The Course
There will be a strong emphasis on course quality. You can expect very little road riding and even gravel and fire road riding will be minimized. The Breck Epic is intended to be a rugged backcountry experience.Quick Intro
Distance: About 200 miles. Total vertical? Just shy of 40,000 feet. Find a spandex-clad Europhile if you need to know how many K that is. That may seem short, but we’re at altitude here. We’ve constructed these courses so that the top pros will finish in 3.5 to 4.5 hours each day. Mileage (or the perceived lack of it) is NOT the best way to look at this. Come expecting a cake-walk. I dare you.
Design: We'll use a 'cloverleaf' model (“shamrock” to my people) with each stage starting and finishing in Breckenridge. That means that we'll use ONE campground/start area and will have no transfers. The beauty of Breck is that you can be 'so close, yet so far.' It's easy to access the larger trail network using Breck's wonderful town trail network as a hub.
Wayfinding: Maps and elevation profiles including aid stations, great spectator spots and all finish line locations are posted on this page along with written descriptions including distances and elevation profiles. The entire course will be embarrassingly well marked and marshaled. This is NOT a wayfinding-type event.
The Course - a Qualitative Overview
We've been asked over and over again how we'd describe our course "compared to The BC Bike Race or The Trans Rockies?" Our answer? Honestly, I don't know. I've never competed in either. BC bills their race as "The ultimate singletrack experience." I think that the only folks qualified to endorse that statement are the ones who've actually ridden the course. Same with Trans-Rockies. The only hard comparison that I'll offer is that all three races probably offer a different riding experience, each suited to a different type of rider, with the lone shared characteristic that the fittest guy/girl/team who is also a great mountain biker will probably win.
I won't take the bait and offer a direct comparison between our courses - as I said, I haven't ridden theirs. What I will do is tell you about ours. If you've ridden both of the others I'll allow you to make your own comparisons. What we have here in Breckenridge and Summit County are the fractured and decaying remains of the trail network that the mining industry left behind 100 years ago after a long, hard 50 years of putting in routes just about everywhere imaginable. Wilderness has reclaimed old roads and trails, with only the pressure of hikers, bikers, equestrians and motos preventing them from slipping entirely back into oblivion. Local and regional open space folks have done an admirable job over the past 10 years of building connecting routes and identifying stuff that needs to be preserved.
The fruits of their collective labor is a trail network that has very little road. What road there is can best be described as 'rugged'. Don't expect a lot of gravel road in this race - there's almost none. We tried to add some, but we just don't have that particular treat to offer. Our course is composed of reclaimed flume trails, footpaths, old wagon roads and hand-built singletrack. It's almost all of what any local (and there are some discriminating guys around) would call "mountain biking". We took a look at our trail network and put together the 5 courses (plus the prologue) that we'd most like to ride if we and a bunch of our buddies had the entire day free.
So 'ultimate singletrack experience'? I dunno. You be the judge. I don't view our course as better or worse, just different. What I will tell you is that it's a mountain biker's course - one for the purists. The best all-around mountain bikers will probably win. And the goods are...well, good. Really, really good. If you like to mountain bike, you will love this race.
Course Maps & Elevation Profiles
Here they are in all their hi-res glory. Working with dial-up? You cheap bastard. Consider this your punishment for not supporting your local mom and pop Comcast affiliate. What we have below are images and .GPX exchange files of all the courses. You can be a looky-loo or you can download them to your GPS. Have we mentioned that these were created on Topofusion Pro?
They're all subject to change of course. You know that my wife and I just had another baby and that my hormones are all in a tizzy. I might decide tomorrow that it's going to be a recumbent-only event. (Recumbent guys! Keep those fingers crossed!). In the words of Crash Davis, "I really don't know where the ball's going."
As if that's not enough, there's the whole USFS permit approval thingie. Keep in mind that all routes are proposed only – actual routes are subject to Town, county and USFS permit approval process. The order will also probably be shuffled around considerably – with the exception of the prologue, "Stage 1" might not necessarily be Stage 1 if you get my drift. Details on Sunday's seeding prologue are pending, but in essence it’ll be an uphill time trial with 30 second start intervals that will start at about 2PM on Sunday. The prologue is all middle-to-big-ring climbing with one of the best views in the county as a payoff.
The images below (except the overview) display aid stations, marshal locations, starts & finishes as well as emergency access points & medical posts. They are big files - that's so you guys can pull the level of detail that you need out of them in order to plan properly. All courses with the exception of the prologue are split into two images. They are intended to be printed on 11x17 paper.
| COURSE | Elev. Profile |
Mileage / Vertical |
| Prologue | 9 miles / 3015' |
|
| Colorado Trail North | 40 miles / 7790' |
|
| Colorado Trail South | ||
| Gold Dust Trail East | 37 miles / 5503' |
|
| Gold Dust Trail West | ||
| Wheeler Trail South | 39 miles / 7594' |
|
| Wheeler Trail North | ||
| Pennsylvania Creek North | 32 miles / 6011' |
|
| Pennsylvania Creek South | ||
| Guyot East | 47 miles / 9893' |
|
| Guyot West | ||
The routes are hand-drawn within Topofusion on these maps. That means that they're close, but not exact in terms of mileage and vertical. We'd remind you that although these mileages may seem a bit short, you're going to be riding above 10,000 feet most of the time and that there is very little road. On top of that, you'll be riding at race pace. Make no mistake - these are serious rides - local honch Josh Tostado has vouched for their difficulty and fun factor. There are a couple of big days in there and then a few moderate ones to balance it out.
The course "beta". Subject to all the above.
Click on the links below to read more about each section as we've proposed it so far. These babies are not in any particular order. Except the time trial. Duh.
» Prologue: Climbing Time Trial
» Circumnavigation of Guyot Loop
Prologue – Climbing Time Trial – Sunday, 2pm
Approx 10 miles, 2200 feet of climbing
- Start at Carter Park
- Up the switchbacks in 30-second intervals (teams start together)
- Up Moonstone
- Up Barney Ford
- Up Sallie Barber to Nightmare, then up Nightmare
- Up Baldy Road (unpaved) past Iowa Mill to the weather station
Colorado Trail Loop
Approx 41 miles 7300’ climbing
- French Gulch Rd to Gold Run Gulch rd
- Gold Run Gulch rd to Fall Classic Single track
- Fall Classic Single track to Draw
- Draw to Heinous Hill
- Heinous hill to Lincoln back door single track
- Back door to south ridge rd
- South Ridge Rd to Rock Island Gulch rd
- Rock Island Gulch rd to south Swan parallel
- S Swan Parallel to South Fork Of Swan Rd
- South Fork to Parkville rd
- Parkville rd to Middle Fork of Swan rd
- Middle Fork of Swan Rd to Colorado trail
- Colorado trail to Red trail (5-2108W.4)
- Red trail to Homestead
- Homestead to middle Soda Creek 5-316W.1E
- Middle Soda Creek to Horseshoe Gulch Rd
- Horseshoe Gulch Rd to Dredge
- Tiger Rd to Highlands
- Highlands to Gold Run Rd
- Gold Run Rd to Toxic Forest ditch
- Toxic Forest ditch to Upper Flume
- Upper Flume to lower Flume
- Finish at County Garage
Gold Dust Trail Loop
Approx 37 miles 6000’ climbing
- Boreas Pass Rd to Moonstone
- Moonstone to Barney Ford
- Barney Ford to Nightmare on Baldy
- Nightmare on Baldy to Nightmare transfer
- Nightmare transfer to Baldy Rd
- Baldy Rd to Lower Pride Rd
- Lower Pride rd to Pride tr
- Pride Trail to bakers Tank trail
- Bakers Tank trail to Boreas Pass rd
- Boreas Pass rd to Gold Dust tr (south Park RD)
- Gold Dust Tr to Park CR 50
- Park CR 50 to North Tarryall Creek rd
- Tarryall Creek Rd to Selkirk Campground rd
- Selkirk campground rd to Boreas Pass rd
- Boreas Pass rd to Stables tr
- Stables rd to Indian Creek rd (paved)
- Indiana creek rd to Blue River tr
- Blue river tr to Little Mtn tr
- Little Mtn trail to ice rink (finish)
Penn Creek Loop
Approx 31 mile 6100’ climbing
- Boreas Pass Rd to Illinois Gulch rd
- Illinois Gulch Rd to Boreas Pass Rd
- Boreas Pass Rd to Aspen Tunnel Tr
- Aspen Tunnel Tr to Blue River Tr
- Blue River Tr to Royal bypass
- Royal Bypass to Penn Creek Rd
- Penn Crek Rd to Grind
- Grind to West Indiana Creek Rd
- W Indiana Cr Rd to Dyersville Tr
- Dyersville Tr to Dyersvill Rd
- Dyersville Rd to Indiana Cr Rd
- Indiana Cr Rd to BoreasPass Rd
- Boreas Pass Rd to Bakers Tank Tr
- Bakers Tank Tr to Pride tr
- Pride Tr to Pinball Alley
- Pinball Alley to Upper Pride Rd
- Upper Pride Rd to Iowa Mill backdoor Rd
- Iowa Mill Backdoor to Baldy Rd
- Baldy Rd to nightmare transfer
- Nightmare Transfer to trail of tears
- Trail of tears to Sally Barber Rd
- Sally Barber Rd to French Gulch Rd
- French Gulch Rd to Minni Mine
- Minnie Mine to Side Door
- Side Door to South Ridge Rd
- S Ridge Rd to Gibson Hill Rd
- Gibson Hill Rd to Blue Sky Ranch tr
- Blue Sky Ranch tr to Gold Run Rd
- Gold Run Rd to French Gulch Rd
- Finish at Wellington Neighborhood.
Circumnavigation of Guyot Loop
Approx 44 miles 9400’ climbing
- Begin at Breck Elementary Ride to Valley Brook rd
- Valley Brook Rd to Hwy 9
- Hwy 9 to French Gulch Rd
- French Gulch rd to Minne Mine trailhead
- Minnie mine trail to X10U8 trail
- X10U8 trail to Minne Mine trail
- Minnie Mine trail to side door
- Side Door to south Ridge Rd
- South ridge Rd to Little French Flume
- Little French Flume to French Gulch rd
- French Gulch rd to French Gulch trail (South Park RD)
- French Gulch trail to Michigan Creek Rd
- Michigan Creek rd to Glacier Ridge Rd 5-258.1 (Dillon RD)
- Glacier Ridge Rd to Colorado trail
- Colorado trail to ditch intersection
- Ditch intersection to 4WD Rd
- 4WD Rd to South fork of Swan Rd
- S Fork of Swan Rd to Great Flume
- Great Flume to Georgia Gulch Rd 5.561.1 (AKA American Gulch Rd)
- Georgia Gulch Rd to South Ridge Rd
- S Ridge Rd to Side Door
- Side Door to Minne Mine Tr
- Minnie Mine tr to Bomber Tr
- Bomber tr to French Gulch Rd
- Finish At Bomber Trail Parking Lot
Wheeler Loop
Approx 40 miles 7300’ climbing
- Start at Upper Blue
- Climb ski hill rd to ski area
- Peak 8 to Game trail
- Game trail to T-bar
- T bar to Vista house
- Vista House to Frosty’s Challenge
- Frosty’s challenge to Chair 4 mid load
- Chair 4 mid load to Peak 8 to 9 trail
- Peak 8 to 9 trail to Peak 9 access road
- Peak 9 access rd to Burro trail
- Burro trail to Spruce creek road
- Spruce Creek Rd to Aqueduct Road
- Aqueduct rd to Crystal Lakes Rd
- Crystal lakes Rd to Wheeler trail
- Wheeler Trail to Copper Mountain
- Copper Mountain to Bike Path
- Bike Path to Peaks trail
- Peaks trail to Peak 8
- Finish at Peak 8
