2002 World Tour: Massanutten Hoo Ha

By Karl Rosengarth

Time to bust out the chapstick, coz I got a whole lotta butt kissing to do. Oh yeah, big, wet, sloppy ones go out to all the folks that helped make the Massanutten Hoo Ha a top-notch mountain bike event. Good times don't grow on trees—not without a bunch of hard-working gardeners. Know what I'm sayin?

The Hoo Ha has been going on since 1989, and, from what I experienced, it's alive and well in 2002. Therefore, my fist pucker-up goes to Kenny Hess and George Willetts, the gentlemen from Massanutten Resort who served up a fine weekend of mountain bike racing on resort property.

Saturday's Downhill and Dual Slalom events drew a gunnysack full of competitors. Over 120 DH racers were treated to a world-class course originally built for the 1997 UCI Worlds. From my vantage point near the finish line, I noted a lot of folks flashing big smiles—kids cheering on parents, parents cheering on kids, overgrown kids of all ages and even the handful of hearty souls who tackled the course in the hardtail class.

Then there was slalom... The Massanutten crew, with help from Team OC Racing, built a DS course of world-class proportions. Big air, table tops, doubles, triples—all the good stuff to test the 57 competitors' mettle.

It's worth noting that the DH/DS events were run in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Downhill Racing Association, a group that was conceived: "to create and administer a Downhill and Dual Slalom Racing series in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, as well as to grow the sports of Downhill and Dual Slalom MTB Racing." Thanks to the fine folks at iplayoutside.com, you can get online results for the DH, and DS races.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Bring your camera! Twenty-one miles of point-to-point XC action. ACTION! Or double your pain with the XXC—Forty miles, if you've got the guts!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to stop number three on the 2002 East Coasters Virginia State Championship Mountain Bike Series. For ten years, Kyle Inman has produced a Virginia state series with: "big courses, big mountains and big fun." This is not hamster cage racing—Kyle's entire VA series is made up of point-to-point XC races. Same as it ever was. And let's not forget that Kyle couldn't do it without folks like the series sponsor, East Coasters Cycling and Fitness. As an added bonus, this year the Hoo Ha is an exchange race with the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association, so XC points count in both the VA and WV point series.

Heck, when I heard the XC race was a 21 mile point-to-point course, I decided to strap a number plate on my singlespeed Chameleon and drop the hammer for two and a half hours. What a beauty! A very long climb, followed by a super-technical rocky ridge top, followed by a bomber downhill singletrack, followed by countless short and steep up/down singletrack sections near the base of the mountain. I can only imaging what the XXC was like (more of the same sweet stuff, I've been told).

Some big guns showed up for the XC: Sue Haywood, Chris Eatough and Jeremiah Bishop, to drop just a few names on ya. There was plenty of hometown pride too, with local boy Dylan Johnson scoring two gold medals: XXC and hardtail downhill. Check out iplayoutside.com for detailed XC and XXC results. Thanks to Ad Guy Chris for manning the Dirt Rag booth while I was out on the course. Speaking of the booth, folks who stopped by the booth to subscribe scored sweet tires from Ritchey Design or a big can of Accelerade. Thanks to Ritchey and Accelerade for helping make the Dirt Rag World Tour a success.

Props to the Shenandoah Mountain Bike Club—they're the hardworking locals who maintain the excellent singletrack in this prime riding area (only minutes from Harrisonburg). For more info on the club, contact Shenandoah Bicycle Company, or Shenandoah Mountain Touring. Both companies are actively involved in the club.

Beyond the Hoo Ha, Massanutten Resort offers seasonal mountain bike services including: rentals, guided tours and shuttle service to and from prime trail access points (call 800.207.6277). Couldn't you use a little vacation?

What was that? About half a tube's worth?