Grand Junction Off-Road offers $20k cash purse, three days of festivities
Originally posted on March 6, 2013 at 13:21 pm
The inaugural Grand Junction Off-Road endurance mountain bike event and free community concert, presented by U.S. Bank, and produced by Epic Rides will take place in Grand Junction on Labor Day weekend, Friday, August 30 through Sunday, September 1.
Modeled after Epic Rides’ popular Whiskey Off-Road event in Prescott, Arizona, the 3-day Grand Junction event will offer participants three distances to choose from including 15 Grand, 30 Grand and 40 Grand courses (each grand = 1 mile). Designed to appeal to all levels of mountain biker, each course will present an authentic cross country mountain bike experience, allowing each finisher to feel pride in a meaningful mountain bike accomplishment, commemorated by a custom wine glass that pays homage to the area’s unique wine country.
Pro racers will vie for a slightly juicier award; a $20,000 cash purse. Much like the Whiskey Off-Road, the Grand Junction Off-Road’s cash purse will be shared evenly between the male and female categories.
Limited to a first-year field of 600 riders (500 amateurs/100 professionals), attendees will enjoy three solid days of racing, riding and celebrating the mountain bike in Grand Junction. The weekend will kick off with a pro level fat tire Criterium downtown, a well appointed industry vendor and tech expo, and beginner level “15 Grand” fun ride on Friday.
Saturday will offer a complete day of amateur riding in the 30- and 40-Grand distances. Competitors, their family and friends will bask in free live music in the shaded streets flanking Grand Junction’s unique meandering Main Street, which is lined with original bike art and a localized retail mix.
The showdown for the cash purse will begin Sunday morning, after a spirited Saturday evening of gratified amateurs imbibing the area’s finest fruits, hops & barleys and exploring the community’s culinary exploits. Pro and amateur “40-Granders” will ride the same course.
Hosting all event activities in a centralized downtown location only four hours from both Denver and Salt Lake City, the event’s accessibility and surrounding attractions are sure to entertain the first year’s anticipated 1,800-plus mountain bike event attendees and Western Colorado residents enjoying the free community concert.
Registration for the event will open Saturday, March 16, at 10 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. With the first year field limit of 600 total riders, Epic Rides anticipates the event reaching capacity very quickly. All registrants will receive an Official event T-shirt, water bottle, poster and goodie bag (estimated value of $75). And of course, the custom finisher’s stem-less wine glass for all finishers who successfully complete the distance they sign up for. All top five finishers in the 30- and 40-Grand categories will receive an additional custom finisher’s award.
The Grand Junction Off-Road Presented by U.S. Bank is an example of public and private cooperation, made possible from the City of Grand Junction, the Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office, Mesa County and Epic Rides. Major sponsors include Blackburn, Cirrus Visual Communication, GU Energy Labs, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Scott USA, Shimano, Stan’s No Tubes, Springhill Suites by Marriott and U.S. Bank.