Breck Epic adds three-day version

The Breck Epic will return in 2011 for its third running in and around Breckenridge, Colorado. The week-long race will commence on August 14 and wrap up on August 19, about one week prior to its slot for 2010.

Following in the footsteps of the TransRockies, the Breck Epic will also run a three-day version of the stage race. Unlike the TransRockies, both the short and long versions of the Breck Epic are solo competitions whereas the TransRockies seven-day event is a two-person team competition.

"Our launch of the three-day event came after sitting down for a few beers at Interbike with Aaron McConnel, the owner of the TransRockies," said Mike McCormack, the promoter of the Breck Epic, to Cyclingnews. "It's obvious that the three-day event is a success there."

McCormack went on to explain why the addition of a three-day race is appealing to mountain bike stage race promoters. "One thing that we all share is the fact that the overhead involved in a stage race is staggering. Because of that, we need to fill our fields. The three-day event is an opportunity to cultivate a group of riders who might not feel ready for all six days or just can't take that much time off. With the three-day version there’s less risk...and less of a time commitment as well."

The idea is that some racers will also build up from the three-day version to the full version as they get more experience.

The three-day version of the Breck Epic, with categories for open men, open women and men 40+, will run from August 15-17 and will include stages 2 through 4 of the full Breck Epic. A field limit of 20 riders per category has been set.

Jeremiah Bishop and Pua Sawicki won the 2010 Breck Epic.