The Breck Epic

From the 12^th to the 17^th of August I participated in Colorado’s biggest MTB stage race, called The Breck Epic.

The 240mile course was laid out in a clover leaf format around Breckenridge, providing riders with the opportunity to settle in and make the beautiful little ski town their home for the full 6 days of racing.

Stage one: Pennsylvania Gulch, 63.3km

Stage 1 started at the bottom of “Boreas Pass”, meaning we had to climb from the word go. Starting alongside the men, it felt like everyone was giving 100 percent up the climb and I knew I couldn’t keep that pace for a full 63.3km. I decided to race a bit more conservatively and as we dashed into the first single track section I found myself lying in 5^th position. 

As the stage progressed I started catching the girls one by one, and by the time I reached the first waterpoint I moved into the lead. I couldn’t believe it, especially when I heard the race commentator at the waterpoint say that I was 30 seconds in front of the well known Amanda Carey. She is currently leading the NUE Series (100 mile events) in America and riding for the strong Kenda/Felt squad. I decided to switch tactics and put everything into a stage win. It paid off and I took line honours in the first stage of Breck Epic 2012 handing me the race lead as well. Amanda finished in 2^nd place and Karen Jarchow (Yeti Beti)in 3^rd.

Stage two: The Colorado Trail, 66km

Ominously, rain drops fell as we left the start line for the 2^nd day of racing. Normally in Colorado storms pass pretty quickly, but this time around the rain decided to stay for the entire day. This left us to race a wet, cold and muddy stage. A combination of fatigue (from the previous day’s hard effort) and the cold, wet weather as well as stopping twice with a flat tire left me battling home in 3^rd place on the stage.

Amanda won the stage, with local Karen Jarchow (Yeti Beti) in 2^nd place. Despite a long day out, I still managed to hold onto 2^nd place overall.

Stage three: The Guyot Loop, 70.8km

By now I had learned that all the stages start at the bottom of some hill, meaning you’ll be climbing for at least the first hour of racing, often reaching heights well over 3500m above sea level.

Amanda and I rode together for most of the stage with her following my every move to protect her overall lead. On 2 occasions she opened a small gap on me in the technical descents, but I managed to ride back up to her on the following ascents. The final kilometres led us into a single track which spat us out right at the finish line. Amanda used her local knowledge, beating me into the last section and taking the stage victory with me finishing in 2^ndplace right behind her.

Stage four: The Keystone Loop, 67.6km

By day 4 the battle started taking on a familiar routine, with Amanda trying to take advantage on the technical descents while I forced the pace on the climbs. The stage back tracked a lot of the Colorado Trail which we did on Monday in the rain. Amanda tried her best to get away from me on the long single track sections, but I always kept her in check.

As I reached the foot of the final climb, I spotted her 200m in front of me. I realized that if I could catch her and gain enough time during the final climb that I might have a chance for another stage win.  I caught and passed her on the steepest slopes, cresting the climb with just over a minute’s advantage. With less than 7km remaining to the finish I rode a mini time trial which was well worth the effort as it earned me another stage victory and a few minutes time gain.

Stage Five: The Wheeler Loop, 64.4km

Everybody was talking about the Wheeler Pass stage and the very unique panoramic view from the top. The only downside was that the last third of the climb turned onto a hiking trail, where one had to push or carry your bike for at least 30 min before reaching the summit.

The ‘hike-a-bike’ section took quite a bit out of me and I struggled with concentration as I started making my way down the rocky hiking trail on the backside of Wheeler Pass. The trail was also off camber making me drift to one side until I eventually drifted too far and crashed. Luckily I didn’t get hurt, but it didn’t do my confidence any good as I made way down to the foot of the pass.

Amanda put her bike handling skills and Breck 100 experience to good use, reaching the bottom a few minutes before me. From here the Peak’s Trail took us back to Breckenridge offering little opportunity to catch back up to Amanda who won the penultimate stage.

Stage Six: The Gold Dust Loop 59.5km

The Gold Dust Loop offered a final opportunity to go for a stage win. With two long climbs the course suited me well and I decided to go all in. The half way mark of the stage signalled the start of the longest ascent of the day up the back of Boreas Pass. I rode as hard as I could from the bottom and battled the head wind over the top to open a significant gap to Amanda. On the downhill that followed I tried not to touch my brakes too much and was very happy to win the concluding stage of the Breck Epic. Amanda followed shortly to take the overall win with me in 2^ndplace and Ciara Macmanus in 3^rd.

I really enjoyed the Breck Epic and what made it different from other stage races is the amount of single track and purpose built trails which we traversed during the six days of racing.  It is quite fascinating what is possible when a community comes together to build, maintain and enjoy mountain bike trails on such a scale.