“I thought the track would have been great if it weren’t for all the rocks! I don’t find much time to practice the Erzberg in Illinois. Definitely sketchy at the speed you had to ride at to be competitive. It was nice riding at a new place though, even this being my 2nd year competing in the GNCC series, I could tell a major difference with the new location. What dirt there was to ride was prime.”
Adam Bonneur, Open A Class – 7th-place
“I liked the track, specifically the rocky sections. Some places were a little; fast but overall I thought it was a lot of fun. The track being longer laps (14-miles) was good for racing but at the same time probably not as good for the spectators.”
Josh Strang, XC1 Pro Class – 2nd-place
“I was super pumped to have another GNCC close to home in our normal supposed kinds of conditions especially with all the hype of it being just like Somerset, but was pretty disappointed to hear the track was super fast and covered with land mines (aka large protruding rocks) that’s not really what riding in PA is but it didn’t turn out to be quite as bad as it was made out to be. The “CC” in GNCC does stand for cross country so I’m just glad we got a new track to race at and that I got the first holeshot there! The second year of racing at the tracks vie been to is always way better so imp already excited to see the course next year.”
Jedediah Haines, XC1 Pro Class – 11th-place
Opinions may vary on the track, but it seems everyone was impressed by the Rock Run facility.
“I liked the track a lot. It was very fast, with a couple rock sections to slow it down a bit. With it being so fast it made it easier but a little more risky to pass. But that definitely helped me because of my dead last start. But all in all, I had a lot of fun at the new track!”
Brad Bakken, XC2 Pro Lites – 3rd-place
“The facility was cool, and the location also cool, however I was not a fan at all of the course. The speed of the trail was enough to make it dangerous under any type of terrain, and then with the added rocks–was a nightmare. Luckily I didn’t hear of that many people getting hurt, which is great, and I think we got lucky with this one. I think the property has a lot of potential for some great races, but this trail was nowhere near great. As for the racing itself, I don’t think this track allowed for good racing. There was nothing to separate the riders or challenging or anything. If you lost the lead pack, or someone, it was nearly impossible to gain anytime unless you just rode the edge and put yourself in danger of being injured, and I think that’s why you didn’t see much action in the XC1 class. These guys are smart enough to know when to just ride around and when it’s not worth killing yourself over. I lost the lead breakaway and just had no idea how fast to go. I could ride really hard, but I wouldn’t make up time, and I just felt the risk vs. reward wasn’t worth it, so I was very pleased to leave injury free with my 6th place. I hope we go back to the venue, but I hope they cut new trail and don’t just arrow jeep roads.”
Chris Bach, XC1 Pro Class – 6th-Place
“Rock run was definitely a fun track! Possibly a little open, but then again to the people that aren’t rock maniacs, it gave you a break! The rock quarry was super fun! I don’t know if I got more of an adrenaline rush coming up to it looking over the edge or trying to bounce myself through it! Good race! Hope to be back there next year!”
Derrick Allen, 4 Stroke A Lites – 5th-place
“I thought the Rock Run GNCC was pretty fun, definitely a little fast and sketchy though. For the most part it was a good course and had a lot of variety, everything but good dirt [laughs]. I was just glad to get back to racing, almost felt like the start of the season again, just stinks we have another month break now.”
Steven Squire, XC2 Pro Lites – 14th-place
“Honestly I thought the track was too fast for a GNCC. I like doing these races because they challenge you and this one didn’t at all. I thought it was pretty dangerous and I actually had to end my day early due to a high-speed crash. I understand though that there’s not property available to us like there used to be so just having a place that will allow us to do what we all love is a blessing.”
Jordon Milbauer, Women’s Class – 14th-place
“I honestly thought the track was one of the better ones so far this season. The area received a lot of heavy rain earlier in the week and the rock-based terrain helped with water run off, making for perfect conditions on Sunday. Although the course had several rock gardens, I think most people were surprised at how fast the trails really were. You had to be on your game the whole race, as loose boulders were scattered everywhere on the track. Overall, I think Rock Run was a great location for a GNCC and offered up a variety obstacles throughout the 14-mile loop. I would like to see another race held there in 2012, plus it’s close to home.”
Ian Pannebakker, 4 Stroke A Lites, 2nd-place
