Nobody Does it Alone

We believe events can do more than start and finish. Since 2000, we’ve tried to use the platform we’ve built — our community, our voice, our relationships — to leave things a little better than we found them. We’ve had a lot of help along the way. And an incredible number of people who’ve cared enough to offer guidance, advice and even thoughtful critique.

All of it has helped. Here’s a look at where we’ve been (with a little help from our friends).

Youth & education  *  Advocacy & Stewardship  *  The Race Itself  * Inclusion  * Growth of the Sport

Co-founded with Jeff Westcott, MTB Little League (now MTB-something else after a spicy letter from Major League Baseball’s attorney) introduced riders ages 7–17 to advanced trail skills and the concepts of stewardship and advocacy. We treated kids like adults. Explained the stakes. And instilled the concepts of ownership and pride. We also had a metric truckload of fun. On race nights and organized group rides (ask us about “THE KEVIN KANE RULE”).

MTBLL alumni have since captured hundreds of national titles across disciplines, and many have gone on to professional careers. They brought their parents into (or back to) the sport. And are now beginning to enroll their own kids. This. This is how you plant seeds.

Again, a plot hatched with Westcott. Inspired in equal parts by Leadville(really!) and outrage (as only young men can feel it) at the state of the NORBA National Series, we set out to create something that delivered not just experience, but VALUE. When we walked it around the community, the typical response was, “50 miles?! Are you crazy?!”

We began planning anyway. With just a few simple things in mind; 1) every rider would get a t-shirt and a pair of socks with entry, 2) we’d operate with a very simple promise to our riders; “YOU bring your bike. WE’RE gonna worry about everything else.” That service philosophy launched 1000 ships. It serves us well to this day. And The Firecracker? Now produced by the Town of Breck, it’s the best 50-miler on the planet. Still. Always.

Conceived in the lower level of Clint’s Coffeeshop & Bakery, Epic was framed around a simple observation: we could do something like this RIGHT HERE(!) — and riders could sleep in the same bed every night. With that convenient oversimplification duly noted, the cloverleaf format and six big big BIG stages were born. What followed was 20 years we didn’t quite see coming. Epic instills a love of Colorado and of this town like nothing else. Kind of like one of those ear-things from Star Trek: Wrath of Khan. It leaves a mark. Changes its riders. Makes cycling better.

When DC-based advocacy groups proposed ‘W’ designation for most of Summit County — effectively closing it to mountain biking — Epic’s community database (and let’s be honest, it’s big mouth and ‘burn the ships’ mentality) helped local leaders bring accountability and transparency to the process. We co-founded the Wilderness B (Wilderness with Bikes) movement and became an early voice in normalizing Congressionally-enacted companion designations. It was messy, complicated, and worth every moment.

Building on MTBLL’s structure, we launched MTB 101 in the Vail Valley. Managed and owned by Karen Jarchow for a decade now, its summer sessions sell out in minutes each year–a testament to her ability to next-level a great idea. Together with MTB Little League, it’s introduced an entire generation to mountain biking, stewardship and the importantce of linking arms with likeminded user groups. It’s arguably our most durable contribution to the sport.

A program designed to connect neighborhoods to schools using purpose-built flow trails created within existing greenspaces. The goal was simple: get kids on bikes. Get them smiling. Given a generous assist from world-class trailbuilder Matt Thompson, co-owner of Momentum Trail Concepts, Singletrack Sidewalks has since taken root in dozens of communities across the country as developers and planners recognize what movement and connection can do for a neighborhood.

An unstated goal since Epic’s founding was to add something meaningful to mountain biking’s landscape — a stage race where drama plays out over days, not hours. In 2017, we were granted UCI S1 status, making Breck Epic the only event in North America to receive that designation. This was one way (of several) to make a mark. S1 status generated an incredible race field, a survivable amount of UCI commissaire fussiness, a practical application lesson in perspective for our team, and valuable UCI points for both elite fields (which helped all of those riders with improved start positions at events around the world). Would we do it again? Maybe. Parts of it were kinda awesome. And the pinch-points weren’t that bad. Spendy tho. Holy balls.

We worked for almost 18 months with the Ironman team to map out a potential purchase of Epic. The people on their side were (and are) great. The money? Modest in Fortune 500 terms, but lifechanging for our family. Lifelong goals (college tuition for our kids for example) would have been erased from our list of worries. In the end though, we felt that their vision of Epic, one that included a massive increase in field size, was incompatible with the values of the community. And also with the experience we wanted to present to our riders.

We’ve been approached by many larger (than us) event entities since 2016 — seven serious acquisition conversations in total. We’ve declined in every case. Not because we’re not open to that, but because we’ve yet to hear a vision for growth that matches ours. So we declined Ironman’s offer. It was the right call then, but it wasn’t without a bit of regret. You should see their warehouse. Wonkaland. You know what kind of magic we could make with access to that stuff? And with the support of that team?

Epic can grow. There’s a plan. One that’s sustainable, wholesome, predictable and welcomed by the bike industry and that fits within the rhthyms of the community. Somewhere out there, there’s a vision that matches ours. Hopefully held by someone who owns a warehouse full of kickass gear. In the meantime tho? We’re still here. Proudly independent.

The spiritual precursor to today’s Breck Epic Women’s Tour. Race of Thrones gathered 40 of the best riders from the elite MTB, CX, and road fields, granting free entry in equal number to men and women, each racing at the top of their respective disciplines. They converged in Breck to race head-to-head for six days. It was GLORIOUS. Fans from around the world showed up to watch their sport’s best compete for an entire week. And another seed was planted. Another ingredient in our pantry cultivated.

A flashpoint in a national conversation with no shortage of strong opinions. Promoters across the country, us included, have been engaged in the discussion for over a decade. There are no easy answers. In the absence of absolutes, we trusted our athletes to categorize themselves fairly, and with respect for their competitors. We have a long history of initiatives squarely aimed at leveling the playing field for women. And others that grow the sport from its very roots. To this group, too often used as a political wedge, we offered, simply, welcome and shelter.

We Didn’t Do Any of This Alone

This is a list of hits. Accomplishments of which we’re proud. Ones that took a village (in one way or another). It’s incomplete, but reciting a full inventory seems like an exercise in vanity. Doing good work is the point. Getting credit for it doesn’t matter. But exhibiting leadership? Inspiring others to take big swings? That merits something in-between. So we made a list.

We’ve got a list of misses too. It’s a lot longer than this one. We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the acheivements listed above. To be honest, we spend most of our time deconstructing the failures; forensically examining the stuff that wasn’t quite what we’d hoped.

Intent matters. Every failure delivers a lesson. And if you’re lucky (and paying attention), a hard-earned and sometimes painful piece of wisdom. This list above? We were able to do those things because of the b-sides, not in spite of them.

We believe in kids. And women. And dogs. And men. And also bikes. Plus guacamole (homemade or table-side prepped) and a proper margarita. Gotta keep it simple.

Thanks for taking a spin. We’ve got miles to go before we’re done.

– Breck Epic