Puzzle of Mud
BUTLER TWP — Alameda Park on Sunday became the mecca for race-starved mountain bikers in and around Western Pennsylvania.
Clad in colorful racing shirts and pants, men and women, boys and girls, young and not-so-young — for at least a day — were able to break free from the coronavirus pandemic.
It was the opening race of the long-standing Month of Mud off-road bike series. And organizers were not about to let COVID-19 break its streak — now at 31 consecutive years.
“It's the longest mountain bike racing series in Western Pennsylvania, and possibly in all of Pennsylvania,” said Ann Burr of Zelienople, who is serving in her third year as race director. “We wanted to keep it going, so it's a continuous record.”
Still, like every other aspect of life, the dreaded virus has taken its toll on the Month of Mud.
Instead of its normal five races, this year the series has been pared to just two — the Sunday opener at Alameda Park and the finale Nov. 1 at Brady's Run Park in Beaver Falls, Beaver County.
The modified series didn't seem to bother the 195 registered racers Sunday; they were just happy to again experience the thrill of competition and the pure joy of participation.
For many, the chance to mingle with fellow competitors was every bit as satisfying.
“The camaraderie you build in friendships through mountain biking is unbelievable,” said Joseph Fraas of North Huntingdon, Westmoreland County, a competitive racer since 2009.
Read more in Monday's Butler Eagle
