The Pikes Peak APEX presented by RockShox

Register today for the Pikes Peak APEX, presented by RockShox!

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The Pikes Peak APEX, presented by RockShox, is a unique 4-day mountain bike challenge on the slopes of Pikes Peak, America’s Mountain September 24-27, 2020.

The event features exhilarating, exceptionally crafted routes through dirt roads, jeep trails, and the amazing alpine singletrack that is essential Pikes Peak. The terrain will be challenging, but not overly technical. This rigorous Rocky Mountain trail experience through the aspens in Colorado’s backcountry will draw not only professional riders, but also amateur cyclists looking for a bucket list endurance experience.

Format

Is it a stage race?  Is it a multi-day Gran Fondo?  Is it a backcountry adventure on the slopes of Pikes Peak?  Is it a celebration of bikes in Olympic City, USA?  The answer is YES.

The Pikes Peak APEX is a multi-day mountain bike challenge that utilizes aspects of all the above. Riders will all start in one wave—that’s all categories at the same time. Finishes will be sorted out by timing chip and the top 25 male and female finishers across the line (regardless of age category) will split the $50,000 prize purse based on overall time for the four days. There will be a $100 bonus for the male and female overall winner each day, but almost all the prize money will be in the overall standings.

The event is designed to be challenging, but not too technical. Let’s just say the courses will be somewhere in between the Leadville 100 and the Breck Epic when it comes to technical difficulty.

The Pikes Peaks APEX is held under USA Cycling rules.

Course

Day One: Prologue in Palmer Park – 10ish miles

Palmer Park will kick off Apex’s prologue stage of Day 1 with a mix of everything this “regional park” has to offer. The park has served as the venue for 24-hour national championships in 2010-11 and many local races for years. Expect a challenging mix of singletrack on grippy sandstone with smooth double track areas intermittently spaced for passing over an approximate single +/-10 mile loop. You’ll accumulate ~1000 ft of gain and descent accumulated with many short punchy ups and downs, a few rowdy locally-renowned rock descents in the park with test your skills while a few “longer” open climbs allow you to test your legs and lungs. And “longer” is relative to Palmer….wait for what we have in store on days to come!  Hup hup buttercup!

Read a bit more and see some photos from SingleTracks about riding in Palmer Park here.

Day Two: Rampart – 50 miles, 5950 feet of elevation

Day two will cruise the west side of Garden of the Gods and head up one of the area’s most popular dirt climbs, Rampart Range Road.  This will be the least technical day of the week as riders head up Rampart Range, take a right down Rainbow Gulch and follow the Rampart Reservoir singletrack around the west and north side of the lake.  Beautiful views of Pikes Peak over the fall colors of the aspens around Rampart Reservoir will make for an amazing autumn ride.  Before hitting the dam on the east side, the course climbs north up to Shubarth Trail and cuts over to another gravel road, crossing below Northfield Reservoir and climbing back to Rampart Range Road and heading back to Colorado Springs.  Timing ends at the overlook (around mile 38) and riders will coast back down Rampart Range (with amazing views of the Garden of the Gods) to the start line. NOTE: This course includes a section of road on Colorado Springs Utilities Land that is normally NOT accessible to the public.  Please obey laws and signage.

Day Three: Gold Camp and Pipeline – 42 miles, 5730 feet of elevation

Day three leaves from downtown Colorado Springs and rolls the dirt path up through Bear Creek Regional Park and then up and over High Drive.  Then riders will roll up Gold Camp Road—an old railroad grade road with tunnels and breathtaking views of Cheyanne Canyon and downtown on the way up to Old Stage Road and Frosty’s Park.  From there it is down Pipeline, one of the most popular backcountry downhills on Pikes Peak.  The course rolls through Jones Park and down Capt’n Jacks—another popular trail known for its granite scree troughs.  Timing ends when Lower Capt’n Jacks hits Gold Camp (around mile 33.5) and riders can coast back to downtown from there.

Day Four: Air Force Falcon – 40 miles, 3000 feet of elevation

Day four also leaves from downtown Colorado Springs and heads north toward the Air Force Academy.  This will be the easiest day of the three big loops with a good bit less climbing.  The course includes the well-known 13-mile singletrack Falcon Loop and will be accessed by the Santa Fe Trail.  Utilizing the Santa Fe trail means the first 8 miles are pretty flat but then we head upward.  After a full Falcon Loop, we head back on the Santa Fe trail and will end timing before it turns to pavement (around mile 33) and an easy roll back to town for food and drinks.  NOTE: As this is a military instillation, you are NOT allowed to access the Falcon Loop through the Santa Fe Trail for a pre-ride.  The Falcon loop is open most days and you will need to enter the Academy through the North Gate, show your ID, and access the trail from the parking lot at the Bomber. Please obey laws and signage.

Our mission is to create a world-class event that drives economic impact to the area in order to improve the trails and open space in the Pikes Peak region for the lasting enjoyment of its residents and visitors. We envision Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region as an internationally recognized endurance sports destination.

The Pikes Peak APEX is a project of the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance which exists to strengthen the outdoor recreation industry for the Pikes Peak region through leadership and collaboration.

Register now for the Pikes Peak APEX!