One of the best two-wheeled stories of 2020…
This past September, we ventured up to West Virginia to ride some of the 700+ miles of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails in the southern part of the state and watch the 2020 Mountaineer GNCC at Summit Betchel Reserve — a 10,000+ acre high-adventure complex managed by the Scouts of America. As it turned out, it was an extra special race to witness…
GNCC stands for Grand National Cross Country, the AMA-sanctioned racing series that takes place on 8-12 mile off-road courses over a challenging variety of terrain: woods, hills, mud, rocks, climbs, creeks, and motocross sections. Speeds are quite fast compared to regular enduro races and they last three hours, making this one of the most demanding off-road sports in the world.
Off-road legends like Scott Summers and David Knight are multi-time GNCC champions, and North Carolina’s Kailub Russell, who plans to retire after the 2020 season, has taken the championship from 2013-2020. Another force in the series — and one of the most entertaining, fun riders to watch — is South Carolina’s Steward Baylor (@slbaylor5).
After knee surgery earlier this spring, Baylor was unexpectedly cut from the factory Sherco team and suddenly found himself without a ride, a healthy body, or any clear path to get back on a bike — to keep his career alive and a roof over his family’s head.
We don’t want to spoil anything, but we highly recommend you watch this short documentary from MRader Media — proof that champions aren’t made on champagne-soaked podiums, but down in the darkness of rock bottom, confronting doubt, fear, and pain.
This is one of the best two-wheeled stories of 2020 — we hope you enjoy it.
