Timed Segments.
This Is the Race.
You don’t have
to win the race
to win your race.
These are the raced sections. Your solo or team time across each segment decides your place.
Everything in between is neutral. A chance to recover, regroup, and think about what’s next. When the segment begins, it’s full gas.
This is where strategy matters. Push too early and pay for it later. Wait too long and the time is gone. Teams can work together and trade pulls. Solo riders have to read it right.
Go for the podium or go for your best day. Race the clock. Race your friends. Race yourself.
SEGMENT 1
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7.4 miles • +631 ft / -334 ft • 7.8% max grade
Mixed terrain: smooth and fast in places, rutted, dusty, and a little chunky in others. Deep potholes, water in the shade.
Where to make up time: the 1.3-mile paved section is primed for a time trial effort. -
Segment 1 – Insider knowledge:
These roads have never seen an official race. Until now, the only times that mattered came from weekday shootouts between locals. Consider this your shot to leave a mark on what’s always been a locals-only segment.14E - known locally as “14E for Extreme” - is where it all starts. Chunky gravel, likely riddled with potholes. It rolls straight for a moment, then kicks up hard into a set of switchbacks that separate those who’ve done the work from those who haven’t.
Out of the switchbacks, it opens into a fast straight before a left onto 14B. This is your first taste of true Steamboat mag chloride gravel - fast, smooth, but with enough South Valley gut punches to keep the heart rate pinned. You’ll drop into Pleasant Valley with big views of conserved ranchland and Rabbit Ears Pass looming ahead.
A quick right turn - watch for loose gravel on pavement - leads into a straight where it’s heads down, diesel power. This is the kind of stretch where local shootouts have set the tone. Teams should be working here. Solos will start to feel the elevation creep in.
Then the course changes. The road tightens and runs alongside the Yampa River, climbing through one of the most beautiful stretches of dirt in Routt County. Short rollers. Punchy efforts. It keeps going longer than you want it to.
The final climb before the cattle guard is exposed and unforgiving in the morning sun. Cross it and you’ll see the finish - but it’s still uphill. From there, it’s everything you’ve got. Strategic or survival. Smooth or unraveling.
Get it done and you’ve just put your name on a segment that used to belong to the locals. The first aid station is waiting - cold drinks, a reset, and a reminder that the day is just getting started.
Solo or team?
It’s your day.
Show up solo or roll in as a team of 2 or 4. Co-ed, mixed ages, all welcome.
Ride the course.
Race the segments.
Fastest combined time wins.
Strategy matters. When to push. When to wait. When to work together.
You’re not just racing others out here. You’re racing your best day. Maybe your riding partner. Maybe yourself.
The strongest doesn’t always win. The smartest usually does.
SEGMENT 2
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3.3 miles • +126 ft / -268 ft • 4.1% max grade
Consistent terrain: smooth and fast - this is the gravel Steamboat is known for.Where to make up time: push it on the opening switchbacks. Time won’t be made on the lower section.
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Segment 2 – Insider Knowledge
Spirited shootouts have played out on this segment for years. It climbs gradually to the high point, but it’s always hard, with a few switchbacks along the way. Don’t hold back here - if you don’t push early, you won’t get that time back on what comes next.Over the top, it opens up quickly to massive views. Fast, slightly downhill into a big left, followed by a few steep punches that can split a group or crack a solo rider.
It flattens briefly before a hard right - make the turn or you’ll meet an irrigation ditch, a barbed wire fence, and whatever’s watching from the pasture.
From there it trends downhill, but you’ll still be on the gas chasing time. This is a section where strategy beats strength. Ride it smart and keep it smooth.
The segment ends hot, heart rate maxed, just before the course splits - short course heads west back to Olympian Hall, long course hangs a left toward the red schoolhouse.