2010 French Broad River Classique Canoe & Kayak Race

Event Classes

It is our intent to offer as many of the USCA championship classes as we can (for example, C1 Woman Master). Generally, we will combine age and gender groups when there are fewer than three (3) boats in a class. Additionally, no one 14 years of age or younger shall be permitted to enter unless racing tandem with someone 18 years of age or over.

Race Courses

Saturday, April 24th, Classique Race: Blantrye Access to Westfeldt River Park
Henderson County, North Carolina
18 miles, no rapids but swift water, possible strainers

Sunday, April 25th, Classique Race: Westfeldt River Park to Asheville Outdoor Center
Henderson & Buncombe Counties, North Carolina
16 miles, some Class I rapids, 1 possible portage

Sunday, April 25th, 8 mile Fun Race: Bent Creek Access to Asheville Outdoor Center
Buncombe County, North Carolina
8 miles, some Class I rapids

The French Broad River is a terrific venue for canoe and kayak racing. The Saturday course has good views of Pisgah National Forest and the Sunday course takes the competitors by the historic Biltmore House. The water level is not dam-controlled and, therefore, can vary dramatically. The median flow for late April is around 1,000 CFS, but the run can be made at considerably lower flows. At extreme high or low flows, it may be necessary to adjust the start and finish points of the race. There is also a chance that there will be one short required portage on the second day of the Classique race. Flow information for the French Broad at Blantyre (the location of the start of the Classique on Saturday) can be found at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?03443000

Some information about the course for the 8 Mile Fun Race and the surrounding area can be found on the Boating Beta page; see http://www.boatingbeta.com/runs/fbbiltmore.htm

A couple of photos of the river and a video can be found at these links:

Click here to view a photo of the French Broad River in Henderson County
Click here to view a photo of paddlers on the French Broad River in Henderson County
Click here to access a 3 minute long video that shows PART of the second day's course, BUT at much lower summertime flows. Nonetheless, it will give you a little bit of a feel for the second day's course, which does contain a few shoals.

River Access

River access is very convenient thanks to the tireless efforts of RiverLink, an advocacy organization for the French Broad, and others. The Blantyre Access at river mile 34 and the Westfeldt River Park at river mile 52 are maintained by the Henderson County Parks and Recreation Department. The Bent Creek Access (start of the Fun Race) is at river mile 60. The Asheville Outdoor Center is located at river mile 68. All of these can be found on a terrific map published by RiverLink. For an on-line verion (1.3 MB), see:

www.riverlink.org/riverguide.pdf

Check-in and Race Facilities

Race headquarters will generally be the Asheveille Outdoor Center which is the finish line for both the Classique and the 8 mile Fun Race on Sunday. Check-in and registration for the Classique will be set up there on Friday evening, the 23rd, as will check-in and registration for the Fun Race on Sunday morning, the 25th. The Saturday night barbeque and the Sunday awards will be held at the Asheville Outdoor Center also. Please note, however, that check-in and late registration for the Classique on Saturday morning, the 24th, will be at the Westfeldt River Park. For both days of the Classique, we will run shuttles for drivers only from the finish area back to the start line. This will require Classique competitors to drop their boats and gear off at the start area each day and arrive at the finish area within the time windows shown on the schedule in order to catch the shuttle back. For the Fun Race, we will be able to transport boats and gear as well as competitors; just check-in at the Asheville Outdoor Center during the time window shown on the schedule above. The Asheville Outdoor Center has some boats available for rent for the 8 mile Fun Race on April 25 only. If you would like to rent a boat to use for the 8 mile Fun Race on Sunday, please make those arrangements directly with the Asheville Outdoor Center by calling (828) 232-1970.

Directions

The following directions are provided using the Asheville (NC) Regional Airport, which is located just off of Interstate 26 on Route 280 (the Interstate 26 exit number for Route 280 is Exit 40), as the starting point. These directions are provided mostly to enable you to locate the various start and finish areas on a map. While they will work, these directions are NOT the most direct shuttle routes! You should consult a detailed map. We will have some maps available at race check-in.

Blantyre Access: From the airport, get on Interstate 26 East (which is actually going south) and go 9 miles. Take Exit 49B for Hendersonville/Highway 64 West. Proceed 13 miles west on Highway 64. Just after crossing the county line into Transylvania County, turn left onto Grove Bridge Road (sometimes maps show this as the Blantrye Road). Cross the railroad tracks (CAREFULLY!!) then the river, then turn left into the Blantrye Access.

Westfeldt River Park: From the airport, turn right (west) onto Route 280. Proceed about a mile and a quarter around the airport and past the fairgrounds. Just before crossing the river, turn right onto Old Fanning Bridge Road, then immediately left into Westfeldt River Park. This is the Classique finish for Saturday and the Classique start for Sunday.

Asheville Outdoor Center: From the airport, get on Interstate 26 West (which is actually going north) for 9 miles, then merge onto Interstate 240 East for 2 miles. Take exit 1C, Amboy Road. Turn right onto Amboy Road and go a tenth of a mile. Asheville Outdoor Center will be on your right, 521 Amboy Road.

Accomodations

There is tent camping available at the Asheville Outdoor Center for a nominal fee (no pets). See http://www.paddlewithus.com or call 800-849-1970. There are several National Forest Service campgrounds and other private campgrounds in the vicinity as well. There are lots of motels in Hendersonville and Asheville. Those near the Asheville Regional airport (town of Fletcher, NC) will be convenient because they are within a mile or so of Westfeldt River Park, the Saturday finish and Sunday start. The Airport (Fletcher) exit is Exit 40 off of Interstate 26. Some of those motels there are:

Fairfield Inn (828) 684-1144 (on same side of Interstate 26 as Westfeldt Park)
Days Inn (828) 684-2281 (across Interstate 26 but close to Westfeldt Park)
Econo Lodge (828) 684-1200 (across Interstate 26 but close to Westfeldt Park)
Budget Motel (828) 684-2200 (across Interstate 26 but close to Westfeldt Park)

Weather

The average high temperature in the area for the end of April is 70 degrees and the average low is 45 degrees but, as always, be prepared for extremes and for rain.

Click here for Asheville weather from National Weather Service

Event Rules

The event will be run in accordance with the Competition Rules of the United States Canoe Association, revised as of June 23, 2009. For complete rules, click here.

Race Organization

The 2010 French Broad River Classique Canoe & Kayak Race is hosted by FB Canoe Racing, Inc., a North Carolina nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to promote canoe and kayak races, especially on the French Broad River in North Carolina.

Event Contact and Registrar: Tom Blue; 400 Tinkerbell Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27517; (919) 428-4302 (mobile); fbracechair@earthlink.net (E-mail is preferred method of contact for questions and will generally be returned within 24 hours; thanks)

Race Chair: Andy Kluge; 828-231-4794; beckykluge@att.net

Last update July 24, 2010