CHALLENGING MTB TRIPS MEANT TO PUSH LIMITS AND REDEFINE WHAT’S TRULY EPIC

When everything new these days is created to make life easier, we’re reversing course and making our trips even harder – because we know what you’re capable of and we know that when you push yourself, amazing things happen.

Our new 5-day Ride Limitless trips are meant to be difficult: they’re meant to push you, they’re meant to induce a bit of suffering, they’re meant to give you something to work towards.  But they’re also designed around some of the best high-country MTB rides in the Rocky Mountains and with the right training and preparation – along with the support system we provide – we believe they’ll become some of the best rides you’ll ever experience.  Think of Ride Limitless as an offshoot of the hardest multi-day stage races in the country, but without the racing… and all-inclusive, to boot.  We’re including professional guides, full ride support, meals, lodging, training plans, ride nutrition and much more with the new Ride Limitless trips.  Once you sign up for a Ride Limitless trip, we’ll give you all the tools to succeed, but it’s your responsibility to utilize those and prepare yourself for (likely) the hardest riding you’ve done yet.

Each trip starts off with a relatively mellow (10-12 miles) warm-up ride on the first afternoon, and then we get into it with three BIG days on the bike.  You can expect big climbs, epic downhills, tech challenges and lots more; these are routes you’ll only find on a Chasing Epic trip.  If you put in the time and effort preparing your mind and body for these trips, we promise you’ll discover new limits and push yourself in ways you didn’t think possible.  You’ll become a better mountain biker, a tougher human, and an all-around bad ass.

YOU VS YOU.  YOU VS YOUR FRIENDS.  YOU VS THE ROUTE.  YOU VS YOUR INNER DEMONS.  IT’S YOUR CHOICE, BUT BE TRUE TO YOURSELF THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.

EXAMPLE SCHEDULE FOR PLANNING PURPOSES

Day 1: Plan on arriving a little after lunch (1pm or so) to unpack and assemble your bike, plus we’ll do a brief introduction before heading out for our acclimation ride this afternoon.  Expect ~3 hours covering 10-12 miles and a bit of climbing, so you can dial in your bike, get a feel for the terrain, and loosen the legs.  Once we’re wrapped up, dinner will be in our main lodging HQ as a group so we can break down the first big day and answer any questions.

Days 2-4: It’s on.  Each day we’ll start with breakfast cooked by our awesome in-house chef (my wife Sarah!), followed by a fairly early start.  Most rides are point-to-points and include an initial shuttle drop, but you can expect to be out on the bike for most of the day.  Immediately after the ride we’ll have a pretty substantial snack for you to help start the recovery process, followed by a home-cooked dinner later that evening.

Day 5: Departure day, it’s time to pack up the bikes and begin the journey home.  We’ll have a quick breakfast as a group.  Official check-out time is around 10-11am, but you can take off whenever you need to catch your flight or start the drive home.

RIDE ITINERARY

Each trip is custom designed and every one will be different – you’ll receive the exact routes and trails with your official trip itinerary, which will be emailed to you about a week before the trip.  Take a look at each destination’s page and you’ll find general stats for the upcoming year’s planned itinerary with average distance, climbing, descending and general characteristics of the terrain.  Every year we plan on switching up itineraries and making the rides a bit different, adding favorites or linking trails in a different way.  Oh, and there might be a Queen Stage thrown in for good measure on each trip – yeah, there definitely will be one day that’s a little extra.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Which Ride Limitless trip should I choose?

Honestly, pick the one that scares you a little bit; one that you’ll work hard to prepare for, one that will feel like an accomplishment when you crush all four days of riding.  These trips require training and effort to complete, they’re not going to be your typical relaxing vacation.  We like what Jeff Cayley- the owner of Worldwide Cyclery said during our Monarch Crest trip- said:  I’m going to need a vacation from my vacation!

How do I set myself up for success on these trips?

Commit to the process and be true to yourself.  This means finding time to dedicate to training, practice, and preparation – these trips aren’t meant to be easy, and they’re not going to be.  If you’re consistent with your training and nutrition, you’ll see the gains pile up and you’ll slowly become a stronger rider.  We get it, most people don’t have tons of time to dedicate to training for months ahead of a trip like this – but with our newly redesigned training program, we’ll give you realistic options that can help you succeed.  As the trip gets closer, you’ll have to put in some longer hours and practice everything you’ll encounter (nutrition, packing tips, etc) on a several-hour backcountry ride, but we’ll help you with that too.

I’ve done a Chasing Epic trip before, how do these compare?

These are definitely harder; figure about 20-40% more mileage and vert than you likely rode on your last trip.  But… this allows us to put together routes that are truly epic.  Big climbs, huge descents, breathtaking scenery and no one else around for hours.  There will be a quicker pace throughout the day and we’ll keep the social stops to a minimum, but if you prepare we promise you’ll crush it.

Are these guided?  Can I ride at my own pace?

Yes and yes.  Consider these trips “fully supported”: we’ll have guides in the front and back to help with support and navigation throughout the day.  Additionally, we’ll have some combination of a mid-ride aid station or someone floating around the middle of the group to help as needed.  You’re more than welcome to ride with our guides all day, as they’ll set a solid pace – but you can also ride at your own pace as long as you’re on track to finish each day at a reasonable time.  If you aren’t keeping up the pace or need to drop during a ride, we’ll have options for you there too.