The Black River Grand Prix & Epic

2024 Results and Photos

Race Info

The Black River Grand Prix is growing! Join us on Saturday, June 8, 2024 for the Black River Grand Prix weekend presented by the Hitchhiker Bike Shop, a celebration of fast racing, big loops, varied terrain, and fun on bikes in the woods. The format is simple: mass start on one big lap (or two). Want to race 12 miles of the best the Center has to offer? Enter the Grand Prix. Think it's so nice you want to do it twice? Then the Grand Epic is for you. And if racing isn't your thing and you just want a signed ride and tacos for lunch, then the Grand Tour has your name on it. 

Whatever your category, this ain’t XCO, this is VT mountain biking - flow, tech, jank, doubletrack, ski trail, and maybe even a dirt road or two - there’s something for everyone. There's even a bit of pavement at the start.

The 2023 Black River Grand Epic field will head off at 10:15am for the 25-mile epic race featuring nearly all the riding the Center has to offer. Two 12-mile loops of nearly all our trails in the most fun layout we can pull off. This is not sufferfest racing, this is the local's loop, the way the builders ride things. 

The Grand Prix will start fifteen minutes later at 10:30am for those who just want one sweet race lap. 

Five minutes later at 10:35AM the Grand Tour riders go off on a mellow cruise of the same loop. The lap never loops back into the stadium, so once you’re gone, you’re gone, though the Grand Epic racers will come back through the Upper Field after their first ~12-mile lap. 

First folks back win. The courses will look similar to the 2023 Grand Prix course, though for safety's sake we will remove the road section and the singletrack loop of Seeds of Dissent. Safety first. Preliminary maps are available here.

We are super stoked to partner with our friends at the Hitchhiker Bike Shop, over in Stowe. Hitchhiker is the brainchild of local shredder George Merrill. First started as a mobile bike shop, Hitchhiker opened their brick-and-mortar location next to Rimrocks in Stowe back in 2021. They specialize in the type of mountain bikes that folks in Vermont want to ride (and they're also big in the emerging gravel scene in our area). We rely on George (and his faithful pup Looit) for all the service we don't do ourselves and we're stoked to partner with Hitchhiker to bring the Grand Prix & Epic to the masses. George and his crew will be on site race morning with demo bikes and any last-minute repairs you might need.

We're also happy to bring aboard Julbo, the mountain eyewear brand, as one of our partners. Check them out for the latest in stylish and cutting-edge performance sunglasses and goggles.

Check out last year's Race Guide! for more info about how the event ran in 2023.

Pricing and Prize Purses

The Grand Prix will be $40 for open racers, $25 for current college students, and $20 for juniors (ages 18 and under). The Grand Epic will be $70. The Grand Tour costs $30. 

$12 of each open entry fee will go towards prize money for the open category in that respective race. $3 to the male and female winners, $2 for second place, and $1 for third place.

We will call up podiums for the top 3 overall men and women, top 3 junior (U20) boys and girls, and then the male and female winners of each 10 year age class, starting with 40+ (so 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and so on). 

On-site Lodging

Did you know the Center has on-site lodging with meals available? Whether you want your own private cabin, a lakeside cottage, or just a room in our Cedar Lodge dorm, we can meet your needs. A room in Cedar lodge (with three meals included) starts at just $155. 

Learn more about lodging info and rates here.

Or check out the cabin tour from DirtWireTV: 

The Trails & Course

Never ridden our trails? Check out these DirtWireTV recaps to get a taste of what is in store.

A weekend at the Outdoor Center with DirtWireTV

Sampling the trails pre-race

VT3 race highlights