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The 2007 Syllamo’s Revenge Ride and Race Course Description.
Ride/Race will begin in Blanchard Springs Rec Area at the Big Pavilion, where pre-ride check in, and meeting will be. Blanchard Springs Recreation Area is located off Hwy 14 near Fifty Six, AR, approximately 10 miles from Mountain View. (Directions to Blanchard Springs Campground are found on the Maps Page).
- Registration will be from 6:00am to 7:30am
- Pre-Ride Meeting will be at 7:45am
- Race begins at 8:00 am
- Tour begins at 8:30 am
Course Route: (Same as last year)
The route description is long and detailed, but by looking at the map while you read the route plan, you will be able to get the general idea of how the trail system will be ridden. The course will be well marked, but this will help.
The ride will start and finish at the Big Pavilion in Blanchard Springs Recreation Area. Directions to Blanchard Springs, and the Syllamo Trail Map can be found on the website under the MAPS tab.
Other than the road to and from the Pavilion to Blanchard Road, your tires will touch pavement only to cross Hwy 5 two times. If you find yourself on a paved surface, you’re off the course. In addition, if you find yourself riding on a road that is not explicitly mentioned in the route plan, and marked with white arrows, you’re off the course. There are a few places that the loops use short sections of old log roads to connect, but carsonite posts, with colored blazes that match the loop color, point riders in the right direction. The route will also be marked with white arrows in as many of these places as possible. There is some trail tape along the course that is left from an ultra running event, but the Syllamo’s Revenge is not marked with any tape or ribbon.
The START (Blanchard Campground), is the Red Dot just above the Legend at the lower left section of the trail system map. Blanchard Road is outlined in a thin double black line, and parallels the left side of Jack’s Branch (Yellow) Loop.
Riders will leave the Big Pavilion at Blanchard Springs Campground and travel approximately 2/10ths of a mile, then TURN RIGHT onto Blanchard Road, which is a gated Forest Service Road. You will travel 9/10ths of a mile up Blanchard Road, at an 11% grade, until you TURN RIGHT onto Jack’s Branch Loop (Yellow). This will be the beginning of the single track, and from this point, you will not ride on any dirt road that is not well marked with white arrows, until you return to Blanchard Road, approximately 46 miles later, to return to the campground for the Finish.
Ride Jack’s Branch (Yellow) in a counter clockwise direction. At approximately the ½ mile mark, there will be a 90 degree intersection where the trail drops down into Blanchard Campground. TURN LEFT. DO NOT DROP DOWN INTO BLANCHARD! Approximately 1.7 miles later, another segment of the trail will VEER RIGHT and drop down into Blanchard. STAY LEFT! Proceed on Jack’s Branch (Yellow) until the intersection with the Scrappy Mtn Loop (Blue), and TURN RIGHT on Scrappy Mtn Loop (Blue). You will not pass by the Scrappy Mtn Trail Head at this point, so there will be and unmanned water station at the intersection. (It 4.5 more miles to the first Aid Station).
Proceed on the Scappy Mtn Loop (Blue) until it’s intersection with the Bald Scrappy Loop (Orange). Stay STRAIGHT on Bald Scrappy (Orange), (marked with white arrows) and proceed into the White River Bluff Trail Head, where Aid Station/Check Point #1 will be. All riders must make sure that the workers at Check Point 1 record your number.
Exit the trail head at the bottom right corner of the trail head on the White River Bluff Loop (Green). After a short section, you will come to Townsend Road. You will see a post with the WRB Loop Green Blaze on it straight across the road. DO NOT GO STRAIGHT ACROSS! Stay right on Townsend Road, which will be marked with white arrows, until it makes a right bend at approximately 150 yards, where white arrows on the road will point you RIGHT onto the White River Bluff Loop (Green). The loop will be ridden counter clockwise and return to Townsend Road. Follow the arrows to the RIGHT and then IMMEDIATELY LEFT onto GREEN ROAD for a 50 yard segment to a RIGHT TURN onto the Bald Scrappy Loop (Orange). (The trail is straight across Green Road from the White River Bluff Trail Head.)
Stay on the Bald Scrappy Loop (Orange), which will have two places where the trail has 90 degree turns onto old roads for 30-50 yard segments. Carsonite posts with Orange Blazes mark the turns at all intersections, so be sure to pay close attention. Continue on Bald Scrappy (Orange) to the next intersection, and turn RIGHT onto Scrappy Mtn Loop (Blue). Cross Livingston Creek and continue on the Scrappy Mtn Loop (Blue) and cross AR Hwy 5 into the Hwy 5 Trail Head, and Aid Station/Check Point #2. All riders must make sure that the workers at Check Point 2 Record your number!
Ride STRAIGHT through the Hwy 5 Trail Head, on Scrappy Mtn (Blue) up the gated path until the trail TURNS LEFT into the forest. The trail will come to AR Hwy 5, wher you will go straight across, cross Livingston Creek, and veer to the LEFT. This road will be marked with arrows, bend to the right, and thenl TURN LEFT, cross a small creek and head up the mountain. You will have a climb up the Scrappy Mtn Loop (Blue), then cross Green Road to the intersection of the Jack’s Branch Loop (Yellow).
TURN RIGHT on Jack’s Branch Loop (Yellow), which will cross Green Road, and bring you into the Bad Branch Trail Head and Aid Station/Check Point #3. All riders must make sure that the workers at Check Point 3 record your number!
Exit the Bad Branch Trail Head onto the Bad Branch Loop (Red), on the Green Road side of the trail head, and ride the loop in a Counter Clockwise direction. The loop has 4 “bail outs” that turn to the inside and dead end at Green Road. Stay to the OUTSIDE/RIGHT at each of these bail outs. The Bad Branch Loop (Red) is approximately 13 miles, and will come back into the Bad Branch Trail Head to the final checkpoint. Make sure that the workers at this Check Point record your number too!
Exit the Bad Branch Trail Head onto the Jack’s Branch Loop (Yellow), at the forest side of the trail head, and ride the loop approximately 1.3 miles to intersection with Blanchard Road. (Where you turned off to begin the loop.) TURN RIGHT on Blanchard Road, and descend into Blanchard Springs Campground. TURN LEFT on the Pavement and come back to the Big Pavilion and the FINISH.
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