GoPro Mountain Games adds Mountain Bike ‘Elements’ virtual event to summer schedule

The Vail Valley Foundation Thursday issued the following press release about adding a July 25 mountain bike event to its summer of GoPro Mountain Games ‘Elements’ events in Vail:

Every experience is better when it’s shared. Under that principle, the GoPro Mountain Games is adding a July 25 mountain bike event to its summer of GoPro Mountain Games ‘Elements’ events in Vail.

The Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts more than 80,000 spectators and thousands of athletes in Vail each year in early June as a part of the GoPro Mountain Games, announced the new Mountain Bike ‘Elements’ event, adding to a yoga event planned for Vail’s Lower Bench area July 18, and a running event planned for later in August (details to be announced soon).

Register now at mountaingames.com. The event is free, with a suggested donation to the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation. Competitors can also select to participate and then watch Teton Gravity Research’s new mountain bike movie, “Accomplice,” showing at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater July 25.

“A big part of the GoPro Mountain Games are the connections we make with one another, and even though we aren’t able to host the event in its normal format this year, we wanted to take portions of the event and maintain that spirit of connectivity to mountain sports, and one another,” said Sarah Franke, Vice President of Marketing and Operations for the Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail each June.

Ride, record, engage

The GoPro Mountain Games Elements: Mountain Bike event will take place wherever YOU are. Riders will record their ride on any activity tracker (like Strava, Fitbit, Garmin, etc), and upload to the GoPro Mountain Games registration system, or share photos or video of their rides on social media with the hashtag #MtnGamesElements.

Either approach will earn participants $5 off registration for the 2021 GoPro Mountain Games , which opens early next year.

Riders are encouraged to try to match the 2,800-feet of vertical and 16+ miles traversed by the pro riders on a typical GoPro Mountain Games course, but any ride will do.

“We realize many people are not in a place where that much vertical is possible, and in terms of the length, we want riders to set and achieve whatever goal feels attainable for them,” Franke said. “The main thing is that we will all be able to participate, and connect, virtually in 2020.”

Riders must make their ride between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., Mountain Standard Time, on July 25, and upload a link to their activity to the GoPro Mountain Games registration system, or make a social post, by noon on July 26, 2020. Compete with friends or virtually ride with other Mountain Games athletes near and far with the new GoPro Mountain Games Strava Club. Joining the club is completely free through the Strava app and offers athletes the opportunity to engage with the Mountain Games and other competitors throughout the year.

Teton Gravity Research Movie tickets and more

Riders can also opt into the “Ride and a Movie” option, which will give them a pair of custom-designed Smartwool socks, plus a ticket to the July 25 showing of the brand-new mountain bike movie, “Accomplice,” from Teton Gravity Research.

Tickets to the movie will also be sold separately to the general public.

The movie will be shown at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail on its 23-foot-by-9-foot video screen, with outdoor seating on the lawn (socially distanced) July 25. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the movie starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available for a limited number of riders to sign up for the “Ride and a Movie” option.

Tickets to the movie are also available to those who don’t take part in the Mountain Games Elements ride. Buy your ticket, and learn more, at grfavail.com. The movie is rain or shine, and maximum capacity is 175. The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater typically holds 2,600+ people, so there is plenty of room to social distance.

The Elements series opens with Yoga with Arielle Shipe at the Lower Bench of Ford Park in Vail Saturday, July 18 at 8:30 a.m. and organizers say they are also looking to add a run event in August. Stay tuned at www.mountaingames.com.