Beginners looking to race

[pdm362]

Hello everyone... I am fairly new to moutain biking and I really enjoy it. I ride Hartshorne about 4 times a week and I am slowly but gradually becoming a better rider. I am hoping to maybe start a team of beginners like myself and maybe do some racing towards the end of this season but definitely next season. If anyone is interested please reply to this thread or PM me. I do not discriminate on age, sex, or race... The only thing I do discriminate against is people who act like jerks. I am really hoping that the people who reply to this are beginners because I do not want to slow people down who have been riding technical trails for years. Have fun, ride hard, don't like a jerk.

[Tcollins108]

Check out the informal race at Camden County College. Beginners welcome!!

[pdm362]

Check out the informal race at Camden County College. Beginners welcome!!

Thanks for the info. Although I am not looking for races I am looking to START A TEAM... Anyone interested in joining a team in order to do races, especially 24 hr races. Please contact me

[corbett123]

im very interested in mountain biking ive been riding trails for awhile but i want to start competing. just let me know what ever.

Hello everyone... I am fairly new to moutain biking and I really enjoy it. I ride Hartshorne about 4 times a week and I am slowly but gradually becoming a better rider. I am hoping to maybe start a team of beginners like myself and maybe do some racing towards the end of this season but definitely next season. If anyone is interested please reply to this thread or PM me. I do not discriminate on age, sex, or race... The only thing I do discriminate against is people who act like jerks. I am really hoping that the people who reply to this are beginners because I do not want to slow people down who have been riding technical trails for years. Have fun, ride hard, don't like a jerk.

[ziggurat22]

The Woods Hollow Classic at Tatum Park, in Middletown is a great race for beginners. They have a beginner race which is 7.5 miles and an expert race which is about 11 miles. The field is pretty wide open, especially in the beginner category, where there are few ringers who should be riding expert, but for the most part, it's beginners and/or the occasional racer who fill out the class. The course isn't that tough, mostly fields with some singletrack through the wooded areas of the park. The race can easily be run on a fully rigid and/or singlespeed and I've even seen some guys race it on cyclocross bikes.

Here are the details (from the website, and a link to the application):

Woods Hollow Classic Mountain Bike Race
Saturday, August 4 at 8am & 9:30am
Tatum Park, Middletown
Try this exciting race for beginners (7.5 miles) or more experienced riders (11.25 miles), challenge the open fields and woodlands of Tatum Park. (fee)

http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/p...llow_app07.pdf

[spencer the kalmyk]

Expert=11 miles????

[pdm362]

I was going to do that race but now it looks like I won't be able. That friday will be my 21st birthday party and I probably won't be going to bed until 10 am Saturday. Good luck to you guys if you are doing it

[mmuller]

Was going to do it last year but got injured a week before. I did hobble around the course after race was done and seemed most of the loop was through the fields with only a small portion of single track. Rode yesterday and there is a bunch more in the woods. Anyone know if the course will be basically the same as last year? if so, I may do it on the cross bike. Yes, 11 miles is small and there is nothing particularly technical about Tatum. I'm guessing it will be fast paced, which will be the hardest part. First race for me but I ride a lot and will probably do sport. Just looking to finish without crashing.

[ziggurat22]

Was going to do it last year but got injured a week before. I did hobble around the course after race was done and seemed most of the loop was through the fields with only a small portion of single track. Rode yesterday and there is a bunch more in the woods. Anyone know if the course will be basically the same as last year? if so, I may do it on the cross bike. First race for me but I ride a lot so will probably do sport. Yes, 11 miles is small and there is nothing particularly technical about Tatum.

Not really sure as I haven't been able to do the race for the last few years, but the course was pretty consistent in the previous years I was racing it.

To answer the other poster about the length of the race: Yeah, it's 11.25 miles for expert, and it is small, but there are some pretty fast guys who do the race and the competition level is pretty good at the expert level for a small, non-sanctioned local race that's pretty much put on for fun. Even the shorter beginner race is pretty fast at the top end, as most of those guys in the top 5-10 should be racing expert.

[Matt Tamasco]

So long as you don't mind a 35yr old geezer with only 1 yr experience slowing you down - I'm game ... matthewtamasco@yahoo.com

[thejobman]

sorry to restart a dead thread, but do winners get cash prizes at these smaller races?

[pdm362]

sorry to restart a dead thread, but do winners get cash prizes at these smaller races?

No. You start getting cash at the Expert level. You do get a medal and some cool bike stuff. I didn't do any racing last year but this year I am going to race the Camp Mor H2H as a beginner. Finished the first race yesterday and came in third

Paul

[THATmanMANNY]

No. You start getting cash at the Expert level. You do get a medal and some cool bike stuff. I didn't do any racing last year but this year I am going to race the Camp Mor H2H as a beginner. Finished the first race yesterday and came in third

Paul

Did you race at Wawayanda? Where are you from?

[pdm362]

Did you race at Wawayanda? Where are you from?

I did race Wawayanda and I am from Jersey City but I work in Eatontown. So that being the case I ride at Hartshorne a lot during the week and then ride somewhere up North on the weekend

[THATmanMANNY]

Oh man. Wawayanda was suppose to be my first race but I thought it wouldn't be a good first one with all that rain. I would have given your 3rd place a challenge haha. What do you ride? Maybe I'll see you out there at those beginner races. I'm from the princeton area. If you were closer I would like to have a racing buddy. No luck there though.

[pdm362]

Oh man. Wawayanda was suppose to be my first race but I thought it wouldn't be a good first one with all that rain. I would have given your 3rd place a challenge haha. What do you ride? Maybe I'll see you out there at those beginner races. I'm from the princeton area. If you were closer I would like to have a racing buddy. No luck there though.

The rain was not a factor for the beginner race, from what other people told me it was mostly the experts, semi-pro, and pro racers that had trail issues. I ride mostly in Hartshorne and Allaire during the week if you are ever available. I ride a Cannondale Rush with XT stuff. I will be at the Lewis Morris Race next look for the guy in the Drexel University kit. I have some military obligations on the weekend of May 17-18.

Paul