Aspen Snowmass’ annual Audi Snowmass 50 Mountain Bike Race that returns to Snowmass on Saturday, July 24 utilizes some of the best singletrack in the Roaring Fork Valley. The diverse Audi Snowmass 50 Mountain Bike Race travels along an approximately 25-mile loop that starts and finishes on Fanny Hill near the Snowmass Mall.
The course will cover roughly 25 miles of Snowmass Village’s best singletrack trail and 5,000 vertical feet of ascent per lap. Bikers will depart Fanny Hill via a climb up Discovery and Sleighride Trails, make a quick paved descent on Divide Road to access the beloved South Rim Trail. A stout climb up North Rim will deliver racers to a blazing descent down Seven Star to a well-equipped aid station at Snowmass Town Park/Rodeo grounds before beginning the next climb up Viewline trail to local favorite descent Deadline. The final climb of the course is also the longest, up Highline and Tom Blake trails to Powerline and a short stint on the Elk Camp work road before traversing Expresso and Cross Mountain to the final descent on Village Bound to the start/finish.
Competitors can sign up to one of three divisions being offered; the 50 Mile Solo Racer, 25 Mile Solo Racer, and 50 Mile Team of two, where each team member completes a single lap in a relay.
All participants will receive an exclusive Helly Hansen Snowmass 50 Mountain Bike Race technical shirt and chip-based timing with results at the finish line.
Registration is open online and a portion of proceeds will be donated to the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association (RFMBA).
“RFMBA’s mission is focused on creating and sustaining the best possible mountain bike trails and experiences in the Roaring Fork valley,” says Mike Pritchard, executive director of RFMBA. “Racers help to supercharge our Seasonal Trail Crew’s ongoing trail maintenance work while boosting our advocacy efforts, benefiting riders of all ages and skill levels!”
For more information and to register for the race, visit: www.aspensnowmass.com/while-you-are-here/events/audi-power-of-four-mountain-bike.
The Audi Snowmass 50 Mountain Bike Race is the sister race to the Audi Power of Four Trail Run, taking place July 31, and the Audi Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race which takes place in the winter.
For a complete selection of Aspen Snowmass lodging for summer, please visit Stay Aspen Snowmass: https://www.aspensnowmass.com/plan-your-stay/lodging/summer
Roaring Fork Valley Named IMBA Gold-Level Ride Center
The Roaring Fork Valley, home to the towns of Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, and Snowmass Village, including the Snowmass Bike Park, is designated as a Gold-Level Ride Center by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). The Gold-Level IMBA Ride Center™ designation is the first in Colorado, and just the seventh worldwide. With more than 300 miles of high quality single-track to explore, the Roaring Fork Valley provides a wide-breadth of trails for both local and visiting riders.
The IMBA Gold-Level evaluation criteria is comprised of variety of trail types, overall trail mileage, quality of trail experiences, destination best practices, and local services. The Roaring Fork Valley’s system of trails scored high marks in each of these categories, contributing to the IMBA Gold-Level designation. With the growth of mountain biking and its evolution into a broadly appealing sport, the communities of the Roaring Fork Valley have developed single-track trails to satisfy user demands while increasing sustainability. The Roaring Fork Valley’s public and private land managers, including Aspen Snowmass, have each studied, approved, and built additional mileage and made countless improvements to the Valley’s single-track trail system in order to achieve this award.
For more information, visit: https://www.aspensnowmass.com/inside-aspen-snowmass/stories/mountain-biking-in-the-roaring-fork-valley.
