Vail Mountain closes on April 23, and the Vail mountain biking race series begins three days later on April 26. The series offers fun and exciting racing for mountain bikers of all ages and experience levels. Throughout the racing season, cyclists have the chance to win prizes, free beer and personal glory.
The Vail Recreation District will kick off the season with the Spring MTB Short Track Series beginning on April 26 in Eagle. With three races in total, the Short Track Series is a great opportunity to get geared up for the season.
Next up is the main event, the Athletic Club at the Westin Mountain Bike Race Series. Featuring seven cross-country races at locations around the valley, the series begins May 31 and continues throughout the summer until Aug. 30.
Finally, the action wraps up in the fall with two cyclocross races. During the cyclocross races, riders will compete on a condensed loop, completing as many laps as possible in the allotted time. Youth riders will race for 15 minutes and adult racers will compete for 20-40 minutes.
The Youth MTB Race Series showcases younger riders ages eight to 17, who are invited to participate in every race in the Town Series, with the exception of the Lost Lake race on July 12, which is limited to adults only. The Minturn Mini Kids Race on Aug. 30 is for kids only and lets young riders be the stars!
VRD Town Series Race Director Beth Pappas is looking forward to the racing season.
"We anticipate a great season with lots of new and returning racers," said Pappas. "Every year we seem to have a bigger and better series, and we can't wait get started. Adult racers can look forward to the return of the Lost Lake Loop, a course we have not had access to in almost a decade due to logging operations. We are especially excited to build on the success of the Larkburger Youth MTB Race Series, which had over 300 kids racing in 2016, by adding the Minturn Mini Back to School Bash so they can enjoy a kid-specific season finale race and celebration."
The following are the dates and locations of the 2017 VRD Mountain Bike Town Series. Details for individual events can be found at vailrec.com, and registration is available at vailrec.com/register.
Spring MTB Short Track Series
April 26: Short Track #1 (Eagle)
May 3: Short Track #2 (4 Eagle Ranch)
May 10: Short Track #3 (Edwards)
Athletic Club at the Westin Mountain Bike Series
May 31: Eagle Ranch Classic
June 14: Berry Creek Bash
June 28: Battle at Bellyache
July 12: Lost Lake (adults only)
July 26: Camp Hale
Aug. 2: Davos Dash
Aug. 23: Beaver Creek Blast
Aug. 30: Minturn Mini Kids Race
Fall Cyclocross Races
Sept. 6: Cyclocross #1 (Minturn)
Sept. 13: Cyclocross #2 (Eagle)
Short track races cost $15 for preregistered adults and $20 on race day. Youth short track racers can preregister for $5 per race or $7 on race day.
For the Athletic Club at the Westin Mountain Bike Race Series, individual adult races cost $26 for preregistration or $37 on race day. Racers can also register for this entire race series for $155 until May 12 or $170 after May 12. For youth, the cost is $60 for the entire series, $10 to preregister for individual races or $15 on race day.
Cyclocross races cost $20 for preregistered adults and $25 on race day. Youth pay $10 preregistered and $15 on race day.
To register for all races, go online to vailrec.com/register. For more information, call 970-479-2280 or email sports@vailrec.com.
In addition to the Athletic Club at the Westin, East West Destination Hospitality, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and The Dusty Boot, sponsors of the 2017 race series include Howard Head Sports Medicine, Town of Eagle, The Steadman Philippon Research Institute, The Steadman Clinic, Central Rockies Mortgage, Beaver Creek, Apex Dental, New Belgium Brewing Company, POC, Avon Liquor, 808 Distillery, Optic Nerve, Outdoor Tech, Yellowbelly, Yeti's Grind, Vail Honeywagon, Altitude Bar & Grill, Maxxis Tires, Venture Sports, The Kind Bikes and Skis, Mountain Pedaler, Pedal Power and KZYR 97.7. The 2017 Youth Series is presented by Larkburger, KidSPORT and the Town of Minturn.
To become a race series sponsor, call the VRD Sports Department at 970-479-2280 or visit vailrec.com.
