"Ride the Raccoon" Southeast Munifest, May 19-20, 2012

[Nurse Ben]

This is a new event to celebrate the incredible riding opprtunities in the Southeastern United States.

Planning for the event is still in the early stages, but a website is now available for event details:

https://sites.google.com/site/southeastmuni/home

Ride the Raccoon Muni Fest, May 19-20, 2012.

Festival to be held on the 20 mile + trail system at Raccoon Mountain. This unique venue was built by volunteers from the Chattanooga chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), in conjunction with the the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Outdoor Chattanooga and the National Park Service Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) office.

Tentative schedule of events:
•Downhill/Freeride Challenge (Megawatt)
•Trials Competition (Chunky)
•XC Trail Ride (Laurel Point)
•Time Trial Road Ride (Resevoir Loop Road)

Event Format:
•No fee for attendance
•All riders are expected to be self supported
•Insurance coverage TBD, participation may require USA membership.
•Food and snacks will be potluck style, no alcohol or illegal substances please, as this is a Federal facility and consequences for possession are quite serious.
•White elephant gift exchange: So much fun!

Raccoon Mountain is conveniently located just fifteen minutes West of Chattanooga. The city of Chattanooga offers a multitude of lodging options and is a great place to shop or enjoy a good meal. For the more adventurous and thrifty, camping is available less then ten miles from the event area at Raccoon Mountain Campground.

Look for updates as things come together!

[jrapp]

Nurse Ben-

Many thanks for organizing this event! Although I'm not yet skilled in muni, I'll bring my 36er for the Reservoir Ride. I'd also like to watch some muni to see what it's all about. My wife and I like the restaurants and brew pubs in Chattanooga, but we'll bring pot luck too. Any more details on the white elephant? My wife really enjoys those.

Best regards,
Jeff

[Nurse Ben]

White elephant gift exchange: bring something silly, uni related, regifting is okay, nothing too spendy, nothing to risque, nothing illegal, etc, etc...

This event is an everyone plays sorta deal, so bring the kids, grandparents, neighbors, anyone with even the slightest interest in unicycling. If they can't uni, we'll teach them to uni!

Josh from Unicycle.Com is planning to attend, I bet he'll bring some unis for demos, I'll have some uni demos, and if all the riders being an extra uni we'll have an army of unis!! Don't forget the giraffes, minibikes, and other odds and ends that make unicycling so dang wierd :D

I'm working on permitting and insurance, cross your fingers for free coverage, otherwise all riders will need to join the USA ($20 per person) to participate in the event. But hey, that's a small price to pay for an otherwise free event, yeah!

I'm heading down there tomorrow to ride Small Intestine, assuming the freeze thaw warnings are over, otherwise it's riding Enterprise. Seriously, Chattanooga has some of the best riding on the East Coast!

[MuniSano]

Nice! Am penciling it in on my calendar. Would really like to come but will have to see where I am with my race training and if I'm still even riding MUni by then. My transition back to riding after my heel stress fracture has been a slow one so I'm not confident I'll even be able to or want to ride the rough stuff anymore. Sad but true. My running is much more important to me than MUni; not willing to risk major injury like that again. But we'll see, bought some beefier riding shoes that should offer more protection. I can at least come up and do some of the road rides...

[Nurse Ben]

Munisano, for sure, come for the road riding, even the connecting trails are not much more than beginner MTB trails so pretty safe.

I'm working on the flier this weekend for UDC to send out in packaging, then I'll start promoting it to bike shops and outdoor clubs.

I don't imagine it'll be some huge gathering, but a dozen to two dozen riders would be a nice start.

What shoes did you buy?

[MadFurai]

I'd love to do this, but not sure I can swing it. The drive is over 9 hours for me. Virginia just doesn't seem to have many UNI riders. I haven't met a single rider in my area, so I'd really like to do an event like this and actually meet another rider (for the first time)! I might have to wait for the NC event, which is much closer in proximity.

[munimag]

What part of Virginia do you live in? I am in Germantown, MD which is not too far from the Northern Virginia DC suburbs.

[knoxuni]

just asked for time off :D riding the motorcycle up with both unis :cool:

[MadFurai]

What part of Virginia do you live in? I am in Germantown, MD which is not too far from the Northern Virginia DC suburbs.

about 2.5 hours South of you in the Richmond area...

[MuniSano]

Munisano, for sure, come for the road riding, even the connecting trails are not much more than beginner MTB trails so pretty safe.

I'm working on the flier this weekend for UDC to send out in packaging, then I'll start promoting it to bike shops and outdoor clubs.

I don't imagine it'll be some huge gathering, but a dozen to two dozen riders would be a nice start.

What shoes did you buy?

The timing is right so I'll probably be able to make it; thinking of getting out and running some this and other trail systems while I'm in Chattanooga; wonderful place to run in the woods!

We'll see how my heel is doing by then. Right now it's tough to ride much as all the local trails are muddy messes and our system doesn't drain very well; too much clay and limestone. So probably not a whole lot of riding until Spring anyways. But I'll break out the old 36er soon and put the road slick back on the GUni and at least get back out there for some cross-training.

BTW, I took a number of folk's advice and bought a pair of Five-Ten Skarvers. Haven't tried them out other than just walking around in. They seem much beefier and protective than any other riding shoe I've ever worn so there is hope still!

All the best!

Rob

[MadFurai]

BTW, I took a number of folk's advice and bought a pair of Five-Ten Skarvers. Haven't tried them out other than just walking around in. They seem much beefier and protective than any other riding shoe I've ever worn so there is hope still!


Pricey... :D
I'm sure they are great, although I've never tried them. I love my Etnies (Wraith Skate shoe) at less than half the price, though. Different strokes for different folks... ;)

[MuniSano]

Pricey... :D
I'm sure they are great, although I've never tried them. I love my Etnies (Wraith Skate shoe) at less than half the price, though. Different strokes for different folks... ;)

Yeah well I had a shoe of that level, SixSixOne BMX shoes and I didn't feel like it provided near enough protection for the type of battering I was putting myself through. Still sustained a stress fracture to my heel out in Moab. When you've run nearly 50,000 miles over 20 years (a lot of which on very gnarly terrain) and been involved in impact action sports (skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, BMX, Mountain biking and now MUni) for nearly your entire life you body gets wrecked like mine so you don't waste time on what's "cheap." Besides I got a deal on the Skarvers so didn't pay near retail, more like half. So why not?

But like you say, we all have different backgrounds and necessities. To each their own. :)

[MadFurai]

Yeah well I had a shoe of that level, SixSixOne BMX shoes and I didn't feel like it provided near enough protection for the type of battering I was putting myself through. Still sustained a stress fracture to my heel out in Moab. When you've run nearly 50,000 miles over 20 years (a lot of which on very gnarly terrain) and been involved in impact action sports (skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, BMX, Mountain biking and now MUni) for nearly your entire life you body gets wrecked like mine so you don't waste time on what's "cheap." Besides I got a deal on the Skarvers so didn't pay near retail, more like half. So why not?

But like you say, we all have different backgrounds and necessities. To each their own. :)

Yeah, I've done the same impact sports and a few others for the last 25 years, too. Until a few years ago, I raced Motocross, and paid a lot of money for SIDI boots to protect myself. However, "so far" my Muni experience has been much tamer than Moab. I can see why you would want a shoe like that for extremely rocky terrain. But, I also don't consider Etnies cheap. They are durable, well-made quality shoes, just built for a different purpose than what you need. I've been doing more beginner flatland/street than Muni lately, and I'd say Etnies are close to perfect for that and the light Muni trails I ride.

[MuniSano]

Agreed. It all depends on what you ride. When I do ride (did ride) MUni I was really into fairly long distance on pretty difficult terrain. So I come off the MUni A LOT! So I need a very buff shoe. I agree that Etnies are adequate for the type of riding you do, heck I've similar that I use for my road riding. But since I could get a buff shoe at a good price, why not? I'm not as concerned as much about how durable or well made (it is important) but I'm looking for something that can take a lot of impact. So I think the thicker soles and sidewalls of the Five-Ten Skarvers should suit me fine for the type of riding I do (and hope to return to!).

[aarons]

I asked about this at the uni club in Dallas. There are several people interested. I might be able to get a group together to drive out there. We'll see what everyone's schedule is like when it's closer to May.

[Nurse Ben]

The more the merrier!

So how does the webt site work for everyone?

I have not pit a bunch of time into it, in fact I have not touched it since I made it last weekend :p

Has anyone tried to contact me through the website?

[munimag]

The website is nice - good information. I can't commit since it is a 10 hour drive for me, but I am going to try to make it.

[knoxuni]

Ok so I am comeing going to try to bring a 36er and my MUni and trials and some people :P
do you need any help with anything ben?

[Municrazy15]

really confused i have heard a lot of good info concerning this event but where is it located(state). i dont travel much so this is getting me pretty excited cosidering its in the south east, and i am kinda new to the sport just looking to get involved:D does anyone know about the southeast munifest?

[Nurse Ben]

The more the merrier for sure! This is a great venue, worth the drive if you can manage it, maybe carpool with another forum member? Better yet, meet people along the way and get in some rides as you go, make it a real riding vacation!

As we get closer I'll start putting the activities together and asking for volunteers. Here the basics and where we stand for the "events":

Trials: I don't do trials, so that is one area that a volunteer(s) could really work up. Lower and Upper Chunky have a lot of rock outcroppings, but it's a "natural" area, so it'll take some scouting to put together anything more than a "follow the leader" sort of format. There is a lot of stuff out there, drops, boulders, enough to keep you busy.

Road ride: This one is bit simpler because all you need is a start/finish line and someone keeping track of time, but we'll need to come up with a format, maybe a time trial one day and a multi lap ride/tour the next. I rode with Robert today, he is a big time road rider and he is planning to attend, so maybe I can tap him to organize the road ride. The road loop around the resevoir is ~7 miles of mostly flat riding, very smooth asphalt, and halpf of the route is one way traffic only.

Downhill challenge: this can be done as a timed ride or we can do it as a group ride. Megawatt trail starts at the control center, so we need to shuttle folks to the start, but you end at Laurel Point so that will be an easy one to arrange. It's really not to hairy, some steeps, big rocks, some drops that can be ridden or walked, best part is that it's a downhill all the way.

XC freeride: There are a ton of choices here, so we can ride a diffent trail each day, out and back or point to point. The trails are not that hard, so something like Small Intestine can be done by beginner and experienced muni riders, slower riders can walk across loops and shortcut, so we could all finish together

Instruction and new to muni: this can be managed at Laurel Point on the easy trails and asphalt, there is a ton of space for this kind of riding and we should have a bunch of demo unis and anyone can pitch in to help teach.

I'm heading down there tomorrow to ride, so I'll do some more scouting and see if I can get some pictures together to show the quality of trails.

[knoxuni]

I am super PUMPED

[Nurse Ben]

I just did some updating on the website, still can't make some functions cooperate, so if you need to contact me, send me an email:

southeastmuni@gmail.com

I'm still looking for folks to help organize the road events and the trials...

Also, keep in mind that you must have proof of USA membership in order to participate in the events. This is the only way that I could get event insurance without spending a whole lot of money.

USA is not speedy about sending you a confirmation once you've sent in your application, so don't wait, DO IT TODAY!

Count down, less than two months, don't wait, make the plans, get involved, attend this event and I guarantee you'll get your money's worth :D

Also, has anyone gotten the UDC fliers for event? Do they make sense?

If you are thinking about attending the event, please send me an email so I can start getting a head count.

Thanks!

[Galthrojh]

What membership?

[Nurse Ben]

Also, keep in mind that you must have proof of USA membership in order to participate in the events. This is the only way that I could get event insurance without spending a whole lot of money.


http://uniusa.org/membership/

$25 a person, annual fee, supports events, some cool member benefits.

This is the only way I can cover myself and you during this event, cheap insurance, no other costs to you, but you gotta have it to play.

[Nurse Ben]

I went to the campground and reserved three group campsites, each will accomodate four people (or so), sites are $20/night, reservation is from Noon on Friday May 18th to Noon Sunday, May 20th.

These are primo sites: #78, 80, 82, located in the back corner, lots of riding space and a big fire pit, away from the RV's.

I am planning to use site #80 for me and mine, the other two sites I have to be canceled 48hrs in advance or I'll get charged, so I'll need some commitments on camping.

If want a site for your own group, choose sites 84 or 86, these are adjacent to the sites I reserved and are nice and flat. Site 76 is kinda sloped and is not very deep.

I scouted out Megawatt for the DH/XC challenge as well as Upper Chunky for the natural trials, so look for some pictures on the website and on this thread.

This is a rain or shine event, so plan to ride!

I need a head count, so please send me an email or PM with the following:
Your name
Where you are coming from
How long you plan to stay,
Lodging plans
The type of riding you plan to do
Skill level/experience
Interest in helping with set up, teaching, guiding
Questions???

[Nurse Ben]

Here are some teaser pics from yesterday's ride at Raccoon Mountain:

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/P1030785.jpg

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/P1030787.jpg


http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/P1030771.jpg

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/P1030781.jpg

Lastly, your host, me :D

[davidp]

Hey Ben, I received one of your flyers for this event with my recent order from UDC. Hope you get a great turnout; wish I wasn't so far away.

[Nurse Ben]

Hey Ben, I received one of your flyers for this event with my recent order from UDC. Hope you get a great turnout; wish I wasn't so far away.

It's not that far, one day each way, just make it a big road trip :)

I'm thinking of heading your way this summer, hitting trails in VA, PA, WV, etc...

[Nurse Ben]

Preliminary Head Count:

Me, Karen (wife), Alex (son), his buddy
Wes (Knoxuni) and his buddy
Josh (UDC)
A family group fro Memphis, nine total, four unicyclists
A father, son, buddy from Alabama, three unicyclists
Another family group of four from West TN, up to four riders

I know some more folks are planning to come from Alabama and Georgia, but no final commitments YET, but it looks like a good turnout, 20 plus riders.

The three campsites I reserved are filling up, so if you are more than a couple people, you should call the campground a reserve a site. I have already reserved sites 78, 80, 82.

The area where we are camping has two remaining small sites: 76 and 92, and four remaining large sites: 84, 86, 88, 90. There is plenty of room for overflow camping and parking, so don't worry if the sites are booked when you call, we will find room for one and all :D

Anyone who is on the fence, you should jump on down, commit to the drive, it'll be well worth it.

Don't be the one that says: .."if only I'd gone to the Southeast Muni Gathering..."

Send me a PM if you have questions or you want my phone number to talk

[MuniSano]

You guys have fun. I'm just not feeling the itch to get back into doing any serious riding for a while. I'm a bit gun shy since my stress fracture I sustained in Moab last summer, easing back into my riding. I'm also on the hook for a very long ultramarathon run next month that I'm training for (Ultrabalaton 212km in Hungary) so all I have time for is running! :) But after that I'm really going to focus on getting back into riding; hopefully I'll be game for some sort of multi-day epic this Fall? If nothing else I'd like to go visit and ride some trail systems I've never ridden.

All the best!

Rob

[BrickMan]

This would be a good learning opportunity for me. I cant do any distance though and its my weekend to work. Ben, I sent you a message.

[Nurse Ben]

I cant do any distance though

Don't worry about riding distance, there are trails galore, easy, hard, whatever you want. Raccoon Mountain is an idea location because there is so much variety and the access is so easy.

Just over a week till Munifest, so exciting!!

[munimag]

Is anyone planning to bring their 36er and participate in the road ride at Raccoon Mountain this weekend. I am debating whether to bring mine along.

[munimag]

If anyone is in need of a new 24 inch tire, I will be bringing two 24 x 3.0 Intense tires with me for sale. One has never been used ($25). The other one was used for one 10 mile BMX race ($20).

[Nurse Ben]

If anyone is in need of a new 24 inch tire, I will be bringing two 24 x 3.0 Intense tires with me for sale. One has never been used ($25). The other one was used for one 10 mile BMX race ($20).

Speaking of which, if anyone has gear or unis they'd lke to sell, be sure and bring them, labeled and with a price tag, we'll have an impomptu gear sale table.

I'll have some 26" and 29" muni tires :)

[Nurse Ben]

We got coverage in the local news:

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2012/may/17/muni-cycling-gaining-momentum/

Too bad it's not me :p

I will be out of internet contact after noon on Friday, so if you need my cell #, send me a pm or email through the website, and I'll respond back.

If anyone needs more info or has questions about the event, send me a message.

We have a couple groups coming Memphis, one from Alabama, a few from Tennessee, no one so far from NC (I think they're shunning us), looks like awesome weather, hopefully that'll bring out the "maybe attenders".

Josh from UDC is coming with all his toys, a learning bar, maybe he'll bring some prototypes ;)

The events start at 9am Sat and Sun, meeting at Laurel Point on Raccoon Mountain, google for directions, there are two ways to come in, if you get lost, ask directions, everyone knows Raccoon Mountain.

There are no stores nearby, so bring your cooler ful of food and drink, we'll all picnic together.

I'll be at the campground Friday night, driving a red Honda Element with racks and a UNI sticker (of course).

See ya there!

[MadFurai]

Don't worry Ben, the media never seem to give credit where credit is due... At least it's a decent article, though.

[MuniSano]

Be advised that the Scenic City Trail Marathon (http://www.rockcreek.com/trailmarathon.rco;jsessionid=7A92B959A8D445276FD81F96125E2CCC.worker3htt p://) is tomorrow, May 19th that uses the full Raccoon Mtn. trail system. 100s of runners and lots of car traffic. Sorry I didn't realize these two weekends overlapped! Be careful out there!

[Nurse Ben]

Well, it looks like We a not alone in wanting to utilize the resources at Raccoon Mountain. I must have missed this event when I was checking for other uses cuz there are going to be a whole bunch of trail runners out there at the same time as us.

After checking out the trail event plans, it does not look feasible to try and park at the Laurel Point area as there will be hundreds of cars trying to park close to the start/finish.

So, we are now meeting at the Switchyard parking lot, which is located aprox one mile from the interstection of the reservoir ring road and the access road. The Switchyard is very easy to find as there is a large power substation located next to the parking area. The Switchyard does not have bathrooms or water, but there is some shade and a nice grassy area for picnicing.

From the Switchyard we will have easy access to Small Intestine, Grindstone Ridge, Upper and Lower Chunky, as well as some easy single track. There is plenty space in the parking area and paved access road for new riders to practice.

If you have any questions, call me at eight, six, five, four, eight, three, eight, seven, three, five.

Sorry for the last minute changes, fortunately all those folks will be gone by late afternoon, so we'll have the trails to ourselves on Sunday.

[Nurse Ben]

We did it! What an event, the weather was good, the turn out was great , and the riding was awesome!

Thanks so much to everyone who made it to "Ride the Raccoon", we had riders from as far away as Memphis, Alabama, and Maryland. I didn't do a "head count", but we had ~twenty five people attend, fifteen or so trail riders, there were also some kids who rode in camp and are "building skills" for next year :D

Friday night we had a big rain event, so those of us who were at the campground just hunkered down. Claude was the only one who went out riding; he was on the mountain during the rain; woops.

Saturday morning we had a slow start, in part because folks got in late the night before, and well, why rush things if you don't have to...we also found out that we were sharing the trails with six hundred runner :eek: Fortunately they didn't use any of the major trails we were riding, so we hardly saw them, and by early afternoon they were long gone.

We met at the Switchyard trailhead, ate donuts and played around until everyone arrived, then got riding around 10:30a on a trail called the Small Intestive, a circuitous trail that winds back on itself for ~3.5 miles, We had some a photo ops where the young guns strutted their stuff by hucking a rock ledge. It was warm and the humidy was high, but we all finished together and there were no "major" injuries.

After finishing the morning ride we had a relaxing lunch in the shade, then it was off for round two. The afternoon ride was a little more technical, we rode the Switchyard Connector trail to Upper Chunky for some "trail trials" on the big rock out croppings that give Chunky it's name. On the way there we some fun on an elevated log. From Upper Chunky we headed over to Lower Chunky for some DH and more rock play, the looped back to the Switchyard..

It was threatening rain, so we packed up quick and headed back to the campground. After showers and snacking, we had an informal potlock and ate marshmellows and smores.

Folks were looking a little sleepy Sunday morning, but we did get an earlier start, meeting at Laurel Point for our final ride. We had a dozen riders start on Laurel Point Trail. Laurel Point provided us with some exciting stuff, an eclectic mix of rock jumbles and roots, fast packed trail in places, a few rock ledges, then finishing with flowing single track on a pine needle carpet down Electric Avenue Trail.

Two days, three rides, some new friends, plenty to eat, and good weather, what more could you ask for?!

Here's a link to my public Photo Bucket, feel free to copy pictures and repost at will:
http://s214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/?start=all

And a couple teasers:
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/P1030856.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/P1030861.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/P1030867.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/P1030874.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/P1030876.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/P1030892.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/P1030898.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc244/nurseben/Southeast%20MuniGathering%202012%20-%20Ride%20the%20Raccoon/P1030902.jpg

Don't miss the Southeast MuniGathering 2013: Ride the Ridge!

[Nurse Ben]

I wanted add a big THANKS to Josh (Unicycle.Com) for coming to the MuniGathering and bringing lots of toys and schwagg!

Josh is a great guy and was so much fun to have as a riding partner.

And a big THANKS to Josh's wife and son for giving him a "kitchen pass" for the weekend :D

Events coming up:

Ashville MUni Round-Up, Sept 29-30: http://ashevillemountainunicycle.wordpress.com/
California Muni Weekend, Oct 5-8: http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92759

Support local events!

[munimag]

Thanks Ben for organizing this event! I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed meeting and riding with everyone. The trails were awesome. It was well worth the drive.

[Hugh]

I want to echo the thanks to Ben for pulling this event together. I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the trails, though I see I need to build more endurance.

Below are links to the three rides we took as recorded by my Garmin Forerunner:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/181129219

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/181129204

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/181129185#

Note that I took one short cut on the first ride and a large short cut on the last ride. Most riders rode more than the above routes indicate.