RULES
Stages of the Four Seasons of Horsetooth Mountain Bike Stage Challenge must be completed on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday of the solstice or equinox week per the schedule below. The half-assed excuse for the Leader’s Jersey will be awarded after each stage and transferred as needed after each subsequent stage.
The Four Seasons. Competitors must complete any three of the four stages each year to have his/her time count towards the amazing grand prize which doesn’t actually exist yet…but could be a nice pair of socks. In order to enter a time in the junior category, participants must be 18 or under on the first day of the Summer Stage.
All attempts will be made to hold each seasonal stage on the season’s equinox or solstice weekend, the preceding Friday and following Monday. The Course Director (currently, Jordan Radin) will decide whether to shift the season’s stage depending on weather (wet trails) and other events in the Park (that damn running race). See the FAQs for more info about extended stages.
Tentative Stage Dates for 2024/2025:
Autumn – September 20-23, 2024 [COMPLETED]
Winter – December 13-16, 2024 [COMPLETED]
Spring – March 21-24 2025
Summer – June 20-23, 2025
Timing.
Competitors must finish at least three of the Four Season stage dates to enter a time. His/her finish time will represent the cumulative time of any three stages completed.
Should a Competitor complete all four seasons, he/she can take 20 minutes from the aggregate of his/her top three times.
Results will be posted within an administratively feasible time on this website here.
Don’t Be a Tool. This is like, uh grass roots and stuff.
All Competitors will be required to use some sort of GPS tracking device such as Strava or Garmin Connect and share the link with the 4SOH Director. The 4SOH Director has created a Four Seasons segment in Strava and in Garmin Connect. Additional resources can be found here. Send your ride link here by 12:00 p.m. Mountain on the Tuesday following the stage. You can also submit it through the Contact page of this website here. Please don’t submit GPX files as it takes a lot of work to figure out your time.
This, err, “event” is free but you are riding in Horsetooth Mountain Park and Lory State Park, both of which require fees or a yearly pass to ride there. Either pay or if you are cheap like me, ride with a friend with a yearly pass! You can be cheap but not a tool.
Don’t be a tool and run over hikers or spook horses just to get a better time.
Don’t be mean to the Course Director or he may donkey-kick you….in the face.
Don’t cheat and cut the course or use digital EPO services.
Lance – this isn’t UCI yet so come on down.
The Course. The course is the same for each season. The Course must be ridden starting at the Timber trailhead in Lory State Park. Any submissions from any other starting points will not count. Check out all of the amazing course resources here.
The Course Director has the final say on the course (see “Don’t Be a Tool” above.)
Any changes made to the course due to fire, butterfly migrations, etc. will be up to the Course Director and posted/emailed as soon as possible. You can also check on the event's Facebook page.
Don’t Sue Us.
This isn’t actually a race or any kind of organized event Officer, we’re all just out here coincidence like.
Don’t make me use a waiver.
Miscellaneous.
This event is completely self-supported. There are no aid stations or erubescent-cheeked volunteers shouting encouragement or offering bacon. There is year-round water in a few locations along the way and we encourage you to locate them.
You can use different bikes for different stages.
SSers can use different gears for different stages but you will most likely suffer from personal demons and feelings of inadequacy thereafter.
Assuming you get the requisite park permits, film crews are allowed, nay encouraged.
We’re making all this shit up as we go so be nice