Takelma Gravel Grinder

Gravelocity

RockStar Challenge

April 19 - April 25 2025
Harrisonburg Virginia USA
Unconfirmed
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Distances: 46 miles
Difficulty: Moderate terrain with rolling short steep hills or moderate, sustained climbs
Save the dates! 2021 Details Coming Soon!
 
RockStar VA Grand Depart is an annual biking event from Rocktown (Harrisonburg) to the Star City (Roanoke). There are TRAIL, GRAVEL and PAVE route options:

Maps: www.tinyurl.com/rockstargooglemap
Official Routes: https://ridewithgps.com/collections/5822...
Trackleaders.com 

Registration:
https://form.jotform.com/trackleaders/rockstar20 (registration is LIVE!)

If renting a SPOT from Trackleaders complete your registration by or before Friday 9/25. All rented SPOT units will be shipped to Black Sheep Coffee and available for pickup beginning 9am Friday 10/2. If you have your own SPOT unit (or similar) then you can Trackleaders register up until Thursday 10/1.

Trackleaders RockStar VA 270 2020 Live Tracker:
http://trackleaders.com/rockstar20
(This ^ is the page where fans, family and friends can follow riders and view how the event is unfolding in real-time.)

RockStar Hall of Fame:
https://tinyurl.com/rockstarHOF
The official Grand Depart 7am 10/3/2020 start location = Black Sheep Coffee Harrisonburg | https://her.is/2uESl1m
We recommend that all solo riders and teams have a SPOT tracking device with them and on for the duration of this event and registered with Trackleaders.com. Registration *and* a Spot Gen3 rental for RockStar VA participants is $65 total.

Stage Event Option (4-Stages)
Stages will start 7am each day and be roughly 70 miles.
Live tracking and results provided by Trackleaders.com

Stage 1: Saturday 10/3 Start = Black Sheep Coffee Harrisonburg, Finish = Braley Pond Dispersed Campground
Stage 2: Sunday 10/4 Start = Braley Pond Dispersed Campground, Finish = Douthat State Park
Stage 3: Monday 10/5 Start: = Douthat State Park, Finish = Eagle Rock
Stage 4: Tuesday 10/6 Start = Eagle Rock, Finish = Texas Tavern Roanoke

Important Notes:
1) Team - Only 1 rider per team registers on Trackleaders, the team stays together for the entire event, all team members should either do trail work or donate to one of the Area Trail Work / Advocacy Groups.
2) All rental SPOT trackers will be at Black Sheep Coffee Harrisonburg Friday Oct 2 by 9am for pickup. Grab your SPOT, put fresh batteries in it and test it out before the 7am 10/3 Grand Depart!
3) Independent Time Trial (ITT) - anyone attempting the route at a date or time other than the Oct 3rd 7am Grand Depart is encouraged to still register on with Trackleaders so their attempt will be documented/verified and their family, friends and fans can see their progress.
Downshift - Hand Crafted Bikes & Brews
offers a Gear Shuttle that transports gear from the start of each day's stage to the stage finish for stage racers. This is an amazing option because it allows you to ride light and fast and know that all your gear is awaiting you at the finish of each stage! Please contact Downshift for pricing and details! https://www.downshiftbikes.com/
Categories: TRAIL or GRAVEL A) Solo B) Team (Female, Male, COED).Team = 2 or more riders who ride & finish together.
Touring Categories: Solo or Team

Google Map (All Routes + Lodging & POI layers):
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit...

Entry Process (For *both* TRAIL & GRAVEL riders):
ROCKSTAR Entry Process (3-Parts):
Part 1) Say you're "Going" on the Facebook event page.
Part 2) Contribute to the RockStar Legend / VA MTB Trail by doing one (or both) of the following:
a. Do a minimum of 10 hours of trail work on the route before the Grand Depart. (preferred)
This is what's best for the sport and it gives participants the incredible feeling of "riding a section trail that they've worked" and "helping to make an event / experience awesome for others". Please post pics of your trail work to this event page to boost the stoke and inspire others! Or ...
b. Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to one of the region's trail work & mtb advocacy organizations ($100 suggested).
We recognize that some RockStar participants live nowhere near the route or for one reason or another they just can't get out to work this route. You can still contribute to the trails and the event by making a donation to one (or more) of these outstanding organizations:

Blue Ridge Off-Road Cyclists (BROC)
blueridgeoffroadcyclists.org
Greater Lynchburg Off-Road Cyclists (GLOC) http://ridewithgloc.com/
Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC): http://svbcoalition.org/
Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club (CAMBC) http://cambc.org

Part 3) Register with Trackleaders.com
(see above)
regarding the courses:

TRAIL - the route is amazing and regarded as a legendary challenge ride. the route does not exhaustively explore all trail areas it touches BUT it will give folks a good taste of each destination. make no mistake, this is a rider's course. it's not a get you from A to B on dirt as directly as possible. it's a route that will thrill and delight and it's very tough physically, technically and mentally. Before attempting the RockStar Trail route be sure your MTB is in excellent working order and fitted with durable tires that have sidewall protection.
GRAVEL - unbelievably beautiful and more challenging than a traditional gravel event. Gravel bikes with 38c or larger tires or hardtail MTBs work well for this route.
PAVE - the Pave route is also stunning but it stays mostly in the valleys alongside the ridge lines that the Trail and Gravel routes use. A road bike with 28c or larger tires is the recommended steed.
The official finishing location = Texas Tavern? Roanoke
Racers will be finishing over a number of days and at all kinds of hours, so, after summiting at the Roanoke Star racers will DH to downtown and finish at the one and only iconic Roanoke downtown destination where you're guaranteed a friendly greeting 24/7 every day, all year - the Texas Tavern!!!!
 
Support Rules During RockStar VA
If you want to say you completed RockStar unsupported:
1) Self & Neutral Support from Black Sheep Coffee Harrisonburg to the route midpoint at Douthat State Park
2) At Douthat anything goes. There's a restaurant, camp store, camping and cabins. Many are expected to overnight at Douthat or at least sleep a few hours. Enjoy!
3) Self & Neutral Support from Douthat to Texas Tavern Roanoke
Neutral Support = RockStar VA supporters who voluntarily setup aid stations that welcome and support all participants.
**All that being said** folks should prepare and organize whatever aid and support they need to be safe and maximize their fun.
Roanoke Mountain Adventures offers shuttles from Roanoke to Harrisonburg on Friday 10/2. This is a cool option because folks can drive to Roanoke, leave their car, take the shuttle to Harrisonburg and then when you finish your RockStar adventure your vehicle is waiting for you!
Roanoke Mountain Adventures
https://www.roanokemountainadventures.com

The Virginia Endurance Series Mission: 

Reveal and celebrate the very best backcountry mountain biking destinations in Virginia | Offer FREE monthly ride events in these destinations, with volunteer ride leaders and various distance options (something for everyone) | GIVE riders the maps and information they need to explore these areas | Help create, enhance and preserve Virginia’s great mountain biking experiences.

RockStar Challenge

 
Start Located At: Black Sheep Coffee, Harrisonburg
 
 
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