Vail Grind mountain bike race on Wednesday

The Vail Recreation District recently issued the following press release on Wednesday’s Vail Grind mountain bike race, the final even in this season’s Bloch & Chapleau Mountain Bike Race Series:

Join us as we head to Vail Mountain for the Vail Grind, the last race in the 2023 Bloch & Chapleau Mountain Bike Race Series! This race, taking place Wed, Aug. 30, will live up to its name as racers grind up Vail Mountain for the second time since 2015. 

Racers will begin at Mountain Plaza at the base of Gondola One in Vail Village and race along a combination of dirt road and single track, with distances ranging from one mile for the youngest riders to 13.5 miles for pro and expert racers. For 2023, we have a brand new course for adults, utilizing the east side of Vail Mountain including the Golden Gate and Sidekick trails.

The official shop of the Vail Grind is Venture Sports, who will be at the race to provide neutral support for racers with last-minute mechanical issues.

On-site bib pickup begins at 4 p.m. Races start at 4:30 p.m. for youth bikers, 5:30 p.m. for sport and beginner categories, and 5:50 p.m. for pro and expert categories.

After the race, join us at Gravity Haus in Vail Village for a series wrap after-party! We’ll have free beer from New Belgium Brewing Company for racers 21 and over. A buffet dinner will be provided for all racers courtesy of our title sponsor, Bloch & Chapleau Attorneys at Law and our race sponsor, Gravity Haus. 

Awards will be handed out to the top three finishers in each category for the Vail Grind. Podium prizes will be presented by Outdoor Tech. We will also announce the individual and team series champions for the 2023 season, and hold a raffle blowout to celebrate the end of a great season! Bloch & Chapleau will also be raffling off a will package valued at $1,500 (must be present to win)!

Individual race cost is $29 preregistered or $40 day-of. Youth (16 and under) cost is $15 preregistered or $20 day-of. Registration is available online at vailrec.com/register and preregistration for individual races ends at 5 p.m. the day before each race. All riders are welcome to participate and racers do not need to be registered in the full series to participate in individual races.

The VRD mountain bike races are brought to you by title sponsor Bloch & Chapleau Attorneys at Law. The Youth Series is brought to you by presenting sponsor Mountain Valley Kids Dental. Thanks to our additional sponsors Vail Health, Town of Eagle, Town of Minturn, The Steadman Clinic, Skratch Labs, New Belgium Brewing, Jaunt Media Collective, Gravity Haus, Central Rockies Mortgage, Vail Health, Elevated Dental, VailHoneywagon, Altitude Bar & Grill, 808 Distillery, Ski Town All-Stars, Alpine Wine & Spirits, Optic Nerve, Outdoor Tech, Sweet Protection, West Vail Liquor Mart, Mountain Pedaler, 8z Real Estate and FirstBank.