It was at least a mile long, and was a fun (fast) swoopy jeep-road through the forest. I hit 30mph carving it up, definitely smile-ville.
Then, after some killer meadow crossings we began the hurt. The climbs were tough, but the views were incredible. Here's one from the first few miles:
I'm planning on doing this again in MAY '08 when the VC Trust opens their gate to MTB'rs again. Lotta training to do so there are no "push" moments where we wimped and chose Hike-a-bike as the climbing method due to the strain. 29.4 miles total, ascended and descended roughly 2500', and endured sleet/rain/mud/creek-crossings/and a good dose of misery with the threat of lightning strikes while getting so soaked it made trail negotiating difficult. Great for the memories though, and a nice gash that'll be my take-away as a scar to remember it by. ~E
