Mountain biking is a sport in which the participants ride a bike off road. The terrain can be desert, mountain, rocks, and many others. There are many categories of this sport like downhill, cross country, dirt jumping, etc. The riders shall carry equipment to repair their broken bikes.The different disciplines of mountain bike racing. Just like motorsports have numerous race disciplines, the same is true of mountain biking. The main disciplines are downhill, cross-country, slopestyle, enduro and four-cross.Wherever you live in the U.S., chances are good that there’s a mountain bike race near you. And if not, there’s no better excuse for a road trip than a race weekend, where you can expand your technical skills in unfamiliar terrain, challenge your fitness, and make new friends.
From leg-breaking climbs to ripping descents, mountain biking has it all. Whether you’re new to riding or an experienced veteran, there’s almost certainly a race out there for you. Here are several awesome mountain bike races to check out in 2020.Southern Utah is mountain biking’s spring playground, and the True Grit Epic promises technical terrain and challenging climbing. The course passes through sand washes, flowing singletrack, and steep climbs with commanding views of the surrounding desert landscape. The True Grit offers both 46-mile or 100-mile course options for its signature mountain bike race. The course includes rock gardens and tricky descents and the organizers recommend a pre-ride.
For 2020, the organizers have added a 84-mile gravel race to the weekend’s events for riders who like to ride dirt on skinny tires, too. The True Grit Gravel Epic features 9000 feet of climbing and the course is 80 percent off-road riding. For more riding, check out Gooseberry Mesa and Jem trail systems in nearby Hurricane. Add a side trip to Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon and it’s the perfect early season road trip.One of the longest running races in California, the Keyesville Classic features a mix of fire road and flowing singletrack near the town of Lake Isabella. Located in the Southern Sierra, Lake Isabella sits on the Kern River and first drew white settlers during the gold rush era. The weekend-long event offers events in just about every discipline. Choose from cross-country, Super D, or short track. There’s also an All-Mountain Stage Race that invites riders to compete in all three disciplines on the same bike. For 2020, Keyesville has added an e-bike race and a race for drop bar, gravel-style bikes. A kids race, Vintage mountain bike category, and trials events add to the fun. Don’t miss dinner and live music under the stars on Saturday night.The Whiskey Off-Road events take their name from Prescott’s historical Whiskey Row. Choose from 15, 30, or 50 miles of racing through the nearby Prescott National Forest. The courses combine singletrack, gravel roads, and a few paved segments for an ever-changing day of racing. The Downtown Music Festival provides the perfect after-party and racers receive a free beer from the Four Peaks Brewing Company. Cruise downtown on Friday night to watch pro riders compete in the El Yucateco Pro Fast Tire Crits, which feature $1,000 cash prizes. There’s also a kids’ fun ride on Sunday morning that benefits Prevent Child Abuse Arizona. All-told, the Whiskey Off-Road delivers a solid weekend of mountain biking with a wild west vibe.The Pisgah National Forest features challenging East Coast-style roots and rocks mountain biking and plays host for the Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race. Running five days, the race showcases the singletrack that winds through the area. The course runs 140 miles total and is more than three-quarters singletrack. The race is fully supported and includes aid stations, a drop service, and dinner made from locally sourced ingredients each evening. The 2020 race serves as a benefit for Bread of Life, a soup kitchen in Brevard.The annual Sea Otter Classic is a bike nerd’s paradise. Originally a long-lap cross-country race through the rolling hills outside Monterey, Sea Otter has grown into a colossus. Now you can race multiple mountain bike disciplines, including cross-country, downhill, dual slalom, and enduro. There’s even an e-mountain bike race. Check out the latest gear at the outdoor tradeshow hosted in the Laguna Seca raceway’s infield. There is camping available, but it sells out quickly, so plan ahead. Make sure to catch the intense, high-flying pro dual slalom finals on Saturday night.
