On the way to officiate the Sioux City Velo time trial I stopped off at Ponca State Park for some pre-race reconnaissance. Jay Chesterman and the SC Velo crew have really gotten the place in shape. The 5 miles of race loop are marked and groomed and ready to go. According the folks up there, the trails at Ponca are seeing very little use this year and were badly overgrown. I couldn't tell as it was all in excellent condition.

Really hard. But in excellent condition.

The race loop really tests handling and climbing skills. Lots of switchbacks, both up and down, and some climbs that were very very hard. I have never ridden the race course there before but I know its a bit different than in years past. All I can say is that it will be a good race.

Its a shame to see such an area go to waste. There really is a ton of great singletrack (map) there and the park is really nice. There have been numerous improvements made since I was there last (2004?) and it looks like there are still more to come.