List of Mountain Bike Endurance Races - North America and Worldwide

I finally got it done! As I said with the last list, the format that I chose was designed to make it easier for browsing and general planning. Armed with the name and the location of the race it should be easy to find it online. I did this because races come and go and dates change, and keeping up with all that is not my idea of fun.  I tried to make sure that all these races are still being run. If I missed a race you think should be on the list, make a comment and I'll consider adding it. I say "consider" because I did exclude a number of races because I didn't think they were hard enough, or "mountain bikey" enough, or just didn't think it warranted. My basic criteria was 50 miles or more or 7 hours or longer, but I made some exceptions when they looked cool enough. If you are wondering why Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico are missing, its because they have their own list which I posted awhile back. I will try to include a link to that list as well, but the cross referencing for scheduling purposes is up to you.

I haven't figured out how to install a document on the Blog page yet but I'm working on it. In the meantime, you will have to make do with the pasted list below.

Race Name	General	Format	Date by month
	Location		Early	Mid	Late
United States
12 Hours of Temecula #1	Vail Lake, CA	12hr			Jan.
Dirty Dozen	Wanda, TX	12hr	Feb.
12 hours of Santos	Ocala, FL	12hr		Feb.
Granite Grinder	Conyers, GA	6 or 9 hr		March
Bel Monte	Blue Ridge Mountains, VA	50 mile			March
Ouachita Challenge	Ouachita, AR	2 day stage			March
24 hours of Syllamo	Mountian View, AR	24hr	April
Dragon's Tail	New Castle, VA	40 mile	April
Julian Death March	Julien, CA	86, 64, or 50 mile		April
Cohutta 100	Ocoee, TN	100 mile			April
Austin Rattler	Austin, TX	100 mile			April
Dirty Spokes	Winder, GA	9 or 6 hr	May
Pisgah MTB Adventure race	Pisgah, NC	50-80 miles	May
9 Hours of Cranky Monkey	Rocky Gap, MD	9hr	May
12 hours of Northern Kettles	Greenbush, WI	12hr		May
6&12 Hours of Stoney Creek	Rochester, MI	6 or 12 hr		May
12 Hours of Tsali	Bryson City, NC	12hr		May
Syllamo's Revenge	Mountian View, AR	50mile or 125km		May
Stottlemeyer 60 Mile	Port Gamble, WA	60 or 30 mile		May
Skyway Epic	Lake Howard, AL	60 mile			May
24 Hours around the Clock	Spokane, WA	24hr			May
12 hours of Weaverville	Weaverville, CA	12hr			May
12 Hours of Temecula #2	Vail Lake, CA	12hr	June
Mohican Mtb 100	Loudonville, OH	100 mile	June
Echo Valley 30/60	Chelan, WA	60 or 30 mile	June
The Hammerstein	Monterey, CA	8 or 24 hr	June
24 Hours of Pats Peak	Pat's Peak, NH	6,12, or 24hr	June
Bearscat 50	Northern NJ	50 mile	June
Tree Shaker 12hr	Rock Hill, SC	12hr		June
Test of Endurance	Corvalis, OR	50mile		June
Lumberjack 100	Manistee, MI	100 mile		June
12 Hours of Cranky Monkey	Quantico, VA	12hr			June
Furious 3 Bike Race #1	Fernie, BC, Canada	3 day stage			June
Cascade Cream Puff 100	Oakridge, OR	100 mile	July
Tahoe Sierra 100	Soda Springs, CA	100 mile		July
Hardcore 24	Naples, NY	24hr			July
Butte 100	Butte, MT	100 mile			July
Black Hills 40	Rapid City, SD	40 mile			July
12 Hours of Humbolt	Arcata, CA	12hr			July
12 & 6 Hours of Ithaca	Ithaca, MI	12 or 6 hour			July
12 hours of Millstone	East Barre, VT	12hr			July
High Cascades 100	Bend, OR	100 mile			July
Laramie Enduro	Laramie, WY	111km			July
Tahoe Trail 100	Truckee, CA	100km			July
Wausau 24	Wausau, WI	24hr			July
Wilderness 101	Coburn, PA	101 mile			July
The Coolest 24 Hour Race	Soda Springs, CA	24hr	Aug.
Pierre's Hole	Grand Targhee, WY	100 mile	Aug.
Midnight Madness	Tioga county, PA	12hr		Aug.
Wildcat Epic Stage Race	New Paltz, NY	2 day stage - 100 mile		Aug.
6 & 12 Hours of Pando	Rockford, MI	12 or 6 hour		Aug.
Wild 100	Slatyfork, WV	100km		Aug.
Hampshire 100	Greenfield, NH	100 mile or km		Aug.
24 Hrs of Great Glen	Pinkham Notch, NH	24hr		Aug.
Furious 3 Bike Race #2	Whistler, BC, Canada	3 day stage			Aug.
Capital Forest 50/100	Olympia, WA	50 or 100 mile			Aug.
Minnesota 24	Red Wing, MN	24, 12, or 6 hr			Aug.
24 hours of kirkwood	Kirkwood Resort, CA	24hr			Aug.
Dakota 50	Spearfish City, SD	50 mile	Sept.
Shenandoah 100	Stokesville, VA	100 mile	Sept.
Fool's Gold 100	Dahlonega, GA	100 mile	Sept.
Peak 6/12/24	Pittsfield, VT	6, 12, or 24 hr	Sept.
24 Hours of High Cascade	Bend, OR	24hr	Sept.
12 Hours of Canal Loop	Grand Rivers, KY	12hr		Sept.
24 hours of Adrenalin- Hurkey Creek	Idylwild, CA	24 hr		Sept.
Mountain Bike Marathon Nationals	Bend, OR	55 mile		Sept.
12 & 24 of Hanson Hills	Grayling, MI	12 or 24 hour		Sept.
Pisgah Stage Race	Brevard, NC	5 day stage		Sept.
12 hours of Dauset	Jackson, GA	12 hr			Sept.
Reveille Peak 100	Burnet, TX	100 mile			Sept.
12 Hours of Bradbury Mtn	Bradbury Mtn., ME	12 hr			Sept.
Furious 3 Bike Race #3	Moab, UT	3 day stage			Sept.
6 & 12 of Addison Oaks	Leonard, MI	6 or 12 hr	Oct.
24 hours of Whiskeytown	Whiskeytown Lake, CA	24hr	Oct.
Baker's Dozen Endurance Race	North Augusta, SC	13 hr		Oct.
24 Hours of Rocky Hill	Smithville, TX	24hr			Oct.
12 Hours of Temecula #3	Vail Lake, CA	12hr	Nov.
18 Hours of Scout's Honor	Maidens, VA	18hr	Nov.
International
Strathpuffer	Scotland	24hr	Jan.
Wildside	Tasmania, Austrailia	4 day stage			Jan.
Trans Andes Challenge	Pucon, Chile	6 day stage			Jan.
Blue dragon MTB Challenge	Tasmania, Austrailia	2 day stage		Feb.
Alpine Corral	Hanmer Springs, NZ	74km		Feb.
Marrik Mountain bike Challenge	Kimberly, South Africa	3 day stage		Feb.
Kona Odyssey MTB Marathon	Victoria, Australia	100km		Feb.
Andelucia Bike Race	Andalucia, Spain	5 day stage			Feb.
Alpine Epic Mtb Race	New Zealand	5 day stage			Feb.
Mountains to Beach	NSW, Australia	6 day stage	March
12 Hour Night Enduro	NT, Australia	12hr	March
Yak Attack	Nepal	11 day stage	March
Capital Punishment	Canberra, Australia	100 or 50 km		March
Scody High Country Challenge	Victoria, Australia	65-200km		March
The Mont 24hr race	Canberra, Australia	24hr			March
24 Hours of Argentina	Argentina	24hr			March
Cape Epic	Cape Town, South Africa	8 day stage			March
Gran Canaria Mtb Marathon	Canary Islands, Spain	60 & 100 Km			March
12 & 24 hours of Exposure	Newcastleton, UK	12 & 24hr solo	April
Naseby 12 Hour Challenge	Otago, New Zealand	12hr		April
Milenio Titan Desert	Morocco	5 day stage			April
Port Macquarie 24 Hour	NSW, Australia	24hr			April
24 Hours of Cremona	Italy	24hr			April
Gorrik 100	Swinley Forest, UK	100km	May
Convict 100	NSW, Australia	100km	May
Trans Portugal	Portugal	9 day stage	May
Trans Allgarve	Portugal	5 day stage	May
Paterson Kona 24 Hours	NSW, Australia	24hr		May
24 Hours of Finale Ligure	Italy	24hr		May
Moon Ride	Rotorua, New Zealand	24hr		May
Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Marathon	Australia	5 day stage		May
10 Under Ben	Scotland	10hr			May
Wild Wombat	Gnars, Austria	8 hr			May
Alpentour	Austria	4 day stage			May
Trans Germany	Germany	4 day stage	June
Mountain Mayhem	Eastnor Castle, UK	24hr		June
Test of Metal	Squamish, BC, Canada	60km		June
MTB Enduro Super Series	Queensland, Australia	24hr		June
Black Forest Ultra	Germany	43-117km		June
Husky 100	New South Wales, Australia	100km			June
24 hours of light	Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada	24hr			June
24 hours of Summer Solstice	Ontario, Canada	24hr			June
Kitzalp Marathon	Austria	45-94km			June
BC Bike race	Vancouver, BC, Canada	6 day stage	July
Bontrager Twentyfour12	Plymouth, UK	12 & 24hr	July
Trans Czecho-Slovakia	Czech Rep. & Slovakia	1000 miles	July
10 @ Kirroughtree	Scotland	10hr	July
Dolomiti Superbike	Villabassa, Italy	60 or 110km	July
Trans Alp	Alps, Europe	8 day stage		July
Trans Rockies	Canada	7 day stage			July
Mongolia Bike Challenge	Mongolia	10 day stage			July
Bull Raid	Ireland	12hr	Aug.
Deg (10) Yn Llandegla	Scotland	10hr		Aug.
Grand Raid Cristalp	Switzerland	125km		Aug.
Trail Masters	Wales, United Kingdom	3 day semi stage		Aug.
End2End	Isle of Man, UK	75km	Sept.
Weatern Cycle XC8	Saakatchewan, Canada	8hr		Sept.
Kielder 100	UK	100 miles		Sept.
Etna MTB Marathon	Sicily, Italy	63km		Sept.
World 24hr Championchips	Canmore, AB, Canada	24hr		Sept.
Montane Kielder 100	Kielder, UK	100miles		Sept.
Crank the Shield	Ontario, Canada	3 day stage		Sept.
Trans Provence	Provence, France	7 day semi stage		Sept.
Fall Epic 8 Hour	Ontario, Canada	8 hr			Sept.
Brasil Ride	Brazil	7 day stage			Sept.
Relentless 24	Scotland	24hr	Oct.
La Ruta De Los Conquistadores	Costa Rica	3 day stage	Nov.
Timaru 12 Hour	Timaru, New Zealand	12hr		Nov.

 Charlie S.

Race Video

I am almost done with the race list. I found more endurance races that I thought, and making sure they all still exist takes some time. Then I start browsing the photos and videos and before I know it- it's bedtime.

An example of how I loose time is this video of the Trans Czecho-Slovakia Race which is about 1000 miles long. Turn the volume off if you dont speak Czech. The race just looks like a great adventure.

Charlie S.

Knee Surgery

I had knee surgery last Wednesday and I'm off the bike for a couple weeks, so my ride related posts will slow down for a bit. If you recall, I posted a list that I compiled of endurance races in the four corners states awhile back. In the next few days, I should complete a follow-up list of endurance races from the rest of the country, and from around the world, which I'll get posted.

Researching all the different races was more fun than I thought it would be. I often found myself getting excited as I flipped through the photos and information from all the various race websites. There are some truly amazing events out there, and a frigging boatload of just plain awesome ones. It gets me dreaming about a coast-to-coast road trip- moving from one venue to the next, just racing my way across the country...

In the meantime, I'll leave you with another cool trail pic. This one is from a great network of trails just south of Eagle, CO. which is on I-70 between Vail and Glenwood springs.

Charlie S.

Dropper Seatpost Impressions

2012 will be the year of the dropper seat post! That's my take at least. I don't mean they will become mainstream this year, but I think they will achieve the critical mass necessary for them to truly start getting some attention- from both the consumer and the component manufacturers. I don't think it will be too many years before seat post droppers become yet another desirable component that most mountain bikers "need" on their rigs.

I say this because after riding with them for just a short while; I'm convinced that I want them on almost every mountain bike I own and these things are only going to get better.

I just recently installed a Rock Shox Reverb dropper on one trail bike and a Giant Contact Switch on another. They are both good posts and I'll go into that below, but the important lesson was how much more confident I was on the downhills. Yes, the more technical the descent the more I appreciated the dropper post, but even on fun, smooth, easy downhills I felt I had a greater amount of control. There it is in a nutshell. To me, it is well worth the extra weight that the dropper adds on my trail bikes for the enhanced control and confidence I feel bombing down the trail. Heck, at my heavier weight and modest racing ability, I might even consider putting them on my racing bikes. This probably isn't worth it for many of you real fast guys out there, but as weights come down over the next few years, it might make sense.

The Giant post, like most dropper posts, is a wire operated post. The handlebar mount works just as well on either side of the bars and it has a smooth easy to control action. On the flip side, the Rock Shox is a hydraulically actuated post whose handlebar mount is left or right specific. Designing it for one side of the bars or the other might give it an ergonomic advantage, but if you are like me, I didn't know which hand I would prefer to have operating the post (left, it turns out) and now I'm out the additional cost of the left-side controller (I'm told it exists) which I need to order. The hydraulic actuation is smooth as silk though, and won't be affected by grit like a cable can. It took some trial and error to get the handlebar mount in the perfect spot and one thing I noticed while doing this was the Giant has a much thinner clasp. This made it easier to fit on the bar amongst the grip, brake clamp, and shifter clamp. The Rock Shox mount is very wide and if your bars already feel cluttered, that might be a strike against it.

All dropper posts (with remote cables) create a cable routing issue, and it usually takes some trimming to make it look acceptable. Obviously this is easier with a cable than with a hydraulic line, but it only needs to be fit once. A final issue with dropper posts, particularly with the Rock Shox, is clamping them in repair stands. It is easy to forget that there is a cable along side the seat post and then it gets smashed by the repair stand clamp. This is not good in any case, but it is very bad when the line is hydraulic.

Both these posts are good, I just happen to like the Giant better at this point. Engineers and designers are still figuring dropper posts out. Things will continue to evolve quickly. For instance, Rock Shox has already released the Reverb Stealth where the cable comes out the bottom of the seat post (yes you need a special frame...or a drill) so the clamping issue is gone. There are a slew of other new models to look forward to from manufacturers like KindShock, Fox, Specialized, and Crank Bros, which will undoubtedly bring solutions to some of the current niggles (but will also create new ones).

Dropper posts will be standard fare for trail bikes in a few short years. Weights will come down some but there is surely a bottom limit we are probably fairly close to already. More importantly, price needs to come down- and it surely will. I'll post a long term report during the summer after they have done a few endurance races.

Charlie S.

Continental X-King Protection 2.2 Tire - Early Review

Continental has a history of measuring their tires wrong. For years they have had a reputation for exaggerating the size of their tires. The X-King is no exception. They call it a 2.2 but it just measures a 2.1 on my caliper. This happens to be okay for me this time since I put them on one of my racier bikes that I use for speedier rides, but it's still annoying to not know what size you will actually get. I wish manufacturers would start measuring the bead to bead distance as the tire was pressed flat- once we got used to those numbers it would be simple to know what you were getting.

The tire is pretty awesome though. It's very fast, has great grip, and comes in at about 560gms which is pretty damn good. It is not a tubeless tire but does have a proper tubeless bead and I have been running it as such with no problems. In fact, the "Protection" feature of Continental tires includes an extra layer for durability (hence the "Protection" moniker) and are tubeless ready, but they are doing a poor job of informing the public about that. The casing is one of the thinner ones Ive tried (tubeless at least) and even though it has I am not sure how long it will last before suffering a puncture or rip.  A UST version is available if you want one, but I wouldn't bother in this case. I will let you know if it suffers a puncture or similar meltdown. Regardless, It has already lasted long enough to justify it for racing, or even some endurance events, considering it's low weight, and speedy nature.

In other news, We are all talking about which races we are going to do this year and I want to encourage everyone to register for the 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest. I'm going to be there and it's a great event. If you can't make that, then check out some of their other events around NM which are all awesome: http://www.ziarides.com/

Below is a photo from the Enchanted Forest Race last summer.

Charlie S.

Albuquerque Mountain Bike Trails

Just a quickie post! I just want to point out again how awesome our riding is here in Albuquerque. If any more of you are thinking about moving away like my friend Alex (he kind of had to though), the pictures below should make you want to stay.

Not bad for February.

I have some reviews on the way. I Should get one up this weekend.

Charlie S.

Randomness

I'm quite ready for winter to be over. I'm tired of getting ready in the parking lot while shivering. Whine whine whine... I drove through Santa Fe yesterday on my way back from Taos and it doesn't look like their trails are too ride-able right now. If you are stuck up north, come down to Albuquerque and get some damn good riding in. I am starting to really like dropper posts and will review the new Giant as soon as I have some real time on it. I will also be posting a new list of other (not in the Southwest) endurance races from around the world that I think are cool. Any suggestions? In the longer term, I will be posting a list of tour operators and guides from all over the world that I have collected over the years.

To usher in the warm weather, I'm posting these two photos of warm days in Durango, CO. Many of my readers have been on the trail in the first photo.

Charlie S.

Handy Little Tool

Don't get excited by the title of this post, its all on the up and up here... That is to say, I'm talking about an actual tool (hardware that helps fix stuff). This thing is more helpful than I thought. Only about half the time for bikes, but I use it often for other stuff. Well worth the few bucks at Lowes.

One side has a hex fitting and the other a square fitting and its magnetic. Just add the required hex head or 1/4 inch drive piece and you turn it like a screwdriver, except it is short and fat so it reaches some hard to get places.

Charlie S.

Maverick BikeTribute

Most of you know that I've been a Maverick American fan since the beginning, so it's about time that I post a little tribute to them considering their demise as a brand (temporarily I hope).

I bought-in to the concept early and ordered a sliver ML-7 back in 2001. The early ML-7's came with a CNC machined strut-body with fox internals, and a custom tuned Rock Shox Psylo fork. It destroyed anything I had ridden to that point. The traction it could deliver uphill changed my riding style and which trails I was willing to tackle. It's downhill ability was awesome too, and was well above my piloting skills at the time. Over the next ten years I owned almost every version of Maverick made (I missed the Resposado and the Matic) and have loved them all. They became the bar that I judged other bikes against. They still are actually. Eleven years of product development have gone by and the same basic design still kicks ass. I still haven't ridden a bike that does everything as well as a Maverick (although there are quite a few that are close or maybe equal these days). I know there are a few areas where it falls behind, like the front shifting and out-of-the-saddle climbing, but the the whole of the Maverick was truly greater than the sum of its parts. If you have any doubts, come ride with me on my trails and I'll loan you a Maverick for the day. You will come away converted, or at the very least appreciative of all their abilities on the trail. The design is so good I can't believe it will die. I am sure someone will resurrect it in the years to come, and if they have a deeper pocket for research and development, a new golden age for the design will emerge.

I want to send a extra special thanks to Ethan from Maverick for everything you have done over the years. I hear Ethan will be continuing to service Maverick bikes on his own. If you need his services you can email him at mavericksuspension@gmail.com or call him at 303-918-5414. He has set up shop at 999 Vallejo St., Unit 2, Denver, CO. 80204.

My original ML-7 with current upgrades. Still a fine trail bike by anybody's measure.

 Lets Gets, France

 Elliot Barker & South Boundry trails, Taos, NM

 Breckenridge, CO.

If I had the money, I would contact Paul Turner and buy the Maverick brand today. Alas, I don't have the funds. I'll continue to ride them and hope for the day they rise from the ashes. Cheers!

Charlie S.