Join Dirt Rag at the MoCo Epic

By Karl Rosengarth, photos by Denis Chazelle.

I found the idea behind the MoCo Epic very intriguing: riding more than 100k on an IMBA Epic mountain bike loop right in the suburbs of Washington, DC. So much so that, along with Justin Steiner, I’m headed to Germantown, MD, to check out the third annual Epic, which takes place on October 14.

The event is organized by and benefits the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) mountain bike advocacy group. The fine folks from MORE have been at it since 1992, building and maintaining more than 250 miles of natural-surface trails in 25 state and county parks throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

The MoCo (Montgomery County) Epic strings together 11 different regional parks and showcases the MORE-built singletrack along the route. The event offers 4 distances, from 25 miles to 65 miles, with fully stocked aid stations along the route. Yeah!

But, wait, there’s more. This year the event includes a bike festival that takes place all day at the Germantown Soccerplex start/finish (which features a pump track). Not to mention the apres party sponsored by Sierra Nevada (read: free beer!)