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Vail Recreation District announces dates of VRD Mountain Bike Town Series

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April 19, 2016, 12:16 pm
The Vail Recreation District on Tuesday announce the dates of its 33rd season of the VRD Mountain Bike Town Series. The Vail Recreation District will kick off the season with the Spring MTB Short Track Series beginning April 27. This is the sixth year for short track racing, which will feature three races this spring. The short track series is then followed by the Athletic Club at the Westin Mountain Bike Series presented by East West Destination Hospitality and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, featuring seven cross-country races at locations around the Eagle County. The action wraps up in the fall with two cyclocross races to finish out the season.
vail mountain bike series
During the short track races, racers will compete on a condensed dirt loop, with racers completing as many laps as possible in the allotted time. Youth riders will race for 10 minutes and adult racers will compete for 20 minutes. An average lap will take approximately two minutes to complete.

VRD Town Series Race Director Beth Pappas is looking forward to the racing season. “The Spring MTB Short Track Series is a great opportunity for younger riders to get a feel for mountain bike racing. The short track series offers racers a fun, adrenaline-pumping way to get back in biking and racing shape after a long winter,” said Pappas. “Short track is a perfect introduction for younger athletes and beginner racers to race shorter, less challenging courses. Overall, it’s great preparation for our Athletic Club at the Westin Mountain Bike Series.”

Three races will return to the Town Series lineup after a number of years off the schedule. On June 8, the Hammer in the Hay race will take racers through 4 Eagle Ranch near Wolcott for the first time since 2012. The Camp Hale Hup is back after a two-year break, and will feature a similar course of double track and single track along the Continental Divide Trail. Introduced in 2010, the Boneyard Brawl course makes a comeback to the popular single- and double-track trails on the East Eagle Trail, Bellyache Road and the Boneyard Trail.

The following are the dates and locations of the VRD Mountain Bike Town Series. Details for individual events can be found at www.vailrec.com.

Spring MTB Short Track Series
April 27 – 4 Eagle Ranch, 4 Eagle Ranch
May 4 – Eagle County Fairgrounds, Eagle
May 11 – Maloit Park, Minturn
Athletic Club at the Westin Mountain Bike Series
May 25 – Eagle Ranch Classic, Eagle
June 8 – Hammer in the Hay, 4 Eagle Ranch, Wolcott
June 22 – Berry Creek Bash, Edwards
July 6 – Davos Dash, Vail
July 20 – Camp Hale Hup, near Red Cliff
August 3 – Boneyard Brawl, Eagle
August 24 – Beaver Creek Blast, Beaver Creek Mountain
Fall Cyclocross Races
September 7 – Maloit Park, Minturn
September 14 – Eagle County Fairgrounds, Eagle

In an attempt to simplify categories and accommodate the growing number of younger racers, slight alterations to the categories have been made based on last year’s races and participant feedback. In the adult series, the vet, master and grand master titles have been dropped, however the age and skill designations have not changed. An 18 & under sport category has been added, allowing younger competitors to race longer and more challenging courses with their peers. Finally, significant changes have been made to the Larkburger Youth Series categories, which will now offer beginner and sport categories for all age groups, giving kids more options to race at their comfort and ability level. A full list of categories and rules is available at www.vailrec.com.

Short track races cost $15 for preregistered adults and $20 on race day. Youth short track racers can preregister for $5 per race or $7 on race day. Discounted series registration is available for both youth and adults. For the Athletic Club at the Westin Mountain Bike Series, individual adult races cost $26 for preregistration or $37 on race day. Racers can also register for the entire race series for $155 by May 12 or $170 after May 12. Teams of up to 25 riders can compete for the overall series title as well. The Larkburger Youth Series (ages eight to 18) costs $60 for the entire series, $10 to preregister for individual races or $15 on race day. Online registration is now open, featuring a brand new registration system, allowing users to sign up the entire family for races, camps and more under one account. All users must create a new account and registration is available at www.vailrec.com/register.

In addition to the Athletic Club at the Westin, East West Destination Hospitality, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Summit Ford and The Dusty Boot, sponsors of the 2016 race series include Vail Valley Medical Center, Town of Eagle, The Steadman Philippon Research Institute, The Steadman Clinic, Central Rockies Mortgage, Vail Resorts, Beaver Creek, Apex Dental, New Belgium Brewing Company, POC, Avon Liquor, 808 Distillery, Optic Nerve, Outdoor Tech, Yellowbelly, Honeystinger, Venture Sports, The Kind Bikes and Skis, Mountain Pedaler, Pedal Power and KZYR 97.7. The 2016 Youth Series is presented by Larkburger and KidSPORT.
For more information or to become a race series sponsor, call the VRD Sports Department at 970-479-2280 or go to www.vailrec.com.