Cyclists from Yeti Cycles enjoy their lunch hour daily ride on trails at Apex Park in Jefferson county in Golden, Colorado on August 6, 2015. Photo by Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post)
The first-ever will traverse three trails around around Golden, marking .
The day offers , with a longer day that includes Apex Park, Chimney Gulch and North Table Mountain and two shorter routes that involve only the North Table and “Chimpex” portions of the course.
Early-bird registration for the Sept. 18 enduro-style race sold out in 12 hours on Mar. 29 and . Organizers have directed 1,576 hours of volunteer trail work on trails devastated by the September floods.
The event hopes to burnish the image of mountain bikers who frequent Jefferson County’s nearly 230 miles of singletrack as well as champion the work of more than 110 volunteers who have rebuilt area trails since the 2013 floods.
“We’ve got two priorities this year,” said Al Head, the director of the Friends of Apex group that has spent hundreds of hours rebuilding the popular park’s trails. “We’re working on the three parks that make up the Giddyup course, and we’re excited to help build several new trails with features for all users, including mountain bikers.”
The event – which is not really a race but incorporates the increasingly popular enduro format with timed descents and climbs that test both technical prowess and endurance – includes a mountain biking festival with Colorado-made beers, food and gear in Golden’s Lions Park, where riders will start and finish.
Organizers have enlisted New Belgium as a beer sponsor for the event, joining title sponsor Yeti Cycles.
“We’re grateful about the interest and support for the Giddyup,” said the event’s co-founder Ben Davis, who recommends riders register early on the 19th. “Folks are excited about riding bikes on their Front Range trails.”
