Golden Cycling Club Announces the Golden 24

Tourism Golden announced today that the Town will be officially hosting the first ‘Golden 24’ cross-country mountain bike race on June 18-19 2016 in collaboration with TransRockies Events. The race is Golden’s first 24-hour mountain biking race and will attract participants of all abilities. Combining camaraderie with competition, TransRockies events invite athletes to test their endurance in spectacular mountain settings.

“We’re thrilled to have our own signature event and to have the opportunity to showcase some of the best biking terrain in North America to our visitors,” says Joanne Sweeting, executive director, Tourism Golden. “We expect the race to create repeat visitation, as more people discover that we’re a mountain biking mecca with more than 100 kilometres of trails. We believe that Golden’s economy will see a boost of approximately $50,000 during the shoulder season.”

Located in the heart of Kicking Horse Country, the course is situated on prime single-track nestled at the east side of the base of Mount 7 in the Mountain Shadows trail network. Developed and maintained by the Golden Cycling Club, the network offers West Coast style cross-country with varied terrain featuring rocks, roots, punchy climbs and flowy descents.

“Golden is an authentic mountain town with a very active cycling community. With world-class mountain biking trails, it’s a natural fit for an endurance race like this,” says Aaron McConnell, president, TracksRockies Events. “We expect to see most participants coming from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and other parts of B.C. Interior, but we’re also hoping for strong local participation. We expect to see more than 200 athletes in our first year.”

Attracting mountain bikers of all abilities, the Golden 24 offers the option to participate as a soloist or in teams of between two and ten people. The race is judged by the number of laps completed within 24-hours. “The current route concept is one lap of approximately 14 kilometres, and each lap will have 500 metres of climbing and descending,” says McConnell. “It’s suitable for an intermediate or beginner mountain biker. We’ve incorporated more intermediate single-track and the technical sections are relatively short, so it’s very doable for the average rider.”

The course will begin and end at Keith King Memorial Park in Golden, which also functions as the transition area for team members. Participants will have the option to camp within the park’s grounds from June 17–19. Local entertainment, a food concession, beer garden and an expo featuring local vendors will create a festival atmosphere that will be enjoyed by spectactors and participants alike.

McConnell expects the event to generate some international interest but anticipates the vast majority of participants coming from western Canada and the northwest United States. Interested participants can visit http://golden24.ca/registration/ to register.

Golden previously hosted Stage Four and Five of the TransRockies Singletrack 6 mountain biking race in 2014, which attracted more than 300 participants from 18 countries, and was voted Favourite Race Stages and Community by those athletes. Golden also hosts a number of road and mountain bike races annually, including the Kicking Horse Cup, Western Open at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, and also in 2016, the BC Enduro. Golden is home to an array of mountain biking trails. The Mountain Shadows and Moonraker trail systems offer more than 100 kilometres of cross-country single-track biking. More adventurous riders can test their skills riding downhill on Mount 7 or at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.

Tourism Golden first approached TransRockies in 2014 about hosting a Golden-focused mountain biking event. With its event history, vibrant mountain biking culture and ample and diverse trail networks, Tourism Golden won the contract. The Golden 24 will receive community support from the Golden Cycling Club, Town of Golden and Tourism Golden. Specializing in endurance, cycling and running events, TransRockies Events has more than 15 years of event management experience and is a North American leader in event management and logistics.

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