An end-of-summer outdoor celebration! Come celebrate the beginning of fall in the Rockies with a challenging mountain bike race in Colorado! Mountain RATS is an exciting day of festival fun and exploration on the trails near Eagle, Colorado. With the start/finish line located right in the heart of Eagle, CO, friends and family can enjoy themselves while you ride this rugged mountain race. You’ll enjoy a day of relaxing with tasty beer, hot meals, live music, and a massage at the recovery station.

During the Firebird MTB race, you will experience intense uphill grinds and beautiful views from a well-maintained singletrack. This 25 mile is a great test of stamina and serves as the perfect culmination of all your summer training. With the combination of many short ups and downs and a couple big climbs, this event will definitely test your fitness. We hope you’ll join us for an exciting day of outdoor mountain biking and celebration!

A portion of our event proceeds will benefit The Cycle Effect: a local non-profit with the mission to empower girls through mountain biking. This way, you can give back and have fun all while exploring challenging mountainous terrains.

 

Finisher’s mementos will be handed to you as you cross the finish line and awards will be given out at our Awards Ceremony. Don’t miss out on a chance to win raffle prizes and socialize with other riders.

We will additionally have a $100 bill for the fastest male and female mountain bikers to ride from the Firebox aid station to the Spring Creek aid station as recorded by our staff. These cash gifts will be presented at the Awards Ceremony.

Men’s and Women’s winners will receive comp entries to next year’s races.

Customized cowbell awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers in each race for Sport and Pro/Open categories in each of the following age ranges:

  • Under 29
  • 30-39
  • 40-49
  • 50+
  • Single Speed

Racers will receive customized dog tag finisher awards as they cross the finish line. Awards and mementos will not be mailed after the event.

Key Event Details
25 Mile
Date

September 16, 2023

Start Time

12:00 PM

Start Location

Corner of Capitol and Sylvan Road in Eagle, CO

Finish Line

Same as Starting Location

Cut Off Time

5:00 PM

Pricing
25 Mile
Early (3/31)

$85

Standard (6/30)

$95

Late (9/16)

$105

Race Weekend

$115

Entry fees cover a racer’s shirt, general ground assistance (tents, food, and water at each stage), technical support, medical assistance, and a finisher’s memento.

We will additionally have shirts and hats available to purchase at check-in and throughout the event.

See more information on our refund policy below.

Register

Take part in a fun Colorado mountain bike race this fall! We have limited spots for our Firebird 25 Mile race, so register today!

Entry fees include place winner awards, shirts (or other race mementos), aid station goodies, a finisher’s memento, and post-race refreshments.

Register

The Firebird course will be challenging, beautiful, and almost all dirt. Here is the course for our 25 Mile mountain bike race in Colorado.

Firebird 25 Mile
  • 24.5 mi with 4600’+ climbing
  • Low Point 6607′ – High Point 9142′

Cut-Off Times:

  • Firebox Cut-Off – 3:00pm
  • Finish Cut-Off – 5:30pm

On the Firebird 25 Mile, you will begin this mountain bike race in the heart of Eagle, CO, next to Color Coffee Roasters. Start by riding 2 miles on the bike path along Eagle Ranch Road and Haystacker Drive, where a right turn onto the Turniphead Trail marks the start of the dirt miles until the finish line.

Just shy of a mile after turning onto dirt, you will pass through the Arroyo trailhead, at 3 miles. From Arroyo 1 you will do a fun 5.8 mile loop before returning to the Arroyo aid station.

From Arroyo 2, the course continues steadily up, first on double track on the Third Gulch Trail, then veering left onto singletrack on the Pipeline Trail. Throughout this climb, you will ride from a sage-covered high desert into beautiful aspen groves on the Pipeline Trail. At 1300 vertical feet above Arroyo, you will reach aid station #3, Firebox, at mile 12.9.

You’ll leave the aid station and continue uphill on Hardscrabble Road briefly to a hard right turn onto Firebox Road. After 2 miles with some steep climbs through forest and pastureland on Firebox Road, you’ll veer left onto singletrack and descend toward Dead Cow.

A very steep but short hike-a-bike section awaits you as you leave the aid station onto the Mike’s Night Out Trail. The course rewards you with sweeping views as it continues on Mike’s Night Out before bombing down on beautiful singletrack to aid station #4, Spring Creek, at mile 19.4. A short and beautiful ride on Itch Trail will take you to the downhill portion of the World’s Greatest Trail, much of which is fast and flowy, with a small bit of steepness.

From here, the fun isn’t quite over, as the course heads up one final 200-foot climb. From the top of this intense climb, the trail makes a serpentine descent to the Horton Street Trailhead. Head down the neighborhood street and turn left onto the bike path. A short 0.4 miles along this path leads to the finish line and after party at Color Coffee Roasters.

Thursday:

6:00 pm – Trivia Night at Color Roasters to support the Watershed Council

Friday:

5:00 pm-7:00 pm – Packet Pick Up at Color Roasters breezeway (west side of Color Roasters)

5:00 pm-8:00 pm – Live music at Color Roasters

Saturday:

6:00 am-7:45 am – Packet Pick-Up and race day registration at the start line on Capitol St.

7:00 am – 50K Ultra and Marathon start

8:00 am – Heavy Half start

9:00 am-6:00 pm – Endorphin gym open to all registered participants. 

9:00 am – Kids Scavenger Hunt

10:30 am – Super Strider Kids Event (4 and under). Register at the start/finish area

11:00 am - Kids Sprint Race (10 and under)

11:00 am - Firebird Packet Pick-Up and race day registration at the start line on Capitol St.

12:00 pm - Firebird MTB start

12:15 pm – Heavy Half awards at the start/finish

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm – Amazing Race Check-in

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm - Amazing Race Start (one team leaves every 2 minutes)

2:00 pm – Marathon/50K Race Awards at start/finish

3:30 pm - Firebird Awards at start/finish

4:00 pm – Amazing Race Awards at start/finish

6:00 pm - Live Music at Color Roasters, El Segundo, Boneyard and other local businesses!

 

Course Records

50K Female – Shaneis Kehoe – 03:30:51 (2021) 

50K Male – Tom Herman – 2:53:21 (2020) 

Are There Accommodations Available?

Our host hotel for this upcoming weekend event is the Quality Inn & Suites Vail Valley. When you call to reserve, please mention that you’re participating in the “Mountain RATS races” to receive the best rate. Rooms will sell out quickly for the event weekend, so be sure to book soon.

Where Can I Park?

Parking will be at the Brush Creek Elementary School parking lot (333 Eagle Ranch Rd, Eagle, CO 81631). It’s a very short walk across the street to the start/finish area.

What Kind of Weather is Expected?

Weather in Eagle can vary. The averages for September are a low of 42F and a high of 73F degrees. So, plan accordingly!

What is Provided at the Aid Stations?

We will have three aid stations located throughout the course. Aid stations will be stocked with gels, potato chips, peanut butter and jelly rolls, chocolate, bananas, ice water, and sports drink. Aid stations will NOT have aspirin, ibuprofen, or other NSAIDs.

In order to be environmentally friendly and cut down on the amount of trash we produce during our mountain bike races in Colorado, we will not have cups at the aid stations. Please carry a water bottle, cup, or hydration pack on the course.

There will be emergency vehicles throughout the event and at aid stations, and all necessary materials to nurse any bumps, cuts, bruises, or blisters will be at the start/finish area. In addition, a certified Emergency Medical Technician will be in attendance.

Can I Go Off Course?

Racers must stay on the designated course at all times. Short-cutting will result in disqualification. If you go off course, you must return to the same point you exited in order to continue.

What About Unforeseeable Circumstances?

In the case of unforeseeable circumstances due to weather or other extenuating circumstances that prevents the safe continuation of the race, race officials may end the race at any given time without a refund of unused portions. This rule will be implemented in the most extreme cases for the safety of the racers or officials during each Colorado mountain bike race during the weekend.

What is Your Refund/Cancellation Policy?

There will be no entry transfers. If you regrettably need to cancel your registration, please use UltraSignup. Cancellations will result in a credit that can be applied as a registration payment toward any Gemini Adventures event within one year’s time, minus a 15% fee. To cancel your registration, simply login to your account, go to “Registration History,” select “Edit” for the event, and select “Cancel Registration.”

  • 30 days or more prior to the event: 85% credit of registration fee (excluding UltraSignup fees).
  • Less than 30 days prior to the Event: No refunds or credit given.

Credits may be applied to any future Gemini Adventures race and will be valid for 12 months.

Registered racers may also switch between distances. No refunds or credit will be given for dropping down in distance. If you would like to increase your distance, the added current pricing of the longer distance will be charged (excluding Ultrasignup fees).