Events: Breck Epic Stage Race Set For '09

Liam Doran

The first multi-day mountain bike stage race on U.S. soil is in the works for 2009, with organizers of the "Breck Epic" receiving provisional approval to hold a five-day event in the mountains around Breckenridge, Colorado.

The race is intended to be a hard-core challenge for seasoned riders, covering 235 to 250 miles in five days on mostly high-altitude singletrack—the bulk of the course will be on trail, and 90 percent of it will be above 10,000 feet, says event director Michael McCormack, a veteran race promoter who has been integrally involved with previous Colorado mountain bike races.

"Some of it is going to be 'holy shit' hard," says McCormack. "When even the top-tier athletes are done, they're going to want to be lying out on the couch. If you're the type of guy who likes to give yourself one extreme challenge once a year, well, this is not the event for you."

There will be a heavy emphasis on course quality, with very little road riding, and even minimal use of fire roads—something that would separate it from major international stage races such as South Africa's Cape Epic.

"The Breck Epic is intended to be a rugged backcountry experience," says McCormack. "The courses will be long. They will be difficult. And while most of it is not super-technical, it will be rough enough, and the consequences of falling will be real."

The overall race route will be a "cloverleaf" design, with each stage starting and ending in Breckenridge, in a series of interconnected loops with a single campground for riders at the epicenter. For riders who are not keen on camping, a wide range of other accommodation will be readily available, from hostels to hotels to condos.

The race dates have tentatively been set for July 5-10. The five stages will be Monday through Friday, with an off-road seeding time trial to kick off the event on Sunday afternoon.

"This is the 'great weather window' up here in the mountains," says McCormack. "As soon as the snow starts to melt, it's game-on around here. With that said, it could still snow. Plan on bringing everything from your Speedo to your down hoodie."

With multi-day endurance races cropping up all over the world—from Canada and Europe to South Africa, Costa Rica and, as of next month, Mexico—the United States has lagged behind, with hopeful organizers being stymied by a wide range of logistical and legal issues. Despite having some of the planet's best trail networks and a dedicated population of off-road racers, putting all the pieces of a multi-day race together has proved to be an uphill battle.

And were it not for the progressive land-use policies of local and federal authorities, such a race could have been a long time coming, says McCormack, one of the organizers of this year's expected Colorado Epic, which was cancelled due to logistical and timing concerns. In conjunction with the Summit County Open Space & Trails Department and the United States Forest Service, the Breckenridge Open Space Advisory Committee has made trail access, maintenance and construction a community-wide priority, with the full support of the local town council.

"It's amazingly forward-thinking of them, and their foresight and vision—in tandem with a trail network whose sheer size, sprawl and connectivity defy comprehension—make Breck and greater Summit County ideal for epic, backcountry loop-style riding," says McCormack.

A field limit of about 400 riders will be in place for the Breck Epic, and categories are still being finalized. Race fees are also to be determined, but refundable deposits are now being accepted.

A website (breckepic.com) is soon to go live, but for more information in the meantime you can email McCormack at mikemac01@gmail.com.