AUGUST 22 -- 28. Last year we put together a little over 200 miles of superb backcountry riding over 5 days. Plus a prologue. Best guess is that about 5% of that was road - the rest? Primo high-alpine singletrack, overgrown mining roads, game trails and ancient foot paths - the four staples of a Summit County mountain biker's diet.
In year one nobody got lost. We placed a premium on the staff and resources that we allocated to the marking of the course and we kept racers on course. And the course was good. And people left happy. Very happy.
This year's course is a little more ambitious. Total mileage gets upped to around 245 of so over 6 days and we've got a new stage that quietly morphed into "Queen Stage" status while we weren't really paying attention. As I write this, course markers are out there on bikes and motos laying the groundwork for another successful year. And somewhere, our course checkers are revving their engines for Sunday's 7am staff start (gotta go early to stay ahead of J-Bish).
So welcome. Welcome to the last newsletter for the 2010 Breck Epic. You'll see our blog content from our ragtag collection of scribblers start to pop up in a few days. There's gonna be so much Breck Epic content it's gonna seem like the internet came down with a bad rash.
On a final note, we could still use a few volunteers. People who might want to ride their bikes a bit. Sound like anyone you know? And the volunteer goodies bags are...well, let's just call them "robust". Why make merchandise if it's not going to be cool? If you're interested please give Uncle Seth a shout.
COURSESThis is the "hurt like hell" part. We're sending out files to all racers immediately following this baby hitting the ether. Other than that you can find the final courses, elevation profiles, starts/finishes, distances and aid station locations online under "The Race" tab at
www.breckepic.com. I'll have that updated this evening just as soon as I refigure out how Dreamweaver works on a Mac.
What I can tell you is this; Pennsylvania Gulch (Stage One) got longer. And harder. By a fair bit. The climb to Little French Flume? Get earmuffs on your kiddos if you hike up there to spectate because you're sure to hear some profanity. And some wheezing.
The Colorado Trail (Stage Two) also got a bit longer. We added a section called "Vomit Hill". I know that I'm painting something of a bleak picture here, but the mileage that we added really does have some fun stuff in it. You just sort of need to have the chops to get to it.
Wheeler? Last year's hardest stage actually got a little easier. We lopped off some of the climbing at the ski resort in the beginning of the stage and removed an un-flowy rocky and rooty section from the beginning of the Peaks Trail. There's one more reason that we made Wheeler a little easier...
The Aqueduct Stage (Stage Four). We thought we'd take you on a little jaunt over to Keystone. Along the way you'll get to ride some of Summit County's best; the Dredge to Tiger Run segment of the CT, the Aqueduct Trail from Homestead to Keystone, the North and Middle Forks of the CT and even a descent to the dredge that's long, long and longer still. But along the way there are four significant climbs; Heinous Hill, Vomit Hill (the hard way this time), West Ridge and Rock Island Gulch. It's tough to describe this as anything other than a "Queen" stage. And 2010 now has three Queen stages. We got us a party. Strap it on Breck Epic'ers. Game on.
STARTS AND FINISHES
We start at 8:10 each day.
Sunday, August 22, Stage #1: Pennsylvania Creek - Start: Ice Rink, Finish: Carter Park
Monday, August 23, Stage #2: The Colorado Trail - Start: Lower Washington Street (downtown Breck), Finish: B&B Trailhead
Tuesday, August 24, Stage #3: The Guyot Loop - Start: Lower Washington Street (downtown Breck), Finish: B&B Trailhead
Wednesday, August 25, Stage #4: The Keystone Loop - Start: Lower Washington Street (downtown Breck), Finish: B&B Trailhead
Thursday, August 26, Stage #5: The Wheeler Loop - Start AND Finish: 4 O'Clock Trailhead (across from The Riverwalk Center)
Friday, August 27, Stage #6: The Gold Dust Loop - Start AND Finish: The Ice Rink
THA RULES
Everyone remembers rule #1 from last year, right? Check it out online if you don't. This applies to everyone, staff included. Other than that, helmets are required, littering is forbidden, towing is also forbidden, assistance on course is permitted and bike switches are also permitted (why legislate this thing to death, right?) Time penalties for infractions as dictated by the race jury (timer, director and one athlete representative).
You're also going to be asked to write your bib number on ALL of your gels and bars prior to leaving. We'll have Sharpies at reg and at the starts. If we keep finding your personal stash on course you're gonna get booted.
Miss the time cut? You'll get relegated for the day and will be allowed to start the next day. But no finisher's belt buckle.
Now there are rules and there are expectations. The expectation that I personally have of all of you is that you will treat your fellow competitors with kindness, sportsmanship and respect. I also expect that you will treat our beautiful backcountry as you would your mom's house. Don't litter. Don't go off trail. Don't skid if you can help it. The Breck Epic along with every race of its kind from the LT100 to the BC Bike Race to Transylvania and the Trans Rockies is meant to be a shared experience. If you act turdy then everyone gets a taste of turd.
Come see me if you're feeling down. We'll go get a nice foofie coffee together. That's always nice.
