Get outside this weekend: Oct. 23-26

After next weekend you can look forward to going to work in the dark and leaving work in the dark. The endless days of summer are now an afterthought, and the cool, early nights of autumn are starting to sink in.  That means it’s time to try and squeeze in all of those post-work activities you’ve been telling yourself you were going to do all summer. But hey, that’s OK. There’s a solution to this devastating loss of sunlight — it’s called a headlamp. There are a number of groups out there who coordinate night time runs and mountain bike rides, I’ll start tapping into those in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, let’s look at this superfantastalicious weekend! KOLO Bike Park has updated its schedule and now has extended hours on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Head out there tonight after 5 p.m. for five bucks and get your flow on. KOLO will also be hosting the race #3 in the Blue Ridge Pump Track Challenge this Sunday.

There’s a HUGE ride going down on Saturday in Greenville, S.C., this weekend, and it’s the Hincapie Gran Fondo. If you have ever wanted to see what it’s like to ride with a handful of International-level professional cyclists, this is your chance. Touted as one of the greatest domestiques of all time, George Hincapie (former pro-cyclist with U.S. Postal, Discovery Channel, Columbia High Road and BMC) is a 17-time Tour de France finisher and has helped his team to multiple Tour wins. Rumor has it some of his old teammates will be there too; you remember that guy Lance Armstrong? These are some of the fastest bike riders in the world, folks.  With 15, 50 and 80-mile routes this ride is open to all ability levels.  Don’t miss this if you’re into road biking.

REI is having a Map & Compass Navigation Basics course this Saturday at the REI in Biltmore Park. This is ideal for folks who are looking to do some real trekking without the help of that little computer in your pocket that has a GPS app. The course may also be helpful for drivers coming up from Florida who feel they might get lost in Asheville, refuse to use their turn signals and come to complete stops in the middle of a 4-lane highway on their way to the nearest novelty gift shop.

Power of the Pink 5k is happening in Clyde, N.C. As stated on the website, this is Haywood County’s premier breast cancer event.  “It is returning for its eighth year providing screenings and follow up testing for the county’s underserved women. Since its inception the event has provided testing for almost 400 women.  The event features a 5K run, honor walk and the return of the Pink Relay.”

If you head North to Jonas Ridge, N.C., you will run into a Boston Marathon Qualifier, the Peak to Creek Marathon. This is my kind of race. There’s a total of 2,900 feet of elevation loss and only 285 feet of elevation gain. Essentially you start at the top of a mountain and run/roll/walk to the bottom. How they were able to make this a qualifier for Boston, I have no idea.

That’s it for this week.  Thanks for checking in and make sure you get outside this weekend!

If you have an event or outdoor activity that you would like to see posted, just let us know at feedback@mountainx.com!

Cycling

  • 10/23 — Kolo Thursday Throwback (Asheville, NC) More Info
  • 10/25 — Hincapie Gran Fondo (Greenville, SC) More Info
  • 10/25 — REI Map & Compass Navigation Basics (REI – Arden) More Info
  • 10/26 — Blue Ridge Pumptrack Challenge #3 (KOLO – Asheville, NC) More Info
  • 10/26 — NC Cyclocross Series – NCCX #3 (Southern Pines, NC) More Info
  • 10/25 — Liberty Bikes – Saturday Bent Creek MTB Rides Beginner & Intermediate (Every Saturday) More Info
  • 10/25 — Blue Ridge Bicycle Club Road Ride (Every Saturday) More Info
  • 10/25 — Sycamore Cycles Spin & Grin Road Ride (Every Saturday) More Info

Running

  • 10/25 — Power of the Pink 5k (Clyde, NC) More Info
  • 10/25 — Peak to Creek Marathon (Jonas Ridge, NC) More Info
  • 10/25 — Asheville Track Club Saturday Group Run (Every Saturday) Contact information: 828-273-8860 or burytom@outlook.com
  • 10/25 — Jus’ Running Saturday- Morning Group Run (Every Saturday) More Info

Hiking

  • 10/23 — Asheville Hiking Group – After Work Arboretum Hike (The Arboretum) More Info
  • 10/25 — Asheville Hiking Group – Slate Rock Loop – Pisgah Forest: 7mi Moderate (RSVP for Meet -Up)  More Info

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Brad Messenger
@BradMessenger is one of the in-house web developers for the Mountain Xpress. When he's not sitting in front of a computer you can find him out in the woods on top of some knobby tires, on a road bike headed up the Blue Ridge Parkway, hurling tennis balls for his boxer pups or sipping on an Iron Rail down at The Wedge.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.