Yesterday, a few of us (Tweety, JeffD, Chucky and Taz) went to Windrock to get in some long downhill runs. Jeff hooked me up with a 9″ GT DHi with a Marzocchi 888 up front to tackle the rock and it ended up being a perfect ride for the day. It was Tweety’s and my first trip up, and it was my first time on a full out downhill bike.
The trip up from Atlanta was pretty easy. It was almost a straight shot up I-75 without any real traffic on the weekend. When you pull into the parking lot at Windrock, you know right away that you are in a different world. Windrock is a destination for atv’s, dirt bikes, rock crawlers and dh mountain bikers. The entire scene is nothing like anywhere else on the east coast, and right away, I was hooked.
We took the first run down the “beginner” trail and my first three pedals strokes on the bike were to a 3 footer and the landing was smooth as butter…I knew this was the day I had been looking forward to. After the first run we started interconnecting multiple trails from the halfway point in the shuttle. It included everything from rock gardens, steep descents, gap jumps, drops and wooden structures. That place is just built perfectly, but you really need to bring a bazooka to a gun fight to really unload on these trails. Anything under 6.5″ of travel is going to have a really hard time around this place, and I was using every bit of my 9″.
The real treat came when we took the final run up to Windmill. This almost 3 mile run has a little bit of everything. From killer flow to steep, rocky switchbacks…you are constantly thinking and planning your moves. By the end of the run you are spent, and a break is required before hitting another one.
So what are my overall thoughts on Windrock? Insane! I need to pick up a 40+ lbs. dh rig sometime soon so that I can get back up here on a regular basis. The dh bug is a bad one, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get rid of it. The entire day ended without too much carnage. I went down a couple of times and ruined a rear derailleur and rear wheel of Jeff’s, but other than that…the day went off without anything serious.
The pictures below are not of us. I brought a camera but never used it. Sorry I wasn’t more descriptive in the post…but my arms and legs are still sore from pumping all day.
Once you leave Windrock…stop by Captain Tom’s for some really good barbeque.
More info…Windrock DH
