FSC #3 Tallahassee 2008

Google Earth jpeg grab of the 2008 Tally course. From this GPS track: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6952119 The course is essentially unchanged from 2007. (Between the start and Conner Creek includes the major revision. Just follow the arrows, eh?) A simple pre-ride will clear up the very minor revisions. It includes Tom Brown Park's Magnolia Trail (minus the K-9 Loop's "highside") and BMX Track, most of West ("Lower") Cadillac Trail, and most of the west section of Lafayette Heritage multiuse trail. All of this is located on the east side of Tallahassee. We are east of US 319, south of US 90, and north of US 27. The bodies of water visible are Weems Pond (upper left corner) and Upper Lake Lafayette (across the top).

Race area and surrounding trails, left to right: FERN TRAIL, coming from 2008 FSC #3 Round Sponsor "Higher Ground" Bikes - far left, MAGNOLIA TRAIL (aka "Tom Brown"), CADILLAC TRAIL (Upper/West and Lower/East), ALFORD GREENWAY PARK - far right big loop.

Let's raise the balloon a bit higher for a wider look. Here's a quick locater map for what might be Tallahassee's most popular MTB trails. Note that we're looking at 4 red GPS tracks. Clockwise from the top: 1) Red Bug Trail (3.4M), Maclay Gardens State Park's Lake Overstreet Trail (5M) including Blair Witch Trail (2.7M) and the Secret Trail connector (1.5M). 2) Miccosukee Greenway Park (7M+ end-to-end). 3) Fern Trail, Magnolia Trail (4M), Cadillac Trail with Lafayette Heritage multiuse trail, Alford Greenway Park/Coupe de Ville Trail (~5.5M perimeter around the nearly 900 acre park). 4) Munson Hills Trail (8.8M including Tall Pine Shortcut) and Twilight Zone Trail (~10M) plus ~1.75M of legal connecting singletrack.

NOTE this isn't the course, it's where I ran while getting photos and video clips during the Saturday Team Time Trial. Sometimes I was in the tread, sometimes I was shortcutting through the briars for a better angle. Thanks to the EDGE 305 stapled to the top of my head, we have the map made from this track and Google Earth: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6952120 Note I did not go beyond the Ravine Loop to get shots on the Gun Range Loop (west, out of this shot). Sunday should be different.

Again, where I ran while getting the White Wave photos and videos. Note I did not go: 1) on most of the multiuse above Cadillac Trail, 2) lowside K-9 Loop, 3) lowside Ravine Loop aka Bomb Option/Dead Zone area, 4) west of the Ravine over to the Gun Range Loop. With no one doing more than 2 laps, there wasn't time. I think I still got shots of nearly everyone. From this GPS track, loaded into and jpeg grabbed from Google Earth: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6962178

Lastly, my running track from the Yellow Wave. Here I did get the full Gun Range Loop minus the smaller interior climb from #31 - #33. No one was on that climb when I got down from atop the Gun Range, so I didn't need to head up. I also skipped the lower K-9 Loop, as all were clear from there, as best I could tell. From this: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6962179

Dave's not starting out his weekend the right way. Truck lost a pulley as he pulled the trailer into the park. Hey, at least he got here, right?

Saturday afternoon before the Team TT: Jose Sanchez with Poopees the wonderdog and John and Kate Carter peruse the skills course layout.

Hey Mr. Photo Dude! We got a PhD and a Skilled Saw! Thanks, girls. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

Playtime's over. Jose, Judy, and JC get to work assembling the spring loaded slide box.

Tim Murphy assembles the wobble board. If someone could get him a ratchet wrench instead of a pair of pliers . . .

Terri Berger (c) and crew at the registration area.

Kate Carter schools a grom.

Kate Carter schools yet another grom.

JC tries to keep up.

KC checks out the single teeter totter.

Judy and Jose

JC steadies a joint between two sections.

Jose's unaware that the bottle's about to be cracked over his dome. No worries - the bottle has a safety wrapper on it.

Judy and Kate had Course Marshal duties down at Goose Pond Trail as the Team Time Trial was about to commence. The TT was limited to Magnolia Trail and the BMX Track. That's a bit over 4M. The Cadillac Trail section will be added to Sunday's XC.

Dave prepares for the pre-race Team Time Trial instructions. That tricky back had him a bit hobbled up today.

It'll be 5 person teams, low 4 times score, low team score wins. Every two minutes another team goes.

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Terri makes sure the names and the riders match.

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