If you happened to see my 2008 race report for the New Bethlehem Peanut Butter Festival MTB Race and want to join in, here are a few words of advice that should make your first time a little more enjoyable:

1. The Hills are Steep.

There are LOTS of climbs and descents, and 95% of them are steep. Some hills are virtually impossible to climb, especially if it’s wet. The descents are fast and usually followed by sharp turns, so make sure your brakes are tuned up!

2. Watch for Orange Spray Paint.

While I love the use of simple arrows to mark race courses, some races use what I call the “breadcrumb trail” method which adds a mental challenge / orienteering component to the race.

That’s the method used here, which consists of orange spray paint on the ground and orange ribbon hanging in the trees. You have to keep your eyes open and follow the orange “breadcrumbs” to stay on the correct trail.

3. Ride a Light, Fast Bike.

I raced this course on a hardtail and not once did I wish for full suspension, so I’d still go for the hard tail if given a choice. However, numerous podium finishers were riding lightweight full suspension bikes.

Just err on the side of light, fast, and efficient.

4. Be Ready for Bumps and Jumps.

While there are no real technical sections, no logs, and no rock gardens, the course is far from smooth. Many descents are rocky, while many are dirt/grass with lots of bumps and drainage ditches that turn into jumps if you’re not careful.

There are also some shale piles that I’m sure make great jumps for ATVs and motorcycles, yet are still fun at bicycle speeds.

5. The Start Will Be Bunched Up.

There is no monster climb to string out the field. You actually start going downhill on a paved road, and then do a short section of uphill before dropping off into the woods for a steep descent, stream crossing, and steep uphill.

It’s a total bottleneck with riders flying downhill then being greeted by a bunch of riders pushing their bikes up the next climb. Be careful.

6. It’s Worth It.

The climbs are long, but keep pushing hard, because the winners get free peanut butter!

After a long hiatus from mountain bike racing, I wanted to get one race under my belt this year in preparation for the 2009 season. I also wanted it to be a fun race, so I decided to enter the New Bethlehem Peanut Butter Festival Mountain Bike Race in New Bethlehem, PA (north of Pittsburgh.)

I never raced at this venue, but a lot of my buddies from the Shannock Valley MTB Race do this, so I had to do it sometime! And what a year to do it – pouring rain the days beforehand led to some serious mud!

We lined up on the wet streets in town, went downhill to build up some speed, and then hit a mild paved climb that dumped us off into the woods. After a short bend through the cemetery, we flew down the gnarliest descent of the course, through a stream crossing, and up a steep, sandy hill (which turned out to be a hike-a-bike, as seen below.)

*You can see riders walking up the hill, one guy at the stream crossing, and the guys in the distance are descending.

I was somewhere around seventh place on that hill, with the leaders in my sights. That didn’t last for long though – at the top of the hill, there was this crazy section almost like a maze between (and up and over) walls of shale, with sharp turns and steep drops leading back to steep uphills.

There were even some dirt/shale tabletops thrown in for good measure! If your tires weren’t sinking two inches into the soft, wet ground, slowing you to molasses-like speed, you could probably get some nice air off those!

I had a hard enough time trying to follow the course, I lost sight of the top racers shortly after. The next few miles were a blur of steep ups and downs, with more stream crossings and hike-a-bikes to add to the fun.

I was expecting this to be a lot like the Shannock Valley Race – well, it wasn’t even close! The climbs and descents were both much steeper, the mud was goopier, and the extra 5 miles of steep climbing really hurt! The only things missing were log hops and technical rock gardens.

But back to the race… long-time rival Shane Gouldthread was way out of sight, but there were a few guys within my reach – most notably Brad Kriley, who was trading places with me for virtually the entire race! (Brad destroyed me back in 2002, so it was an honor to be up there with him, if only due to my wider gear range!)

So we went over this long dirt climb and what do you know but we missed a turn, swung around the hill, and went down the wrong side of the hill! After going down and back up, thinking things over, and then backtracking, we probably lost 10 minutes, but got back into full swing…

After some more ups and downs, I finally got to the infamous lighted tunnel. While I was expecting something like a mild dirt road carved into the side of a mountain, it turned out to be a ride upstream through somewhat deep water littered with sharp, pointy rocks! I’m pretty sure there weren’t any lights either, so getting through that without a flat tire was a surprise!

Afterward, I came upon the worst part of the course – a steady railroad-grade climb composed of thick, deep mud. It was extremely slow, boring, and painful. And demoralizing. And never-ending.

Needless to say, I was excited when it did end. But that excitement vanished when I stared at the steep, wet, and grassy climb I was facing!

No more surprises though – the rest of the course was much like the previous 10 or 12 miles, with a few more relaxed, fun hills.

I passed Brad Kriley once again and thought I’d get a good gap on him because I was feeling stronger than I had earlier, but I overcooked the last serious downhill turn, lost momentum, and had to play catch-up.

I was doing good though, and was excited for one last little bit of twisty singletrack winding tightly through the trees. But my handling was terrible! I was wobbling everywhere, sure that I was either hallucinating or going to need a new front wheel… but it turned out it was just a flat front tire!

Looking up at the pavement then down at the flat in disbelief (there were so many drops and rocks in the previous 14 miles and I get a flat tire here, in a grassy field?,) I made the executive decision to run it in to the line!

The run was slippery, painful, and a very unspectacular way to add another 2:30 to my already slow time, but man was I glad when it was over!

Overall it turned out to be a great day; I only got lost once, only had one real wreck, and one flat tire.

And anywhere with Smucker’s peanut butter, I’m happy!

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Race website:
NewBethlehemArea.com

Results:
Overall results (every single racer)
Novice results (just the novice race)
Elite results (geared riders)
Singlespeed results (singlespeed riders)

Packing for a mountain bike race can be more nerve racking than the race itself! You have to make sure you have everything you need (or might need) for before, during, and after the race, all packed neatly in your car. Bike, clothes, tools, food, water, everything!

Back when I first switched to clipless pedals, I drove off without my shoes a few times! I’ve been pretty good since then though… thanks to always checking my “MTB Race Equipment Checklist” before leaving!

Since it has helped me so much, I’ve decided to include it here for you to use as well. I suggest printing it out and checking off the items as you load them into your car.

___ Bike

___ Water bottles (filled)

___ CamelBak or Seat bag
      – spare tube
      – tire levers
      – CO2 inflator
      – mini-tool

___ Helmet

___ Sunglasses

___ Jersey

___ Undershirt (optional)

___ Gloves

___ Shorts

___ Socks

___ Shoes with cleats

___ Energy gel

___ Change of clothes

___ Post-race food and water

___ First-aid kit

___ Bike lock (optional)

___ Camera (optional)

___ Towel

___ Baby wipes

___ Money

___ Registration form and/or license

___ Light (for evening/night races)

___ Floor pump (just in case)

Now just keep this checklist with you and use it every time you pack for a race. (Don’t forget the checklist though!)

Want to print out a nicely formatted PDF copy of this list? Just click here and download one for free. (Right click + “save as” to save it to your computer.)