Breck Epic - Six Day Mountian Bike Stage Race - Breckenridge Colorado, USA.

The Breck Epic, a six-day mountain bike stage race in Breckenridge, Colorado, has a quirky, laid-back vibe. But don’t be fooled, behind the relaxed atmosphere lies an incredibly tough event and one that’s impressively well organised. Two aging Kiwi riders took on the Duo 100 category, where the combined team age tops 100 years and both riders must stay within two minutes of each other throughout the race.

Breckenridge is about a two-hour shuttle ride from Denver. The journey starts off uneventfully—around 30 kilometers of flat highway—until the climb begins. That’s when your ears start popping, and a wave of dizziness sets in. Welcome to altitude.

Breckenridge is a haven for skiers and mountain bikers, perched roughly 3,000 meters above sea level. As the locals say, it’s like breathing through a straw up there—and that’s just in town. Oxygen levels hover around 70% of what you'd get at sea level, and yes, you feel it.

The ground? Oh, it’s rocky. Like, really rocky. Kiwis love a pun, and apparently, so do Americans. “The Rockies” isn’t just a cute name—it’s a warning. The six-day course winds through terrain that feels like Mother Nature dumped a quarry and called it a trail. Everything in the U.S. might be exaggerated—except how brutally accurate the name “Rocky Mountains” is.

Arriving three days before the race kicked off gave us just the right amount of time to settle in. Acclimatization was crucial—symptoms varied across the team, ranging from headaches and mild nausea to restless nights. But those fleeting discomforts didn’t hold us back. We hit the trails early, scouting parts of the race course and soaking in the terrain. The place blew us away—it felt like Rotorua’s tougher, wilder big brother. Singletrack was everywhere, some carved from old mining routes and waterways, others doubling as cross-country ski trails. It was epic.

Day one nerves were high. There were shifty looks as we eyed up the preymantuse looking opposition on the start line. Stage one was an awesome 58kms course of predominantly single track climbs and downhill. The downhill runs that made us feel 30 years younger. The ensuing few days were largely carbon copies of unlrelenting single track and uber fun steep single track downhills. Day three featured an 8 kms downhill section that picked it's way through rocks the size of microwaves and was covered in thick tree root drop-offs. All designed by nature to tip you off your bike in a split second. This race did not want to be conquered. Needless to say it claimed plenty of victims, the pre race briefing not putting the fear of God into most participants it seemed. The trauma tent looked more and more like a war scene as the stages wore on.

The jewel in the crown of the Breck Epic in its 17 year history has always been the infamouns stage five. The Wheeler Pass stage (read on to get the pun). Climbing to around 3,900m in altitude it didn't sound like much. But it was pretty much straight up from the town center. It was also on day 5 after 4 serious days in legs. About half way up the climb either the lack of oxygen, the steepness, or the large rocks caused everyone to walk. It looked like the world's unhappiest congo line snaking up the mountain. The dry talcomb powder like ground was peppered with blobs of sweat, like diesel engines leaking oil as riders scrolled up this terrible monster. Reaching the top was hard. Coming down the other side harder, adding to the nightly carnage in the trauma tent. I still don't know how the bikes stayed together as the hallow carbon frames endlessly echoed worrying sounding rock strikes.  Daily post stage bike clean revealled wheels that progressively looked like a cheese grater had attacked them and warped brake rotors from the heat.

As seasoned mountain bike stage racers we were use to the mental and physical fatigue that crept in. Even that couldn't dampen the pure magic that is the Breck. Riding six stages that loop you back into town every day, staying in an off season ski chalet, and waking to clear blue skies and 25 degree temps every day was magic. Catching the free gondola back into town at the end of stage 4, both a necessity and a non bike highlight. This race had it all. With track names like Vomit Hill, Mount Gawdamit, and Good Times you get the love/hate relationship that grew across every stage. 

The finishers medal is a belt buckle. All in the vein of the miners who once dominated the rugged terrain. Stamped on the back of the buckle are the words "Bad Mother Fu*ker".

Enough said. 

Silversky gear is designed in NZ and perfect for MTB, Road or Gravel and NZ's changeable conditions. Ross and Jason wore Lazy Fern Short Sleeve Jersey and Split Ends - Men's Cargo Bib Shorts for the Breck Epic