The Grand-Junction Off-Road, a western shoot-out

by Felix Burke

It is Thursday and the main street of Grand Junction is as quiet as any town from old western movies right before the big shoot-out happens. You almost expected a tumbleweed to come blowing down the strip. Only this time it was not the quiet before the blasting of guns, but the quiet before the bike racers rolled in for the Grand Junction Off-Road presented by epic rides!

On Friday, the main strip was taken over by a traveling circus of mountain bikers. Shut off to all traffic, the centre of town was to be the scene of the pro short track. Booths from various brands and teams throughout the bike industry were set up and there was live music on big stage right next to the start line. Big crowds electrified the atmosphere during the pro short-track. Katerina Nash took the women’s race in a sprint against Sofia Gomez Villafane. In the men’s race, Geoff Kabush pulled away from the breakaway to claim the victory in dominating fashion.

The course for the Grand Junction Off-Road event took riders into Colorado’s National Monument, a mountainous landscape of rocks an cliffs. The trails were technical, rewarding riders with a technical skill set, but the back side of the course consisted of long fire-road climb. It took a balance of balance of fitness and technical skill to do well on this course.

On Saturday, it was the amateurs that tackled the challenge. Over 600 riders took to the hills of the National Monument, overcoming long climbs and challenging terrain. With the race starting at 8:30 in the morning, the majority of racers were done by early afternoon and spent the rest of the day enjoying food from the local restaurants and beer from local breweries. A big concert on Saturday night in the centre of town gave the amateurs the chance to properly celebrate their ride while the pros slept and got ready for their race the following day.

At 8:30 on Sunday, it was the big backcountry showdown for the pros. In the men’s race, Russell Finsterwald rode incredibly well to take the victory and set a new course record. He was followed by Geoff Kabush in second place and Stephan Davoust took third. In the women’s race, Katerina Nash repeated her victory from Friday night’s short track. Alexis Skarda finished second and Sofia Gomes Villafane finished third.

Just as quickly as the travelling circus arrived, it was gone again. By Sunday afternoon, Grand-Junction was dead quiet. The hype of the Epic Rides event won’t be back to Grand-Junction until next year, but in the hills above the quiet town lies a treasure chest of amazing trails for riders to discover. We can’t wait to get back!