Jackson Forest 2026 Race Report
The 4th race in the Grasshopper series this year was Jackson Forest, taking place in the Jackson State Demonstration Forest in Caspar, California. I love the mix of riding at hoppers. The road event last month in Sonoma was incredible, and I was equally excited to get a chance to race mountain bikes this time around.
Caspar is a tiny town just north of Mendocino. Mig did a great job with some pre-event videos showcasing the terrain, suggesting that it was certainly possible to ride this course on a gravel bike, but a mountain bike would be better suited.
I was at Sea Otter for 5 days the week before this event and my training really plummeted. I managed to get some rides in, but my training plan compliance was way down and walking around all day in the Monterey weather always leaves me incredibly dehyrated. Not exactly the best prep for this one, but Sea Otter was rad regardless.
OK... so Jackson Forest:
The Plan
Bike setup:
Fast friends were not wrong in suggesting that this course could absolutely be ridden on a mountain bike, if you're a good bike handler. There were quite a few miles of fire roads with some steep climbs where a gravel bike would no doubt be faster. I was stoked on the idea of a mtb event though, and knew that I'd love to rip the single track on the mtb, so that's what I brought - my Cervelo ZFS-5.
I have Continental Dubnital tires on that bike, which is pretty great for ripping around Marin. These were not exactly ideal for Jackson Forest, however. It's beautifully lush up there and it drains really well. Vittoria Mezcal would maybe be the better choice.
Fuel:
It's harder to fuel on a mountain bike than it is on a gravel bike. The course is half the reason - you don't settle in for long sustained climbs where it's easy to eat and drink, and the logistics is another reason. Instead of running a top tube bag like I do on my gravel bike, I went with the vest version of the USWE pack, so I had vest pockets to store my gel flasks.
I has a 2L bladder w/ my usual Tailwind High Carb mix, and I also ran a 800ml bottle with a third packet of high carb mix to sip before the mass start, and as a convenient way to refuel if I needed it, without dealing with the bladder at an aid station.
Tactics:
I honestly just wanted to have fun here and rip the mountain bike and soak it in. The course and the terrain did a fantastic job of breaking groups apart and I just decided to race it as it came.
This is the first year that this course was raced and there are barely any Strava segments, so it was really hard to do much planning.
Goal:
Total thumb in the air, but I knew I could beat 3h just riding, and that 2:30 was likely too fast given my poor prep, so I set a rough goal of around 2:45-2:50.
The Reality
Bike setup:
A friend on a MOG gravel bike with 2.1 Race Kings took 11th overall, so this was possible to race well on a gravel bike, but I'm glad I had my mountain bike. The single track sections were really fun. The trails here are well built and I'd love to ride there again. My setup was great for me, although I did have a few sketchy fast turns with those tires.
Fuel:
Worked exactly as expected. I don't love accessing the gel flasks from the vest , during a race though. The zipper is pretty small and it's hard to do without looking down to see where the zipper pull is and it's slightly annoying to close again after. I took on my standard rate of fueling and I'm glad I had that spare bottle to get a quick refill at the last aid station so I could finish strong.
Tactics:
Rode my ride, had fun, calling that a win. Had a blast in the single track, survived the steep punchy climbs. This is such a different physical experience than a gravel race, it's hard to compare them. I was able to pass quite a few folks when I needed to, both on single track and on steep climbs, so it was mostly about finding your rhythm and doing the needful.
Reults
I ended up in 17th in my age category with a finish time of 2:49. Pretty much right where I expected to be given how little I knew going in, and the fade in fitness leading into the event.
Logistics and Vibe
Besides ripping the sick berms on the well-built single track, the highlight of the day was riding with Mig for a few miles in the first third of the race. I got to witness the man himself, arms outstretched, soaking up the rays of light beaming through impossibly tall redwood trees surrounding these quiet dirt roads we all love. I'm so grateful for these events, the community he's built, and it's incredible he's managed to put together such a great team that he can sometimes manage to sneak out and ride during the events. Thanks, Mig.
The post-race hang at the Caspar Community Center was great. You'll always find a new friend at a hopper, and every face yesterday was wrapped in a smile.
See you at the next one.