Montana 100-miler features enormous amount of climbing
John Curry leads Tinker Juarez and Bill Martin in the early morning hours of the 2011 Butte 100 mountain bike race. (Image credit: Jon Wick / 5518 Designs)
The sixth edition of the Butte 100-miler will happen on Saturday, July 28, in Butte, Montana. Run by Triple Ring Productions (TRP), a 50-miler option is also offered.
David "Tinker" Juarez (Cannondale Factory Racing) will return to defend his 2011 100-mile victory. The former Olympian, mountain bike world champion and hall of fame member will be chased by the most competitive 100-mile field the Butte 100 has had. Other racers looking to de-thrown Juarez include last year's runner-up John Curry (GAS Intrinsik), 2010 race winner Ben Parsons (Hammer Nutrition), and previous two-time champion Bill Martin (Muleterro).
This year's course will take the 100-mile racers on a figure-eight course starting on a 50-mile loop north of I-90, then joining the 50-mile racers on the southern loop. Recent rerouting of the north loop due to safety concerns has resulted in what race organizers predict will be the fastest track in the history of the race.
The southern 50-mile course remains as one of the most demanding tests of mountain bike endurance racing in the country with an amount of climbing not seen anywhere else: approximately 11,459 feet for the 50-mile racers (approximately 17,920 feet for the 100-mile racers).
The northern loop highlights include singletrack and doubletrack trails through vastly different environs, from dense forest to the Pipestone area's high-altitude desert, while the southern loop features nearly 30 miles of Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
Demand for the race has exceeded organizer's expectations as the 250-racer cap was reached within 10 days of open registration. A waiting list of racers has exceeded 130 additional racers.
