Kerkove’s bit time Breck-Epic

Photo credit: Jeff Kerkove

By Jeff Kerkove

If you weren’t there…then you missed out BIG TIME! What am I talking about? I am talking about the 6 day Breck-Epic Stage Race. Located in Breckenridge, CO, this six-day event features a new backcountry race loop every day for just under a week. These aren’t your typical buff XC loops you have come to love….or hate. I am talking about trails made and used by mules & miners that brought gold down from the mountaintops back in 1850’s.

The extensive trail network in and around Breckenridge just screams to be used for this style of racing. So, when I saw that for the first time in USA cycling history a 6 day stage race was coming to Colorado….I had to sign up….as did 150 other mountain bikers from around the World.

Photo credit: Tommy McMillar

The event started out with a 9 mile Prologue consisting of an uphill TT from 9,600 ft up to over 12,200 ft. The drama started early for the Breck-Epic and its racers as a freak afternoon thunderstorm rolled off the 10 Mile Range to the west of town. Bringing heavy rains, hail, and strong winds, this storm set the tone for the days stage…and opened the eyes of those racers from outside of Colorado. The storm was brutal enough above 11,000 feet that the race organizers shortened the stage by 1.5 miles in order to keep us riders from being struck down by the hands of God…or otherwise known as lightening.

While I could sit here and give you a blow by blow of each stage…I am not. There is simply too much that went on over the 6 days of the event. My brain is as mushy as my race legs are. Rather, I am going to highlight a few of those things that make the Breck-Epic a piece of American mountain bike history.

Photo credit: Tommy McMillar

The Breck-Epic is mountain biking in its purest form. Every day is like going out with your riding buddies for a big back country hammerfest. The rocks are big, loose, and a plenty. The tree roots are everywhere and wet, ready to aid in pointing your bike in the wrong direction. The climbs are steep and looooooooooong…and the air is thin. How often to you get to ride or run across a snow field at 12,000 feet at your typical mountain bike race? Or past old mining ruins? That’s what I thought. One of most talked about sections of the race was a 40 minute hike-a-bike on the Wheeler Trail to Copper Mountain. Regardless of rider talent…you were pushing or carrying your bike. The Breck-Epic terrain does not favor or respect rider talent. Pros and amateur riders were forced off their bikes.

Photo credit: Tommy McMillar

Flow. While I could link this word to describe the flume trails we rode all week….I would rather tag this word to the organization and day-to-day operations of the event. Event promoter Mike McCormack had his shit together. As a mountain biker himself, he put on an event for mountain bikers. No B.S. here. Simply show up every AM…..ride your guts out…cry a little in pain and suffering…return to the finish line….then head home to rest up an do in again the next day. With 30-50 mile backcountry loops every day, the crew at the Breck-Epic did NOT leave us guessing which way to go. Course markings were perfect! Also have to mention that the aid stations on each stage were stocked better than your local Super Market. Riders had their choice of all kinds of nutrition….as well as access to Squirt bike lube and their drop bags which were picked up at the start of each stage an dragged out to the backcountry.

Overall, the 6 day Breck-Epic Stage Race was one of the best things I have ever done on a bicycle. It is what mountain biking was intended to be: epic, egoless, and pure. Mark your calendars for 2010 to get a piece of the pie. The Breck-Epic launches riders into the backcountry on August 22 to August 28.

Event website: www.breckepic.com
To follow Jeff”s pro mountain bike racing adventures go to www.jeffkerkove.net

Jeff is also the Marketing and Athlete/Event Relations director for Ergon USA, Inc.