#Summit County #Colorado
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This summer, like just about every summer, Summit County is home to more than 15 major mountain bike and road bike races, from the Summit Mountain Challenge town series and fabled end-of-season Fall Classic to the brand-new Colorado Classic, the latest pro-level event in North America and a replacement for the now-defunct USA Pro Challenge. Sprints, tours, 50 milers, 100 milers, bike parties and bashes — you want it, we've got it.
Here's a preseason preview of the summer biking season to come. Be sure to sign up now for popular events like the Breck 100, Triple Bypass and 106° West Triathlon. They tend to fill up fast, and you can usually save money with early bird registration.
JUNE
The 31st season of the midweek Summit Mountain Challenge series makes it debut on June 7 with the Frisco Roundup. Held on trails at the Frisco Peninsula — usually one of the first areas to dry out after winter — the Wednesday race is a mellow "welcome back" to the mountain-biking season, with categories for men, women and juniors. Rides range from 4 miles to 21 miles, depending on division.
Registration for the series is $25 for adults ($30 on race day) and $15 for juniors (18 years old and younger). A pass for the full seven-race series is $175 or $125 without The Fall Classic. To sign up, see the roundup tab at MavSports.com.
The second installment in the Summit Mountain Challenge series takes riders to the trails northeast of Breckenridge in the Gold Run Road area. Rides ranges from 4 miles to 17.5 miles, with categories for men, women and juniors, plus ability divisions.
Registration fees are the same as all other series events. To sign up, see the Gold Run Rush tab at MavSports.com.
The North American Big Mountain Enduro series returns to Keystone Resort for race three on June 24, featuring five to six laps in a single day on the tight, rocky, tree-lined trails of the Keystone Downhill Park. The series also stops in Vail, Winter Park, Aspen Snowmass and Crested Butte, but the Keystone stop regularly fills up.
Registration is $125 for the various divisions. To sign up, see the Keystone tab at BigMountainEnduro.com.
Breck Bike Week isn't just for mountain bikers. The Lake Loop Fondo takes road riders on a 40-mile lollypop loop from Breckenridge to Lake Dillon, Swan Mountain Road and back, all on the paved Summit County recpath system. The best part: It's free. Meet loop leaders with Breck Bike Guides in Blue River Plaza on Main Street at 9 a.m. For more Breck Bike Week info, see the event tab at GoBreck.com.
The second Breck Mtn Enduro returns to the whip-fast trails at Breckenridge Ski Resort for the Satuday of Breck Bike Week. Starting at 10 a.m., riders compete on a mostly downhill course for prizes, bragging rights and all the glory. It's the third race in the Summit Mountain Challenge series.
Registration is $45 for adults and $35 for juniors (11-17 years old), and fees include bike haul on the chairlifts, a post-race meal and beverages. To sign up, see the Breck Mtn Enduro tab at MavSports.com.
There's not better way to end Breck Bike Week than a laid-back, low-key "poker ride" through Breck's most popular trails. Participants ride around town, collecting the best poker hand at various stops to win prizes and raise cash for the local nonprofit. Registration is $30 for adults and $20 for juniors (17 years old and younger). Things get started at 9 a.m.
JULY
The one, the only Firecracker 50 is back for a day of grinding on Breck's best trails before Fourth of July shenanigans begin. The race starts during the annual July 4 parade down Main Street Breckenridge and ends at Carter Park with a post-race bash. The distance is (get this) 50 miles for all competitors with divisions for men, women, juniors and teams.
Registration is $100 for the pro/open division, $90 for all other divisions and $150 for the two-person relay. To sign up, see the Firecracker 50 tab at MavSports.com.
No, it's not code name for a road bike heart attack. The Triple Bypass, one of the biggest and most popular road tours, returns for its 29th season in 2017 with 120 miles and 10,000 vertical feet of climbing over three classic passes: Juniper Pass, Loveland Pass and Vail Pass, plus Swan Mountain Road and Sapphire Point for good measure.
Registration is open now at a rate of $165 for Saturday, $150 for Sunday and $295 for both days. Fees includes a Triple Bypass jersey, swag bag, food, energy bars, hydration stations and full support from start to finish. For more info, see TripleBypass.org.
The fourth annual Frisco Triathlon takes place Saturday, July 15. This unique triathlon features a 3K stand-up paddleboard leg, 12K mountain-biking leg and a 5K trail run. The Frisco Triathlon was named "Best Triathlon" in Elevation Outdoors Magazine's 2016 reader poll. This twist on a triathlon is open to all ability levels and encourages athletes to take on a new multi-sport event with beautiful Dillon Reservoir and the Frisco Peninsula serving as the event location.
Race four in the Summit Mountain Challenge Series features a course on the southeast side of Breckenridge, including classic routes like Boreas Pass Road and tricky climbs like something known simply as "the Grind." Distances range from 4 miles to 14.5 miles, depending on ability division.
Registration fees are the same as all other series events. To sign up, see the Pennsylvania Gulch Grind tab at MavSports.com.
One day, 100 miles, 13,719 vertical feet of climbing — it doesn't get much bigger and bolder than the Breck 100. Now in its 12th season, the annual ultra-endurance ride regularly draws top-level pros training for the Leadville Trail 100 MTB on Aug. 12, along with plenty of Average Joes who just want to suffer for a day on some of the prettiest trails in Colorado. There are divisions for full 100 milers, 68 milers and 32 milers, plus two and three-person relay teams.
Registration is $195 for the 100 ($285 for teams), $125 for the 68 ($190 for teams) and $85 for the 32. To sign up and find out more, see the Breck 100 tab at WarriorsCycling.com.
AUGUST
The fifth event in the Summit Mountain Challenge Series gets away from Breckenridge for a tour of the hills and valleys west of Keystone. The ride begins at the Keystone Stables and leads south toward Breckenridge, passing the Colorado Trail along the way. Distances range from about 4 miles to 15.5 miles.
Registration fees are the same as all other series events. To sign up, see the Soda Creek Scramble tab at MavSports.com.
Come August, Colorado's newest professional bicycle race will roll through downtown Breckenridge. From Aug. 10-13, an international field of professional male and female cyclists will race more than 300 total miles on multiple circuits, with start and finish lines for each stage located in the same town. Racing begins in Colorado Springs on Aug. 10 with men's and women's races before moving to Breckenridge on Aug. 11 for a men's-only race. While the guys are in Breck, the women wrap up their portion of the Colorado Classic with a circuit event under the lights in Denver. The event wraps up on Aug. 12 and 13 with two men's races, also in Denver. Stay tuned to the Summit Daily for more info as the Colorado Classic gets closer.
The Breck Epic, Summit County's answer to the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, is just as big and just as burly as its counterpart: six stages, 240 total miles and roughly 40,000 vertical feet of climbing. Riders get it all, from Wheeler Trail up and over Breckenridge to the Colorado Trail and Mount Guyot. It's going to be painful, but it's not to be missed if you love spending hours in the saddle.
Registration is $899 for the full six-stage race or $549 for three-day chunks. Online registration closes on Aug. 10 at BreckEpic.com.
The sixth race in the Summit Mountain Challenge series is a doozy: time trial riding on the rough-and-rugged Peaks Trail from Breckenridge to Frisco. It's mostly downhill, but that doesn't mean it's easy. The distance is the same for all divisions and categories, with riders leaving at 30-second intervals.
Registration fees are the same as all other series events. To sign up, see the Peaks Trail Time Trial tab at MavSports.com.
SEPTEMBER
Summit's first (and only) half-Iron Man is back for a second season with the first (and only) swim event at Dillon Reservoir. At a starting elevation of 9,000 feet and peak of nearly 10,300 feet, it's also the highest Iron Man of any distance in the world.
The 106° West Tri features two distances — a half-Iron Man and quarter-Iron Man — featuring a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run for the half distance on a course between the reservoir and Montezuma outside of Keystone. All participants must be 18 years old or older for the half, or 14 years old or older for the quarter. Pre-registration is closed and regular registration hasn't opened yet, so keep an eye on the website for details this May at 106WestTri.com.
One of the longest-running mountain bike races in Breckenridge returns for its 33rd season this September. Dubbed the "last big race in the High Country," The Fall Classic doubles as the final event in the Summit Mountain Challenge series, taking riders on a small course (21 miles, 3,000 vertical feet of climbing) and a big course (30 miles, 4,800 vertical feet of climbing) over the area's best trails: French Gulch trails, Flumes trails, Boreas Pass, good-old Humbug Hill and more.
Registration is open now at $50 for adults, $30 for juniors (ages 11-18) and free for juniors younger than 10 years old. Fees include a post-race meal and party at Carter Park in Breck. For more info, see The Fall Classic tab at MavSports.com.
