This past Sunday, a group of NCC racers headed out to Charlemont for the Thunder Mountain Race Day XC event. Thunder Mountain is usually known for its downhill riding, but for one day it was full of racers in lycra grinding their way uphill instead.

Four of us arrived early for a pre-ride lap, and the course was running great. After some twisty singletrack through the woods at the base, the course climbed up a steep flow trail before dropping into a fast jump line and a rock garden that looked a lot more intimidating than it actually rode. From there, riders faced a long drag of a climb up the other side of the mountain before descending Wilderness Trail, which was easily the most technical section of the course.

We had four racers spread across four different categories in the 8:45 start wave, and everyone put together strong rides.

Charlie earned his best finish of the series so far with 7th place in the men’s novice division. Looking at the lap splits, his final lap was actually his fastest of the day. Nice ride Charlie!

Jeremy also had a strong race in the novice 40+ division, finishing just over a minute off 4th after battling with the same group for most of the race.

Blake put his climbing legs and technical skills on display and landed on the podium with 3rd place in the sport 40+ category.

I also had a solid race and was able to hold position for 3rd in the sport men’s category. I'd like to see some proof that the devo rider who left me in his dust is actually 19+...

Sam was the lone wolf representing NCC in the 12:30 heat and put together an impressively steady race in the midday heat, holding even splits across nearly two hours of racing. Strong work, Sam.

Overall, this group had a blast pre-riding and racing together at Thunder. If you’re interested in joining us don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re planning to have a group of racers heading down to Norbrook Farm XC on June 13th. Come join!