Cañon City.
Royal Gorge Ranch & Resort (Buckskin Joe). Sunday, October 11.
When you stage.
Warm-ups are led by a coach or a team captain and start 55 minutes before staging, so the warm-up time is the one to set an alarm for. Staging is when you need to be in the chute with your plate on and your gel eaten, not when the gun goes. Tap your wave and the fuel planner will build the rest of your morning backward from it.
Saturday, October 10
- 2:00 PM Team pit zone opens for Sunday teamsWe set up while the Crystal division races.
- 3:45 PM Pre-ride opensLeague estimate, opens once Saturday's racing wraps. Registered riders and coaches only, number plate visible.
- 5:30 PM Pre-ride closesThis one is enforced to the minute.
- 6:30 PM Venue closesPrivate property.This one is enforced to the minute.
Sunday, October 11
- 7:00 AM Pre-ride opens
- 7:25 AM Freshman Boys warm-up Team
- 7:45 AM Coach meetingMandatory.
- 8:00 AM Pre-ride closesThis one is enforced to the minute.
- 8:05 AM National anthem
- 8:20 AM Freshman Boys staging
- 8:45 AM Sophomore Boys warm-up Team
- 9:40 AM Sophomore Boys staging
- 10:05 AM JV, Sophomore & Freshman Girls warm-up Team
- 10:15 AM Senior Singletrack Send-Off
- 11:00 AM JV, Sophomore & Freshman Girls staging
- 11:30 AM JV Boys warm-up Team
- 12:25 PM JV Boys staging
- 12:50 PM Varsity Boys & Girls warm-up Team
- 1:45 PM Varsity Boys & Girls staging
- 4:30 PM Awards
- 6:30 PM Venue closesPrivate property.This one is enforced to the minute.
The League runs the same timetable on the other day of the weekend for the Crystal division, so if you see a schedule going around with our times on a different day, that is what it is.
Double-check these.
The League holds that deadline firmly and cannot add riders afterward. Call-up lists post on the League site by Thursday, October 8 at 5:00pm.
5.6-mile clockwise laps through a piñon forest on a mix of doubletrack and fast, technical singletrack, with views of the Royal Gorge Bridge along the way. 500 feet of climbing per lap, starting at 5,332 feet, the lowest start of the season. Two laps for everyone except Varsity, who ride three.
The terrain carries goat heads, cholla, prickly pear and barrel cactus. Tire sealant is worth topping off this week rather than on race morning, a plug kit belongs in every jersey pocket, and the edges of the trail are where the thorns live.
The Royal Gorge Ranch & Resort is private property and everyone has to be off it by 6:30pm each day. No warm-up is allowed on County Road 3A, so warm-ups use the League's 1-mile warm-up area on site. E-bikes are permitted at this venue.
Freshman Boys, Sophomore Boys and JV Boys each start in two waves five minutes apart, Wave A then Wave B, with one cut-off for both, so the staging time is the one to be on time for. The Senior Singletrack Send-Off is at 10:15am, between the Sophomore Boys and the Girls.
Peaks 'n Pitas serves breakfast and lunch at the venue both days from 7:30am to 3:00pm, though the team pit is still the plan. The feed zone stocks Honey Stinger gels and water for racers, and RockShox neutral support has Mike's Bikes mechanics on site all weekend.
The League's contest at Cañon City is bike rodeo, which means western boots, hats and denim. The most creative team with high participation is recognized at the awards ceremony.
Parking is at the race venue, first come first served, with handicap spots near the start and finish. People and gear can be dropped at the venue before you go park. Illegally parked cars are towed at the owner's expense, so the parking staff's directions are the ones to follow.
The Royal Gorge KOA is three quarters of a mile from the venue, with tent sites, RV sites and cabins, 25% off for League members when you book by phone (719-924-7141). Royal Gorge RV Resort and Mountain View RV Resort are each about a mile and a half out, 20% off with the codes GOBIKING and MTB2026. East Ridge Campground has $20 sites with pit toilets and direct access to the Royal Gorge trails. For hotels, the Best Western Cañon City holds a $179 League rate through the League's lodging link, and the League's race page lists several more with discount codes.
The Royal Gorge Bridge & Park is offering race participants and their families $10 off admission and $10 off the zipline. The promotional flyer on the League's race page is what to show when you buy tickets.
The venue also opens Friday, October 9 from 2:00 to 5:30pm for pre-ride if you are heading down early. The Friday pit zone belongs to Saturday's teams; ours opens Saturday at 2:00pm. Family and friends may ride the course after 5:30pm on Friday and Saturday, though EMS coverage ends at 5:30 both days.