Mountain bikers from across the region are gearing up to test their mettle on freshly cut trails as the Upshur County Uprising returns to Buckhannon on June 15

For the second straight summer, the race will be held at Upshur County Trails system, located near Buckhannon-Upshur High School. The event is scheduled to begin at noon.

“This race is sanctioned by the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association, and there are quite a few different classes you can be in, with different course lengths,” said J.J. Ford, a member of Upshur County Trails volunteer group and director for the Upshur County Uprising. “It will have a mass start, so you’re not taking off individually and checking your time. It’s like you’re shoulder to shoulder when you start, and if you beat the person that you’re shoulder to shoulder with, you beat the person.”

Racers will gather at the Buckhannon-Upshur High School cross country course before entering the trails.

“We start in the field and then go into the Machine, which is a much wider trail than a lot of our trails. Then we come back around through Ruins, and then on the Well Road, which is also another wide trail, and that’s the first two miles of everybody’s race,” Ford said. “We wanted to try to get everybody spread out to where they can pass better, so that we don’t have bottlenecks.”

The new trail design allowed organizers to change the lap structure for each race category.

“Last year, if you were Cat 1, you did three laps; if you were Cat 2, you did two; if you were beginner, you did one — which is pretty simple to do from a promoter’s standpoint, but some of the feedback we got is that people didn’t really like that,” Ford said. “We were fortunate enough to have built a lot of trails over the winter, so we’re able to do a longer loop, which means we can do what we’re calling a lap and a half for Cat 1, a lap for Cat 2, and half a lap for beginners.”

Julia Kastner, a member of Upshur County Trails and a board member of the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association, explained the categories:

• Cat 1 is recommended for expert-level riders
• Cat 2 is considered sport-level
• Cat 3 is meant for beginners

This is the second time Upshur County Trails has participated in a West Virginia Mountain Bike Association race series.

“We put in a lot of work to try to make sure that it went smoothly last year, and it seemed like it paid off,” Ford said. “There are a few things we learned from the course. The weather could have been a little bit better last year — it’s about 15 days earlier this year — so maybe some of this cool weather will stick around.”

Kastner said there were about 100 racers last year, plus friends and family who came to watch.

“We did have some rainy weather, but with the conditions, it showcased that our trails are pretty well crafted, because it came out great, considering all the rain,” Kastner said. “This year, we have a really great spot on the schedule. We raced six out of eight weeks straight, which is exhausting, and now we have a three-week break for our race. So as a racer, I’m really looking forward to this break and feeling better afterwards. I think that can only help us.”

Ford hopes to see a similar turnout this year.

“I think we’ll be happy if we meet last year’s numbers. We have a few things in our favor, including our location,” Ford said. “A lot of people love this location — we’re pulling people from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, and Buckhannon is very centrally located. There are several races where you’re stretched to the ends of the states, one way or the other, so I’ve heard that a lot of people like to put our race on their calendar.”

Kastner encouraged people to come watch the race and enjoy the food trucks invited to the event.

“We’re really excited to show off our trails and our town again. We were stoked with positive feedback last year. We want to keep making it better,” Kastner said. “Spectators are very welcome. There are several spots along the race where you can see the racers, and that is totally free.”

The deadline to register for the race is June 13 at 5 p.m. More information about the categories and registration fee can be found here.