A new 24-hour endurance mountain bike race will be luring riders from all over the world to Golden’s infamous singletrack.
The first-ever Golden 24 offers cyclists the option to participate individually or in teams (of two to 10 people). The race, taking place June 18th and 19th, will be judged based on the number of laps completed within a 24-hour timeframe.
“We’re thrilled to have our own signature event and to have the opportunity to showcase some of the best biking terrain in North America to our visitors,” said Tourism Golden executive director Joanne Sweeting in a recent press release.
“We expect the race to create repeat visitation, as more people discover that we’re a mountain biking mecca with more than 100 kilometres of trails. We believe that Golden’s economy will see a boost of approximately $50,000 during the shoulder season.”
The course will begin and end at Keith King Memorial Park in Golden, which also functions as the transition area for team members. The route concept is one lap of approximately 14 kilometres, and each lap will have 500 metres of climbing and descending. It is open to riders of all abilities.
Local entertainment, a food concession, beer garden and an expo featuring local vendors will create a festival atmosphere that will be enjoyed by spectactors and participants alike.
“Golden is an authentic mountain town with a very active cycling community. With world-class mountain biking trails, it’s a natural fit for an endurance race like this,” said Aaron McConnell, president of TracksRockies Events, the event management group hosting the race. “We expect to see most participants coming from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and other parts of B.C. Interior, but we’re also hoping for strong local participation. We expect to see more than 200 athletes in our first year.”
McConnell expects the event to generate some international interest but anticipates the vast majority of participants will be coming from Western Canada and the northwest United States.
Golden previously hosted Stage Four and Five of the TransRockies Singletrack 6 mountain biking race in 2014, which attracted more than 300 participants from 18 countries, and was voted Favourite Race Stages and Community by those athletes.
Interested participants can visit http://golden24.ca/registration/ to register.