If you have been trawling the 2019 UCI calendar you would have spotted it, but the pre-eminent mountain bike stage race in the USA, The Breck Epic, is now a UCI sanctioned S1 race for 2019, and will move to HCS status in 2020. “We want the fastest men and women on the planet here […]
The Breck Epic: A Hero’s Proving Grounds
On October 13 2009 the Chinook Helicopter Juan Carlos Hernandez was sitting side gunner on was struck by a rocket propelled grenade. A routine nighttime missionĀ over Afghanistan took a fateful turn as the floor beneath Hernandez burst with schrapnel from the rpg hit causing Hernandez to loose his right leg in a beneath-the-knee amputation. However […]
Breck Epic Stage 6- Bringing Home the Buckle
The 6th and final stage of the Breck Epic is no soft ball. While it features fewer technical sections than previous days at only 30 miles in length the course is still 100% dirt and still well over 100 feet per mile of singletrack and dirt road climbing. Two ascents above 11,500 feet and a […]
Breck Epic Stage 5- (None Shall) Wheeler Pass
The shortest and penultimate stage of the Breck Epic also has the most grisly and harrowing reputation. The Wheeler Pass trail takes riders where race director Mike McCormack says “few people on earth ever go.” The remoteness of the high alpine traverse trail is immediately apparent simply by looking at a map. The Breck […]
Breck Epic Stage 4- Aqueduct trail
Stage 4 of the Breck Epic featured around 6,000 ft of climbing towards the town of Keystone. Riders would ascend out of town much the same way they departed two days prior before traversing towards the town of Keystone, up “Vomit Hill,” and then going up the gradual ascent of Keystone Gulch; gaining over 2,000ft […]
Breck Epic Stage 3- Send or be Sent
12050 feet (3672 m) is an inhospitable place. Breck Epic riders found out first hand on today’s 3rd stage of the 2018 Epic. Riders circumnavigated Mt Guyot via trail and primitive road; crossing the North American Continental Divide twice. The first climb up to the Divide took riders through Big French Pass at […]
Breck Epic Stage 2- Drama and Danger aboard the Colorado Trail
Stage 2 of the Breck Epic sent riders out onto the Colorado Trail for their first taste of the high mountain singletrack. Riders Pedaled a brisk pace out of downtown Breckenridge CO towards the gravel access roads or Brewery Mtn before descending to the Galena Ditch trail which traversed towards Keystone resort and the Colorado […]
Breck Epic Stage 1-Let the Games Begin
Breck Epic racers awoke to the pitter patter of rain upon the rooftops. The threat of rain loomed which had for the finish line moved up in the forecast and fell all evening and into the morning. After the 6:15AM decision to postpone the race by 2 hours promoters shortened a 35 mile day to […]
Welcome to Brexico! Breck Epic 2018 Preview
Gold sent settlers into the Rocky Mountain’s “Ten Mile Range” in the 1850s, and Gold brings Americas most talented and stoked stage racers to the steeps of Breckenridge Colorado for the 10th Breck Epic stage race. The singletrack heavy 6 day race sends riders from the valley floor (9500 ft, 2900m) into the thin rocky […]
The best value mountain bike stage races
Mountain bike racing and riding can take you around the globe. I have used mountain biking as an excuse to travel for about 10 years, thanks to a highly infectious travel bug bite after a long around the world adventure when I was 6. And sure, while I’m away from home I long for my […]