The oldest continuously operating mountain bike race series in America (or at least on the East Coast) is a low-budget, unsanctioned, volunteer-run event that you’ve probably never heard of. Sure, Leadville 100 has been running longer, but that’s just one race. Pearl Pass Tour and Downieville also predate this Pittsburgh-area institution, but they aren’t series either. Month of Mud (MoM) is a five-weekend series happening in and around October that has been forcing riders into freezing creeks, through impossible mud and over endless boulder fields in Western Pennsylvania since 1989. It’s garnered local cult status and an epic reputation over its 30-year history, even grooming more than a handful of nationally recognized names in the sport.
Of course, notoriety and acclaim were never the goals. Like most mountain bike races, the Month of Mud began with a small group of intrepid riders, few rules, fewer good trails and a whole lot of Type 2 fun.
In 1989, Pittsburgh and the surrounding region had fallen on hard times. The collapse of the steel industry set off a chain reaction of events that led to mass depopulation, unemployment, and economic depression. Boarded-up buildings, empty lots and barely recovered communities surrounded defunct mills in and around the city. It would be decades after the inaugural MoM race before people and prosperity returned, following the reinvention and reinvigoration of Steel City as a center for biotechnology, robotics, and medicine. Yet whether in times of feast or famine, area cyclists sought sanctuary from the daily grind by taking off on two wheels. The thing was, most of those wheels had been dedicated to pavement (albeit pavement pocked with endless potholes, thanks to brutal freeze-thaw cycles).
Early Beginnings
“The half-baked idea to get a bunch of roadies to buy mountain bikes, learn about them and then start a Sunday race series was met with bewilderment and surprise, as none of us [knew] what to expect,” recalls original MoM racer Pat McCloskey. “It was the beginning of an era of local mountain bike racing thanks to the wisdom and creativeness of one Gary Bywaters.”
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From Dirt Rag Mag
Dirt Rag is a mountain biking lifestyle magazine. Original art, passionate stories, investigative articles, honest product reviews, and a realistic attitude are what we're all about. Whether you are a timid beginner or a seasoned race junkie, Dirt Rag speaks to you.
