Sept 11th, 2022
2022 Race To The Moon Recap
By: Nathan Omasta
Overview:
Race To The Moon
Distances:
- Expert Class - 23 Miles
- Sport Class - 17 Miles
- Novice Class - 10 Miles
Location:
1350 Ewing Road
Moon Twp. PA 15108
The 7th annual Race to the Moon was held on Sunday September 11. Moon Park serves as the start and finish and the course and takes riders through the privately owned, but open to the public, @hollowoaklandtrust. History buffs will be intrigued to know the land atop the hills used to house Nike missiles in concrete silos to protect the Pittsburgh International Airport during the Cold War.
Conditions were wet and slippery, though the rain did hold off for the race itself. The trails are hand made and covered in exposed roots which made some sections rather treacherous on race day. Given the amount of rain prior to the event the two rivers crossings riders negotiate were especially deep compared to years past.
"Given the wet conditions and abundance of exposed roots and wood board walk, and factoring in that my last mountain bike race ended up with me gaining titanium jewelry, I had some pre-race nerves."
Zack raced his single speed hard tail with 32x20 gearing. On a dry day the hills featured on the course can be challenging. With the wet conditions he worked especially hard to maintain momentum to avoid having to walk any sections. After the race he remarked having to carefully pace himself on the few flat sections to regulate his heart rate. He ended up 1st in his age class for single speed sport - a solid debut for him in the SS class.
Given the wet conditions and abundance of exposed roots and wood board walk, and factoring in that my last mountain bike race ended up with me gaining titanium jewelry, I had some pre-race nerves. However, it didn't take long for everything to feel normal once the race started. That said, I was reminded to take it gingerly when someone hit the deck on a bridge directly in front of me 15 minutes into the race. I held a pace I was happy with and crossed the line 7th overall in sport.
Team Member: Zack
Sean Brady crushed it on the single speed and took 2nd overall in sport. Not only did he do a great job in the race, but Sean had a huge hand in hosting and coordinating the event.
Teammate Sean Shapiro was a sight for mud-filled eyes each lap as he banged his metal water bottle and yelled words of encouragement. Shapiro also happened to be perfectly positioned to see me take a dirt sample - imagine my surprise standing up and seeing him right there, hah!
Written by Nathan Omasta - ATD Factory Team Member