Episode 3 - Big Branch Bike Park

“It’s not about the bike.” That was what my wife kept telling me. And yet...
With wet winter weather keeping our local trails closed, I had just finished a gravel training ride around Umstead State Park, a hill-filled 14-mile loop that I have ridden many times, and the numbers don’t lie. On my first training ride on the new bike, I took a whopping seven minutes off my previous best time and set 28 personal records. That led me to believe that sometimes, it is, in fact, about the bike.
Rob had gone south to Florida for a few weeks in January to duck out of the cold weather, so I would be without my wingman for the next race at Big Branch Bike Park, one of the fastest trails I have ridden anywhere. Located outside of Jacksonville, NC, Big Branch is owned and operated by Onslow County, and the terrain includes a bluff that is incorporated into the trail to create some flow where there otherwise should be none.
My wife discovered the Big Branch trails the previous summer, located near our favorite NC beach in North Topsail Island, adding an opportunity to both go to the beach and squeeze in some mountain biking on the same weekend. Having ridden the trail only once before (in the opposite direction), I expected passing opportunities to be limited due to the use of the bluff, which has the trail often cut into the side of the hill, with the terrain rising on one side and dropping off on the other. Yes, passing would once again be tricky.
It was a cold, raw day, and a couple of snowflakes fell during the pre-race briefing, drawing a laugh from the crowd straddling their bikes and eager to get underway.
The trails at Big Branch are impeccably maintained, and the race organizers set up an interesting start and finish, with use of a double-track dirt road and some pavement to give the field plenty of room to sort themselves out before entering the singletrack. There was also about a quarter-mile straight run back on the double track into the finish to encourage a sprint finale.
As we massed for the start, I was beginning to recognize the usual suspects in my age group. It was also becoming apparent that a pecking order was forming. I noticed two guys wearing Big Branch bike jerseys—obviously locals—who, it turns out, were instrumental in the realization of the trails and coaches for the local youth bike teams. Good guys, doing good work for their community.

One of the reasons I felt it was finally time to ease into this bike racing thing was the prospect of joining the over-50 group in just a few months. I figured I had kept it together this long; I’d learn the ropes in the 40–49 age group, take my lumps, and when I moved to the 50–59 bracket, I could really shine. It turns out that nothing could be further from the truth.
Based on the results of the first two races, the race organizers decided to start the 50–59 age group ahead of the 40–49s for this race. Why, you may ask? Because all three podium finishers in the older group were faster than the winner of the 40–49 group. This was a shock to me, although I have some theories about why the 50-year-olds are so fast: kids are older or out of the house, more time to train, more money to spend on quality gear... Whatever the reasons, looking forward to racing against the 50+ crew was a huge mistake. It turns out that group is faster, deeper, and even more competitive. I should have jumped in 9 ½ years ago and done what I could against the guys in their 40s, who, like me, have all kinds of distractions in their lives. Hindsight...
After getting bottled up a bit on the first lap of the last race, I decided to try and get a jump on the field during the generous double-track, then paved road segment before hitting the singletrack. I came out fast and was among the leaders on the double track.
On the paved lead-in, I could feel some bikers coming up on my left. Should I lift the pace and box them out or let them in? I noticed one of them wearing the distinctive blue Big Branch bike jersey and figured I should let this local guy go and try to follow his wheel. TRY.
The pack ahead of me was closely spaced and moved like a snake through the tight, narrow intermediate loop. The true test on this course would be how quickly you could navigate the sharp, flat, sandy corners. I found myself losing a little ground to the pack in each corner, pushing myself to catch up during the short straights, only to lose ground again in the next corner. It was not a sustainable game plan.
The pack slowly inched away from me, corner by corner, as I touched the brakes a little more than I should. I decided to ride my own race and keep myself upright rather than try to match the pace set by the locals who had this trail dialed in.
As expected, it didn’t take long for the two leading high school riders to make up a one-minute stagger from behind and blow by early in lap one. It took me a little longer before I was knocking on the door of the tail-end riders from the group ahead on the starting grid.
Big Branch remained all about the speed, with a premium on cornering and hardly a root or rock in sight. After losing contact with the leading riders in my group, I began catching glimpses of them in the switchbacks as we neared the end of lap two. A final push was not enough to change the outcome. It would be another eighth-place finish—not too far off the pace of the first seven, with a more significant gap to those behind, giving me the dubious distinction of last of the fast.
Post-race, I got a chance to catch up with some other Raleigh riders who have ridden this series for years. They were welcoming and encouraging as we discussed the next race in the series at The Hulk in Myrtle Beach.
As the podiums and socializing broke up, I told them I’d see them there.
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