photo courtesy frazermountainmadness.com.
These days when people talk about difficult or epic races the focus is usually on distance (or time, depending on the format) but that’s only part of the equation. Combining high altitude with a big climb, the Santa Fe Brewing Co.-Frazer Mountain Madness claims to be the highest mountain bike competition in the US. By our estimates the Leadville 100 MTB tops out slightly higher than this race but we’ll let the respective race organizers duke it out for official honors.
Anyway, the signature hill climb event kicks off on July 24 and features a 5.5 mile climb to the top of 12,163 foot Frazer mountain. After that I’m assuming riders get to enjoy the well deserved downhill or ride the lift down if they’re truly exhausted. The total climb over the 5.5 mile course is 2,800 feet and last year’s winner made it up in under 49 minutes.
Even if you’re not up for a “most extreme” race this season, consider finding your own challenge and pushing your limits a bit. Although you may not be the fastest rider at one of these races (like the Leadville 100), the real accomplishment can be simply finishing!
2 Comments
Jul 2, 2010
But with all due respect, the Widow Maker in Utah is steeper, and so was the 7.2-mile Rendezvous Mountain Hillclimb (which no longer exists). Granted, they both top out at a mere 11,000 feet.
Jul 3, 2010
By the way, if someone has the urge to drive north instead of south, the Teton Pass (both road and MTB) hill climb is the next day. The MTB portion is 5.6 miles and 2,870 feet, so comparable to Frazier Mountain.
http://ucjh.org/index.php?view=details&id=7%3Ateton-pass-hill-climb&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=11