Is it a stage race?
Is it a multi-day Gran Fondo?
Is it a backcountry adventure on the slopes of Pikes Peak in Olympic City, USA?
YES. The APEX is a multi-day mountain bike challenge that combines all of these.
Start
- Stage 1: Time Trial
- Stages 2-3: Mass Start*
The top finishers from the previous day will be called to line up first. Everyone will start together.
Timing
Finishes will be sorted out by timing chip and the first finishers across the line will split the $25,000 prize purse based on overall time for the four days. There will be a $100 bonus for the Pro/Open stage winners each day, but almost all the prize money will be in the overall standings.
Courses
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 first day will just shake out the legs with a 45-60-minute time trial prologue on Thursday afternoon. The following two longer days won’t be as easy, with up to 40 miles of riding, but some of the course will be on wide open dirt roads which ride pretty fast. See more about the courses.
Bikes
You can ride any bike you want, but we don’t recommend gravel bikes. There is plenty of backcountry single track that can get a bit rocky and loose. You cannot change bikes during a stage, but you may switch bikes between stages if you wish. See more on Bike Selection.
Support
The event is designed so each rider will have plenty of support on the course. There will be neutral aid stations each of the longer days, as well as medical support and limited neutral technical support. All aid stations will have drink and food that is available to all participants, so feel free to stop for a minute to fill up a bottle, grab a snack and keep going.
Rules
The Pikes Peaks APEX is held under USA Cycling rules, and a USA Cycling Official will be on-site throughout the event.
*We reserve the right to change or modify the event to adhere to current local or state policies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.