Saturday August 26, 2023, Go Noke! MTB XC race presented by Roanoke College and sponsored by Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. 

Roanoke College Cycling, a member of the Atlantic Coast Cycling Conference, is pleased to announce its inaugural mountain bike race at Explore Park in Roanoke County. While this is a collegiate cycling race, Roanoke College is welcoming all mountain bikers with open categories for juniors, women and men. Go Noke! XC will serve as the first race of the Atlantic Collegiate Conference MTB season and will also serve as a USAC MTB race. One-day USAC licenses are available for all novice riders, collegiate cat C, men and women open and sport category races.

Explore Park has successfully hosted numerous mountain bike events in the past including NICA and VAHS. The park provides a number of amenities for participants and spectators alike, including refreshments, plenty of parking, camping and an opportunity to cool off in the Roanoke River after the race.

Roanoke College

Roanoke Maroons Cycling was established in 2022 by professional cyclist, former Olympian, (London 2012), and Roanoke College Alumna, Shelley Olds. Shelley has been hard at work laying the foundations of what will soon become a highly sought after collegiate cycling program. While the focus of this event is giving Roanoke College athletes a chance to compete here at home, Shelley is hoping to attract athletes from other areas to experience the stellar riding opportunities that Virginia’s Blue Ridge has to offer. 

Explore Park

Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 115, Explore Park features hundreds of acres of rolling hills, pristine woodlands, trails, river frontage, outdoor adventure, an historic tavern serving a full menu and craft beverage, and a visitor information center.
The park includes 14 miles of mountain bike trails that can best be described as classic east coast singletrack; narrow, (watch your wide bars), rooty, with dense green vegetation, (think dark green tunnel) and plenty of loose rocks that will keep you out of the saddle and shifting your weight to stay upright.

Getting to Explore Park is easy from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Downtown Roanoke. Find directions here.

Register for the event here!

See the course and download GPX files here.