Vail Valley Foundation/Courtesy image
VAIL — In addition to the whitewater, fly fishing, jogging, climbing and canine-welcoming gatherings at the GoPro Mountain Games, twin slalom bicycle racing has been additional. While most of the functions occur in and all around Vail, the Minturn Bike Park will perform host to this head-to-head format that will be similarly as thrilling to enjoy as it is to ride.
The Minturn Bicycle Park opened final yr and established the phase for this model of bicycle racing to be a element of the GoPro Mountain Video games. The Vail Valley Foundation and GoPro have partnered with the town of Minturn, the Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance and Strait Acres to create this interesting new party.
Strait Acres is owned by professional rider few Kyle and Rachel Strait. Kyle was out placing the ending touches on the study course while Rachel was using care of their 15-thirty day period-aged daughter.
“The bicycle park crew has definitely finished a great work of setting up the footprint, and then Kyle is just putting his little touches on it,” Rachel Strait said.
Primarily based out of Alpine, California, a tiny town east of San Diego, both of those Rachel and Kyle grew up in Southern California and have been professional riders for most of their lives.
“Kyle went professional when he was 16, and I went pro when I was a little older. He does the Red Bull Rampage party just about every 12 months and was the initial dude to win that party 2 times, and he is the only athlete that has participated in each individual one a single of them. He’s mad!” Strait mentioned. “I preserve ready for the working day when he states, ‘Yeah, babe, I consider I’m carried out,’ but he’s not slowing down.”
Vail Valley Basis/Courtesy photograph
This will be the Straits’ very first excursion to the GoPro Mountain Game titles. The Straits will be joined by other leading abilities on the dual slalom circuit.
“We’ll have Bubba Warren in this article. Tommy Zula, who is the pump keep track of earth champion, will be here. And Collin Hudson is a pretty fast racer from Colorado,” Strait explained.
Top rated feminine racers will be in this article as effectively.
“Look for pump keep track of world winner Kialani Hines, and Jordy Scott is a actually rapid racer out of Utah, so it will be a superior opposition,” Strait explained.
Prime prize revenue will be handed out, which is vital to the Straits.
“Our entire purpose is to make confident we give back again to the racers, due to the fact with no racers, you wouldn’t have nearly anything, so it was actually cool that the Vail Valley Foundation understood our eyesight and have been capable to arrive up with really superior prize dollars for this celebration,” Strait explained.
The pro/open men’s and women’s divisions features a prize purse of $12,000. Professional racers will be listed here as very well as amateurs, so count on to locate a few locals in the mix, as well.
The qualifying rounds take place on Tuesday, and qualifying rounds and finals wrap up on Wednesday. Racers will be out there all day, and there will be a great deal of areas to spectate. Immediately after the awards at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, stick close to for a cost-free concert at the Little Beach front Amphitheater, which is close to the Minturn Bicycle Park at 7 p.m.
For more information and facts on the 20th GoPro Mountain Games and the GoPro Dual Slalom, go to MountainGames.com.