For once, the most interesting race in Richmond doesn’t have anything to do with politics. This weekend, Richmond will play host to the XTERRA East Championships, where athletes will swim, run, and ride a mostly off-road course (1000m swim / 29k mountain bike / 11k trail run). This race will determine eligibility for the national championships in Lake Tahoe this September, as well as world championships in Maui this October. If you’re interested in going to watch, check this map out.
Would you rather ride than watch, this weekend? The XTERRA main event is closed, but you can still hit interesting parts of the course on Saturday. How? Check out Richmond Sports Backers’ MTB Urban Assault:
Competitors will choose between an 8 mile or 15 mile loop of the XTERRA Mountain Bike Course, which is considered the most technically challenging on the XTERRA Tour. The mountain bike course includes steep up hill and down hill single track trails, stairs over railroad tracks, tunnels, bridges, creek crossings and lots of natural obstacles.
There are plenty of classes (beginners through pro), so there’s something for everyone. You can register online until 9pm today, or you can register in person at Brown’s Island. Registration is $35 today, and $45 on race day. (Wish I could do this one myself, but I’ve already got another race scheduled this weekend.)
Not quite up to an “urban assault”, but still want to be part of the vibe this weekend? Try the “Cruise for a Cause” the same day, at 2pm.  You still get to be part of the action, but no worries about how to make it down a rock staircase on your bike. As an added plus, all of your registration fee will go to support the Richmond chapter of the best MTB advocacy organization in the area – the Mid Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts.
Hailing from the DC area, I’ve got a well-supported bias against Richmond, but events like this keep impressing me. Keep it up.