Over half the 40 mile course traverses the rugged Moose River Recreation Area on mountain roads composed of dirt, gravel, sand and exposed boulders with several steep elevation changes.
The BFC started as a mountain bike race but is now a top choice for cyclocross racers as well as tandems and even unicycles! The top racers finish the race in about two hours while the rest of the field may take four or more hours.
It is the mission of the Adirondack Mountain Bike Association, producer of the Black Fly Challenge, to promote, maintain and preserve multi-use recreational trails in the West-Central Adirondack region and beyond.
Course Descriptions:
Inlet to Indian Lake: approx. 38.5 mi
From Arrowhead Park, at elevation 1722’ the race heads east on Route 28, then south on Limekiln Road and into the Moose River Recreation Area. On unpaved mountain roads the course climbs 500’ in the first five miles. The race then rolls through 100’- 200’ elevation changes for the next five miles and after a couple miles on the relatively flat Moose River Plains, begins a steady 800’ climb toward Wakely Mountain. This is followed by 100’-300’ elevation changes down to Cedar River Road, then to Routes 28/30, and finally ending at the Indian Lake School in downtown Indian Lake, elevation 1700’.
Indian Lake to Inlet: approx 40 mi
From Byron Park, elevation 1700’, the course heads north on Rt 28 and left onto Cedar River Road. A few miles after the pavement ends the race enters the Moose River Recreation Area through the Cedar River Gate then rolls up, down and around several mountains before descending to a relatively long flat stretch along the Moose River (the Plains). Turning right at Otter Brook Road the course climbs past Mt Tom and descends again to Red River. Another right turn begins the gradual ascent of the saddle between Fawn Lake Mt and Seventh Lake Mt. The race exits the Moose River Recreation Area at the Limekiln Gate, turns right and climbs over Limekiln Hill. On the descent, the course turns off the road at the Murdock Trucking and follows trails for another mile to Inlet’s Fern Park.
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