Hey again – a quick note tonight, but with important info.
Tomorrow you take on Stage 5, The Wheeler Trail. The stage begins at Beaver Run and we run everyone in 10-person time-trial start waves.
- Your position within each wave is determined by your finish time from today.
- IF YOU DON’T NEATLY FIT INTO THAT LOGIC (if you had a serious mechanical, a DNF, a team that split, or any one of a number of situations that would move you down the start list,) JUST INSERT YOURSELF INTO A WAVE THAT CONTAINS YOUR PEOPLE (the ones you’ve been racing with all week).
- You don’t need to send us a note about this – we trust you.
These starts are pretty seamless and I’m pretty sure that it’s the built-in latitude that allows each of you to self-correct that makes them that way. We see very little abuse or unethical jockeying for position. This format and the way that it’s organized gets you all headed uphill efficiently and safely while also not jamming the entire field into a narrow singletrack right out of the gate.
You’re going to face a few challenges tomorrow. Chief among them? The course. It’s tough. There’s some walking. The descent is rowdy. And the recovery station is a mile or so away from the finish. You’ll need to dig deeply. Still? Worth it. It’s the last real punch this race has to throw, and if the past 4 days are any indication, everyone toeing the line tomorrow is tough as nails.
You got this. Like I said at the meeting, mindset and approach matter; you’re not stuck in here with Wheeler. It’s stuck in here with YOU.
I’ve attached a spreadsheet of start times. If you’d prefer to view things in a Google Sheet, just click HERE.
See you in the am –
MM
BRECK EPIC 2025 STAGE 5 COURSE INFO
START TIME: 8:30am for Wave A
START LOCATION: Beaver Run Resort
FINISH LOCATION: Peak 7 (Peaks Trail Extension – there’s no spectator parking at this area)
START FORMAT: 10-rider TT waves. Please see attached for your start time.
RECOVERY LOCATION: Back at Beaver Run. We’ll have a small water station at the finish, but all the real stuff will be here at The Beav.
DISTANCE: 24.5mi, 39.4km – GPX file attached
ELEVATION: 5250′, 1603m
AID 1: 4mi (sorry!)
AID 2: 17.2mi. Limited parking here. Staff vehicles ONLY. Please park in Bill’s Ranch lot east of the bike path and WALK UP. I’ll be asking staff to record any cars not following these directions. Which seems very bossy. But I’m pretty sure the county and USFS are serious when they say that if we don’t limit cars here, we’ll no longer be able to use this area. Thanks for your help.
RETURN TO START: head downhill on Ski Hill Road. Turn right at stoplight at bottom (Park Ave). Go through roundabout and turn right again on Village Rd. This will take you right to Beaver Run.
NOTES:
– The MEGA EPIC riders are kicking ass. Check them out here.
– The parking lot is open to traffic and there’s more of it than you think headed uphill. Try to be situationally aware and not drive those folks crazy.
– If you walk through the grass between the lot and the start corral, beware of small ground bees. They nest in that area. Lots of small stings over the years.
– The Miner’s Creek descent is pretty loose. Be careful.
– Bacon? Yep. You’re gonna smell it a few miles away.
– Other trail users? BET ON IT. Remember that a smile and a wave go an extraordinarily long way.
– Banquet tickets are on sale on the website if you need them for your supporters.
– Thanks for the many kind notes and words of encouragement. Thanks also to the folks offering suggestions and criticisms. We read ’em all. And really think about how things appear from your end, even if that may sometimes be a tough read.