Capitol Forest Classic – Review

The Capitol Forest Classic is a weekend biking event in Capitol Forest, just outside of Olympia, Washington, hosted by the Friends of Capitol Forest (FOCF).

Capitol Forest is more than 90,000 acres of forest land in the Black Hills that is managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Capitol Forest is a working forest that responsibly balances recreation interests and tree harvesting to help fund state schools, universities, road construction and libraries.

Capitol Forest is a place for a wide variety of recreation opportunities. Open to the public since 1955, mountain bikers, campers, hikers, hunters, horseback riders, and motorcycle riders all recreate here. More than 800,000 people visit the forest each year. To prevent conflicts between motorized and non motorized recreation Capitol Forest is divided into two parts. Motorized recreation in the northern half and non motorized in the southern half, with trails open from April 1 through October 31 and closed for the winter. Mountain bikes and hikers are allowed access to both halves of the forest year round. Trail closures during the winter months help to protect forest soils and streams.

Capitol Forest is a unique place where mountain bikers, equestrians, hikers and moto riders successfully co-exist by sharing trails and facilities. The benefit of this co-existence is increased access for all users and a combined volunteer labor force that is highly effective in maintaining more trails and facilities thanks to this shared access.

FOCF is a mountain bike based non-profit dedicated to maintaining and building trails in Capitol Forest.  This group of fantastic people work with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to ensure the trails are maintained, and to build new trails!

 

This year’s Capitol Forest Classic was on Aug 11/12, 2012 and was the first year attended by the Muddbunnies Race Team!

 

 

Saturday’s XC Race started with a short jog!  Racers had to run (only for a couple minutes) to their bikes.

 

The XC Race was some of the most fun single track in the Pacific Northwest. The Cross Country course was 100% single track and included a little bit of everything: tough climbs, sweet descents – and finished on the signature Super D course (the perfect pre-ride for those doing both races!), rocky and rooty technical, and flowy, smooth and fast sections.

 

For the apres race, the FOCF organized free massages (thanks to The Place For Serenity Spa & Wellness Center), lunch (pork sandwiches, or veggie & gluten free options) a bunch of kegs of beer, and a tequila bar!

 

 

Congrats to Nadja for a 3rd place finish in the XC Race!

Saturday night, the majority of the racers camped at the nearby Fall Creek Campground in Capitol Forest.  The FOCF organized free camping for the weekend.  Due to the large amount of racers, people were buddying up and sharing sites and campfires.  Late in the night, after dinner was done and all the racers were winding down, relaxing by the campfires, we heard the beat of a drum and strumming guitars coming through the campground.  All of the racers walked towards the sound to find that a bunch of the FOCF Volunteer Race Organizers had piled into the back of a pick-up truck with instruments (guitar(s), hand-drums, and tambourines), and drove down to the campground to perform a song they composed for the racers:

Sunday morning started early with a buzz of excitement for the Super D! Riders geared up and shuttled themselves to the top. Retrievals were provided by the FOCF after the race and Muddbunnies provided a shuttle service for their team members so that after-race relaxation could be enjoyed immediately. The race start was about a 30 minute, forest road drive from the finish/podium area.

 

Sunday’s Super D course dropped 2100′ in 6 miles on Capitol Forest’s infamous Green Line 6 trail.

This trail is 100% singletrack and features smooth flowy berms, tight switchbacks, a couple of short climbs, rocky and rooty technical bits, fun pumps and small jumps in a mix of deep forest and dry clear cut.

 

Muddbunnies did well on the podium for the Super D as well!

Super D results landed Diana all alone on the podium again! Sadly, it was due to the other woman in her category crashing near the top of the course. True to mt. bike culture, one competitor threw her chance for a podium to stay with the downed rider and make sure she received the help she needed. The local Search and Rescue organization volunteers for this event and provided fast assistance for the injured rider.

Those who raced both days on the same bike (with the same parts! – they were checking!) were also entered into the All Mountain Category.

Congrats to a podium for Muddbunnies in the All Mountain Category!

For those people not inclined to race, there were several other activities throughout the weekend to keep busy.  Saturday’s Poker run was a 9 mile course along some great single track.  Each day there was a free kids race getting all the little rippers stoked on bikes-n-trails! Plan to make it down next year for another fantastic Capitol Forest Classic!!

 

The FOCF also support these two events:

12hoursofcapitolpunishment.com
An endurance event in our beloved Capitol Forest.

Capitol Forest 50/100 (yes, miles)

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A huge thank you goes out to our 2012 Muddbunnies Race Team sponsors! Our racers have the opportunity to race because of these wonderful sponsors, please take a moment to visit their sites:

Red Racer Beer: www.redracerbeer.com/
Reflect Sports: www.reflectsports.com/
Dirty Girl Designs: www.dirtygirldesignscanada.com/
Design Out Loud: www.designoutloud.com/
Caps New Westminster: www.capsbicycleshop.com/
Different Bikes: www.differentbikes.ca/
Velocity Cycles: www.velocitycycles.ca/