Spring means more happy trails for mountain bikers.
Registration opened March 25 for the 2014 Sun Valley Super Enduro and the Enduro Cup presented by GoPro. The event June 27-29 in Ketchum is part of Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival
The Sun Valley Super Enduro will feature over 24 miles and 9,000 feet of vertical feet of descending over four stages and a prologue time trial, organizers said.
It’s part of the three-event Enduro Cup in Utah and Idaho.
Other races take place at Moab, Utah Saturday, May 3 ($89 entry fee) and Utah’s Canyons Resort Saturday, July 19 ($100 entry). The Sun Valley stop ($160 entry) is also part of the 10-race North American Enduro Tour, with lift ticket included in the price of entry.
Athlete capacity is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Racers can enter all three Enduro Cup events for $310 or sign up for single races.
Enduro Cup presented by GoPro registration is open to men and women, professional and amateur adults, and juniors ages 14-18. All registration fees include a t-shirt and lunch in addition to the race entry.
To register visit endurocupmtb.com/register-to-race/
The popularity of Enduros caused USA Cycling in a decision announced Feb. 28 to add Enduro races to the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross-Country National Championships starting in 2015, at Bend, Ore. Enduro national champs will then be crowned.
As a response to feedback USA Cycling received from competitors and the mountain bike advisory committee, Enduro races will replace the Super D competition at these national events. USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships are discontinued starting in 2015.
“We have seen a trend with our endurance mountain bike members away from 24-hour racing and more toward marathon racing,” USA Cycling Vice President of National Events Micah Rice said in the Feb. 28 release on its Web site.
“Along similar lines, we have also noticed a shift from free ride and Super-D events toward Enduro, so we are making a few adjustments in the events that we offer at our National Championships.
“We are excited to be offering Enduro National Championships in Bend. The courses at our Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships will be tougher than ever over the next few years.”
Sun Valley will host the USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike Championships for a second straight year, on Sunday, July 6. Online registration for that event opens May 1. Visit usacycling.org.
Here is the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival schedule:
Thursday, June 26: Sheeptown Drag Races, head-to-head bicycle drag racing on bikes while towing flaming logs—single elimination bracket race format for men and women. Free, but slots are limited.
Friday, June 27 through Sunday, June 29: Sun Valley Super Enduro, four stages plus a prologue covering 24 miles and over 9,000 feet of vertical descending. Also on these dates, the Ride Sun Valley Bike Expo and Demo offering the latest bikes and gadgets from various suppliers.
Sunday, June 29: Idaho Pump Track State Championships, timed laps at Ketchum Bike Park. All ages welcome, male and female.
Visit ridesunvalley.com for more details.
Other Gem State races
Local mountain bikers enjoy taking part in both the Wild Rockies Mountain Bike Racing Series and the Knobby Tire Series.
The Wild Rockies (wildrockiesracing.com) calls itself that official USA Cycling Regional Cross Country Series for the Northwest. Events are:
May 3: 18th annual Barking Spider Bash, a national points calendar XC event at Hemingway Butte southwest of Nampa on a nine-mile lap course.
June 21-22: Boise to Idaho City Dirt Tour. Also on this weekend, the Jug Mountain Ranch XC and State Championship Enduro near McCall.
July 26-27: 21st annual Pomerelle Pounder downhill south of Burley, produced by the Utah State Series. Gnarly drop-offs and sweet rock garden sections at one of Idaho's oldest downhill races.
Aug. 2-3: Enduro practice runs (Saturday) and Tamarack Resort 8-Hour Team or Solo Super Enduro (Sunday) south of McCall.
Aug. 24: 8th annual XTERRA Wild Ride Triathlon at Ponderosa State Park near McCall, 0.75-mile swim, 18-mile bike, 6.2-mile trail run.
Aug. 30: Grand Targhee Championship Regional Enduro Championship near Driggs in eastern Idaho.
Knobby Tire Series (knobbytireseries.com) begins with the Sagebrush Scramble XC race Saturday, April 12 on a 1.5-mile short track near Boise.
Also, the 11th annual Avimor Coyote Classic May 24, the Soldier Mountain event near Fairfield June 28, and the Whit Henry Memorial Galena Grinder July 26 north of Ketchum.
