Breck Epic 3-Day Numero Tres

Today wraps up the 3rd and final day of racing for me here at the Breck Epic 3-Day. However, the 6 day folks are still in for some more tough rides over the next two days. So today's stage was called the Keystone/Aqueduct Loop, because we went up by the Keystone skiing area. The totals for the day included 43 miles of riding with more than 8000 feet of climbing.

The stage was a much different than yesterday. Overall a much faster paced race and you had to do a lot more pedaling over the length of the stage. It started out similar to two days ago where we went up Heinous Hill, which is a super steep, granny gear pushing climb. A really good way to warm your legs up when they are pretty tired and would rather not move to begin with. Then we got to descend down Galena Gulch, which was a rocky, steep, fast, and super fun downhill descent.

From there we hit the Colorado trail andstartedthe next climb which was mild and fairly rolling terrain. But our luck would soon run out when we encountered Vomit Hill. The name implies just that, you want to vomit. It was a super steep climb that was mostly hike a bike, but nonetheless it was so steep that it was over as quick as it started.

From there we descended down to meet up with the Aqueduct Trail. Which was a big chain ring grind all the way around the ridge of the mountain before we got to the second aid station on Keystone Gulch Road. It was a lot of fun and a good way to finally get the legs up to speed again. I was lucky enough to have a guy to help set the tempo for us and I just sat on his wheel. I was familiar with the loop so I basically tour guided him through the trails and he just pedaled like an animal. So needless to say it was a win-win situation for the two of us.

Just before the aid station we had a crazy stream crossing on a bridge that was shaking and moving while riding it. Crazy fun.

Once we hit Keystone Gulch Road it began a 7 mile fire road climb to the top of West Ridge where we would once again meet up with the Colorado Trail. This climb was a much needed relief to the racing. You could settle into a good pace and actually pick your gears versus being stuck in granny gear like some of the previous climbs. At the top we peaked out at about 11,100 feet and we were rewarded with a 5 miles of screaming fast downhill. I have said it before and will say it again, the Colorado Trail is amazing!


After all of that fun I had to buckle down and put my game face on. As we still had one more nasty climb left after we hit aid station three. The first mile was a teaser as it was only about 2% grade. Then it kicked up to a leg crushing steepness. It was a good 15+ minutes of granny gear, quad busting goodness. But after that we were basically home free. Only one more shorter 400 foot climb and then it was all downhillto the finish. Coming down the Minnie Mine Trail was awesome as I hit 38 mph coming down the singletrack!

Ended up finishing in around 4 hours and 10minutes which was very solid as I was hoping to ride under 4:15. I was super pleased with my performance as I felt like I was on the gas all day today and really pushed myself. My effort today helped to place me up in GC to a 5th overall in the mens open category. At the finish the super awesome aid station guru fixed me a nutella, peanut butter, banana, and marshmallow puff sandwich. It was delicious. I have to say that the backdrop to the finish was quite impressive in itself as well.

Breck Epic 3-Day Numero Dos

Well today was the start of the 2nd day of racing for me. I could tell I went a little too hard yesterday because my legs were a bit sore. Which is not always the best day to start out a stage that they label as a "big one." Either way though I felt pretty good once we got moving and Adam and I agreed that we would ride the stage together so that we were not lost out there in no mans land like yesterday.

We started out quite similar to yesterday with a neutral rollout heading up French Gulch Road. We then made our way up the first climb to 11,100 feet on Humbug Hill. From there we had an awesome but very crazy descent down French Gulch. With all of the rain they have been having the gulch had many places of erosion where you were either pinballing off rocks or walking your bike through huge washouts. Still a blast though.

From there we began our first super tough climb. The Little French Pass climb which hits just over 12,000 feet in elevation. We climb up and go over the saddle between Mt. Baldy and Mt. Guyout. Hence why today's stage is called the Guyout Loop. This was super tough as we were riding up streams, tons of bumps, oh and it felt like you were breathing through a straw. The toughest part was the last .25 miles or so where we had to hike a bike. Felt very similar to the Columbine climb in Leadville.

Once we crested the top we had an awesome descent over and ice glacier. Conveniently I got a good picture of Adam falling on the snow about 10 feet before it ended. If you look closely you can see him about to hit the deck.


From there we had an awesome descent down to the next aid station which was a blast. Up until the make shift bridge we went across which was made out of pine trees. As I was crossing it some crazy guy tried to pass me and the logs moved so I fell right into the freezing water.

At the bottom of the descent we immediately started to head back uphill again. This time it was to the top of Georgia Pass which tops out at about 11,800 feet. Luckily though it was about a 4 mile road climb. So Adam and I just hunkered down and clipped it out.

The best part is yet to come. After crossing the Georgia Pass we had 4 miles of Colorado Trail descending. This was by far some of the best riding I have done in Colorado. There were tons of rocks and roots and it was awesome. But my hands were pretty beat up so by the end I was ready to be down to the road.

After that we had one last big climb of about 1500 feet up American Gulch. It was steep, hot, and we were tired. Enough said! At the top though we were treated to some great rolling terrain, fast descents, and awesome singletrack to bring us home to the finish.

Today we ended up doing 39 miles or so of riding with over 8500 feet of climbing...BOOM! Definitely a great race and by far epic! Looking forward to tomorrow as it will be a lot of riding the Colorado Trail the opposite direction from what we did yesterday. Luckily I have ridden most of the loop so I will know what is in store.

Breck Epic 3-day - Day Numero Uno

Well today kicked off the first day of the Breck Epic 3-Day stage race. While it also served as Day two for the full 6 day Stage Race. Last night there were multiple rain showers that passed through Breckenridge leaving the trails today in immaculate condition. Meaning you could go a lot faster without risk of sliding out and crashing, so thumbs up for that! The view in the morning here in Breck is second to none.

We started at around 8:10 am from downtown Breckenridge and the had a neutral rollout down Washington Street, then once we hit the dirt it was game one.

I felt really good starting out the day and was super excited to be riding my bike. We climbed up Gold Run Gulch Road and then descended down to Tiger Road. All was going well until about mile 13 when myself and two other guys missed the turn to hit the Colorado Trail. So we ended up doing about 2 miles and 10 minutes extra of riding. Which if that is the worst that happens I will take that.

After that we got on the Colorado Trail and started to climb up toward the West Ridge. The views up there are amazing. After we climbed for about 5 miles we then got to the fun part 7 miles of awesome descending. It had everything dirt, rocks, trees, prairies, and awesome scenery. Check out the videos below for some of the great terrain we had during the downhill portion.

After that it was back to more climbing of course we worked are way back up a couple of more climbs before making our way back down to Tiger Road. After that we then climbed back up Gold Run Gulch Road and the Upper Flume Trail. That was a butt kicker because it was one root after another and my back was sore by that point. At the top though we were treated to rolling terrain and a little bit of pavement to stretch the legs. From that point it was a downhill, adrenaline pumping ride all the way down Minnie Mine Trail to the finish.

In a nutshell today was awesome. If you have never been on the Colorado Trail it is absolutely amazing whether you bike, run, hike, etc. Today the total was about 42 miles and about 7000 feet of climbing give or take. Can't wait to start tomorrow. The map at the top shows the route we did today. You can also click the link to check it out on google maps.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trainingpeaks.com%2Fsw%2Fkml%2FYD42RBPUTAG6XE2UQ42XSKOCVM