sign up before it’s sold out!
http://www.mulberrygap.com/events-clinics/2017/4/29singletracks-brutal-loop
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Oskar Blues is on board as the official beer sponsor. Enjoy a cold one (or two) on the deck at Mulberry Gap after the rides each day.
There will also be some great swag for registered riders, including a custom leather can cooler, Oskar Blues stuff, and extra Brutal swag for those who ride both days.
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Hats for everyone who takes on Day 2 of the Brutal challenge. Ride up P2, P1, and Bear Creek, then down Windy Gap.
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Would love to ride with you guys (and the hat is tempting) but… timing won’t work for me as I am having arthroscopic knee surgery next week to repair a torn meniscus. Maybe next year 🙁
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Bummed to hear about your knee rmap01. Hope it doesn’t keep you down too long.
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The weather is looking pretty decent for this event. I do not believe that I have anyone that would be free to participate with me for this, but no big deal. Occasionally, I will just jump into stuff without knowing anyone just for the eff of it. Riding definitely to occur this weekend. Now, I have to decide if I’m in the mood for the Satyrday soiree or not. Is there anyway of seeing who/how many have signed up?
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Is there a guesstimate on how long each ride will take? I’m in Montgomery, AL for work but I’m looking at making the trip for the ride.
And will there be water sources available to refill water bottles? (Sources that don’t require filtering.)
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Plan for at least a 4 hour ride each day. There are several points where you can cut the ride short if necessary.
There will be a couple sag spots with jugs of water.
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I may see y’all up there and if so I will be sure to give y’all the finger.
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Headed this way in a few, see ya around 9 AM!
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Looking forward to seeing some photos of all the fun. Have a great time.
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Thanks to everyone that came out this weekend and rode their guts out! Hope to see you again next year! Since I had all that time waiting at the sag stations, I thought of a couple fun ideas for next year – if you have any suggestions, please feel free to message me!
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Great photos Leah!
That’s a wheelie good photo of you Brad. 🙂
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Looks like you all had a great time and had beautiful weather. Perfectly blue skies.
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For those who couldn’t make it this year, here’s my recap of the Brutal Weekend.
The day started out a little chilly Saturday with about 45-50 riders at the start. It was sunny all day–not a cloud in the sky–and everyone quickly shed arm and knee warmers on the climb up the gravel road. Most of the group was in for the Full Brutal (34 miles, 5,000 feet of climbing) while about a dozen opted for the Less Brutal, which is about 20 miles long and 3,500 feet of climbing.
Leah set up a sag at the Mountaintown Overlook and I rode ahead on the Mountaintown Creek trail to put up a couple signs and to tidy up the trail. Some major chainsaw work had been done to get the trail opened up recently, but there was still a lot of twiggy debris in the trail. The stream was flowing swiftly, and although the water was cold, the countless stream crossings on the way down felt refreshing. (To me anyway. Some people described it as numbing.)
The folks toward the back of the group were just taking their time and enjoying the beautiful weather. Back at Mulberry Gap everyone enjoyed sausages and beer in the barn and on the deck.
On Sunday, about 30 of us rode Brutal Too. The weather was a bit warmer and just as sunny. The climb up Pinhoti 2 went by quickly, while Pinhoti 1 was steeper than I realized going “backward.” The Bear Creek climb was nice, though it too was steeper at the top than I remembered. We mashed up to the intersection at Potato Patch where there were jugs of water and Clif products stashed behind a tree.
This was my first time descending down Windy Gap and it was a ripper. The top section is rocky and technical and has a few climbs mixed in which was tough after climbing thousands of feet just to get up there. For about a mile or two, the trail reminded me of Pisgah or even the Rockies as that side of the mountain is dry and arid compared to the other side.
After negotiating a few steep switchbacks littered with loose rock, we found the trail had recently been bulldozed, perhaps in an effort to improve drainage. While the trail was wide and a bit loose, it was STEEP with huge water bars, some 6-8 feet tall.
From the bottom of Windy Gap, the ride back was a bit of a grind, but it was nice being beside the rushing river and following it back up to Mulberry Gap. Everyone hung out for a bit, but most had to get back to real life since it was mid to late Sunday afternoon by the time most of us finished. My GPS said Brutal Too was 33 miles long with 5,600 feet of climbing (I think others clocked closer to 5,200 but hey, who’s counting). I had just over 4 hours of ride time, but total time on course was about 4:45 which was definitely my longest ride of the year.
Thanks to everyone who came out, we hope to see you next year! And thank you to our sponsors and partners: Mulberry Gap, North Georgia Mountain Bike Association, Clif, Maxxis, and Oskar Blues.
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