Start – Steven C West Ice Arena – located .25 miles east of HWY 9 on Boreas Pass Road
Top – Aspen Tunnel – this is where the riders dive into the singletrack after the 3 mile road climb. You’ll need to leave the start by car (or bike!). Drive or ride up Boreas Pass Road approximately 3 miles until it turns to dirt at the Park at the winter trailhead. The turn into singletrack is just up the road .1 mile.
Bottom – Aspen Tunnel – ride or walk after the race starts to the first hairpin in Boreas Pass Road (approx .5 miles). The riders will be coming down from your left (uphill) via Aspen Tunnel and headed out the Blue River Trail.
Baker’s Tank (Aid 1) – if you’ve parked at the Baker’s Tank Winter Trailhead, you can continue by bike or car approx 3 miles up Boreas Pass Road to Aid 1. Drive a bit further west (and keep your eyes out for course markings!) and you can see the field climb up Indiana Gulch before they turn west on Boreas Pass Road towards Aid 1.
Sallie Barber (Aid 2) – head west on Wellington Road. Turn right on French Gulch Road and continue for approx 4 miles to the Sallie Barber Trailhead. There is no vehicle traffic allowed beyond the gated entrance to the Mountain Meadows subdivision, so please respect property owners here.
Gold Run Road/French Gulch Road – After climbing Little French and navigating Lincoln Meadows, riders will descend Gold Run Road (unpaved, homeowner access only please) to turn LEFT (east) on the paved section of French Gulch Road. This is directly across from a cute little subdivision called the Wellington Neighborhood. You’ll recognize it because all the houses are ADORABLE.
B&B Trailhead – – drive or bike east on French Gulch Road from town approx 1 mile. You’ll see a break in the willows on your right just after the Country Boy Mine (also on your right). Look for yellow trail markers (but don’t park in front of one!). Riders turn in from the road here before jumping on the V3 trail.
Finish – Carter Park – this is right in town and accessible by foot or bike! Take any east/west street from North of Main Street. Head east to High Street, then hang a right. High Street dead-ends into Carter Park!
Stage 2 is a big backcountry course, so spectating opportunities are limited. Of course if you know where you’re going, you can ride your bike anywhere on course, right?
One of the best opportunities to see the field assemble is at the start. It’s hosted at the same place for the next three days. Head downtown to the corner of Ridge Street and Lower Washington, just across the street from Blue River Plaza.
NExt best place by CAR? Aid 1! Drive south from Breck on Highway 9 and turn right (east) on Tiger Road. Continue east past the dredge lot (this is Aid 2) until you see a big field on your right, just across from Good Times Dogsled Tours. Look for our tents and jump into the action.
The next spectator location is just back the way you came at the Dredge Lot on Tiger Road. Riders will be coming back over the ridge and headed back towards Breck from here. Parking is limited and this road can be busy, so be careful.
Once your rider passes, you’ve got enough time to get to the finish at the B&B lot. From Breck, head east on Wellington Road, which merges into French Gulch Road. Continue east past Country Boy Mine. You’ll see our finish infrastructure on the road. Park in the lot (not on the road!) and be careful – it’s open to traffic.
Tuesday, August 15, 2023: The Circumnavigation of Mt. Guyot
Stage 3’s start once again takes place at the intersection of Washington and Ridge Streets.
Head out French Gulch Road for about 4 miles. Just a few hundred feet past the Sallie Barber Trailhead/Parking Lot, you’ll be able to catch the field as it enters the woods.
Park your car there and walk or ride a mile more past the Mountain Meadows gate (it’s locked) to catch the field at Aid 1.
Feeling feisty? Keep on hiking or riding up French Gulch! Eventually, you’ll come to the top of the pass. This is the Continental Divide (one of two crossings today for our field). Post up here…and bring some Skittles to hand out to the riders. Bonus points for sending pics!
Want to stay on THIS side of the county? Head to Aid 3 for another great spectator spot. From Breck, Head north on HWY 9, then turn right on Tiger Road. Follow the road back past the Dredge Trailhead. A few miles further up the road, bear right and look for Good Times Dogsled Tours. Park in the lot across the road (it’s all dredge rock), then walk to the aid station from there. From the parking lot, head west on Parkville Road (it’s on the south side of the lot). After a short walk or ride, you’ll find Aid 3 at the bottom of American Gulch near what we call the Stringer Bridge. Alternately, you can ride your bike to the top of American Gulch from the Breck side and descend to this aid station.
Looking for Aid 2? It’s in Park County! Yes, THAT Park County. Drive approximately 1:30 minutes to get there by exiting Breckenridge to the south via HWY 9. Continue to through Alma to Fairplay, then turn LEFT on HWY 285 until you see County Road 35. Turn left, then left again on County Road 54. Continue for a few miles until you see Aid 2 on your right just past the bottom of the French Pass descent.
Wednesday, August 16, 2023: Aqueduct
For the 3rd day in a row, we’re starting at the corner of Ridge and Washington right in the heart of downtown Breck. It’s an amazing place to see the entire field, get a great pic of the start, and find yourself a cup of coffee once your rider has left.
Aid 1 is at the Tiger Dredge Lot at mile 10.5. Head north from town on HWY 9, then turn east (right) on Tiger Run Road. At about 3 miles, you’ll see the Tiger Dredge Trailhead parking lot. Space is limited here, but it’s a great place to catch your rider.
More to come – this one is tricky!
Thursday, August 17, 2023: Wheeler
Today’s start takes place at Beaver Run! Riders leave in 10-rider waves separated by 60 seconds.
Aid 1 can be accessed (almost!) by vehicle. Head south on HWY 9, then turn right on Crown Road about 2 miles past town. If you pass Goose Pasture Tarn (a small lake) on your right, you’ve gone too far. Continue on Crown Road and take a right on Spruce Creek Road. Keep heading south on Spruce Creek Road until you come to a wide open parking lot. The road is 4wd high-clearance after this point and there’s NO parking at the aid station. Walk or ride uphill (south) for about 1 mile until you come to the aid station.
Aid 2 is at the northern end of the Peak’s Trail in Frisco. Turn left at the second entrance to Peak One BLVD (past the hospital). Take an IMMEDIATE RIGHT on to Miner’s Creek Rd. You’ll cross through the Bill’s Ranch neighborhood and then cross the bike path. Continue on Miner’s Creek until you come to the aid station.
The finish is at Peak 7 on Breckenridge Ski Resort. Take the gondola from downtown Breck and look uphill once you arrive on Peak 7!
Friday, August 18, 2023
Welcome to Stage 6, The Gold Dust Trail! Today is a short stage that will see riders finish after 2-4 hours on course. The first, last and best place to catch the action is at the start/finish area at the Steven C West Ice Arena just a half mile east of HWY 9 on Boreas Pass Road.
Just a tick up Boreas Pass Road is the entrance to Aspen Alley. Walk or ride from the start to the first hairpin turn on the road to see the riders exit the social trails from the south and head UP Aspen Alley.
From there, drive or ride up Boreas Pass Road to Baker’s Tank Trail. Riders will be coming from the Tank Trail and headed east on Boreas Pass Road.
You’ll drive for about 2 miles past Boreas Pass Road to Aid 1/Aid 2 (it’s a shared location). This is a RAD place to see the race and the nuttiness of its athletes and supporters.
The riders descend Indiana Gulch and the Blue River Trail to the finish, so your best bet is to head to either the rink from there or to the bottom of the Blue River Trail (the same location mentioned in the second bullet point above). From the parking area/heritage site, walk a bit east along the trail until you see course arrows. The riders will be riding in the reverse direction on the social trails from the way they started.
