Tippin' One Back for the Whiskey Off-Road

This weekend marks the Annual Whiskey Off-Road, a three-day celebration of all things mountain biking. For the 13th year, thousands will converge on Prescott, Arizona, to bask in the camaraderie of world-class trails, live music, Western vibes and a weekend chock-full of mountain bike culture. With nearly 2,000 registered riders, new singletrack options, a revamped Pro Fat Tire Crit course, more beer gardens and a revamped music venue, the scene is primed to be a barnburner.

What better way to kick off a mountain bike event with a race on pavement? In a whir of knobs like a buzzing swarm of bees, racing begins on Friday (4/29) when the ladies kick off the Pro Fat Tire Crit at 5:15 p.m. followed by the men at 6:15 p.m. The best places to spectate the crits will be the Sierra Nevada Beer Garden, The Barley Hound patio, and the Union Street Hill. This pro-level event will feature top competitors from across the country, get the crowd roaring, and will determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s Pro Backcountry event.

Watch the Fat Tire Crit from the hill on Union Street. This is where moves are made and hand ups are had. Will the beer-belted Gorilla be back? Best show up and get weird to find out.

Clanging cowbells, raucous cheering, and cold bevvies sum up the scene as a deep list of pros race through Prescott's crowd-lined streets.


Each Pro Fat Tire Crit race will be 20 minutes plus three laps. The race start/finish line is on Goodwin St. between Cortez St. and Montezuma St. Along with a primo starting position on Sunday, the crit winners also receive free beer for a year from The Barley Hound, Prescott's choice gastropub.


Saturday's amateur Backcountry events, where tires meet dirt, commence at the crack of dawn with a rollout led by the Prescott Police Department from downtown. Riders taking on the 50 Proof (50 mile) course roll first at 7:30, followed by the 30 Proofers. (For beginner riders, the 15-Proof ride will roll Friday before the Fat Tire Crits.)


New Singletrack for 2016

Here's the nitty gritty on some fresh course options, new for this year's Whiskey.



CamelBak...#GotyourBak


They're called trail nuggets. It's when something happens in your favor that makes the day better, the ride more pleasurable, and the world seem like a rad place. CamelBak will be dishing out trail nuggets Saturday and Sunday on the newly-added Wolverton Trail in the form of Podium 2 bottle hand ups. With the added distance and grunt to the climbs, these will be some well-received nuggets from our amigos at CamelBak.

KMC King of the Mountain Challenge


There is no better downhill than an earned downhill. KMC is putting their money where their mouth is by rewarding climbers of the 50 Proof and 30 Proof rides in its King of the Mountain Challenge. KMC will also be rewarding the day's slowest climbers — because let's face it — the duration of their noble, exquisite suffering is deserving of recognition.

Stan's NoTubes Sealant Happy Hours


Stan's NoTubes will let the sealant flow with complimentary refreshers to all riders throughout the weekend.

Expo on Whiskey Row

Located on downtown Prescott's legendary Whiskey Row between two stages of live music, the Whiskey Bike & Gear Expo will feature a soundtrack of sonic goodness all weekend while showing off some of the industry's best and brightest bike brands.


In addition to scoping new goodies like the redesigned Crest, Arch and Flow wheels from Stan's NoTubes, Pivot Cycles will also be showing off their new LES 29er hardtail that's got a number of enhancements including 27.5+ compatibility.


Maxxis Tires will drop scavenger hunt hints through Epic Rides' Instagram @epicrides, dishing out these custom hot patch Ardents.


On the nutritional side, In-N-Out will be slinging free burgers all weekend while Sierra Nevada's Watering Hole Challenge (a pub crawl) will test the top tippler.


If that wasn't enough, there'll be explosive floor pump races with Pivot and Maxxis, two Shimano Youth Series Kids Fun Rides, and more revelry from over 55 vendors queued up for the weekend.


On Saturday, 30th April, at 8 p.m., Epic Rides will celebrate the illustrious career of pro mountain bike racer Sue Haywood at The Barley Hound, 234 S. Cortez St. in downtown Prescott. All are encouraged to come shake her hand, relive some of the high points in her career, and raise a glass in honor of Sue's illustrious career.


Tunes

Epic Rides is excited to present Black Joe Lewis, The Haymarket Squares, Jared & the Mill and others to rock the Whiskey Off-Road. Live music kicks off Friday at 5:30 p.m. and continues Saturday at 10 a.m. Black Joe Lewis will take the stage Saturday at 6 p.m. on the north lawn of the Yavapai County Courthouse.

Black Joe Lewis

Scouting report

With $30,000 of evenly-split winnings on the line, the Whiskey Pro Men's and Women's categories will be hotly contested for their chance of bringing home a share of $15,000 in cash, paid 12 deep.

2015 Pro Men's Podium

2015 Pro Women's Podium

Prescott native and defending Whiskey champion, Chloe Woodruff of the Stan's NoTubes/Pivot Cycles team is flying high this year, fresh off a win at the Sea Otter Classic Short Track. No doubt she'll be a force to reckon with on her home turf against competitors like Rose Grant, Erin Alders, and Sarah Kaufmann.


Defending Whiskey Champion, Howard Grotts will also toe the line against a stacked field including Carl Decker, Stephen Ettinger, Todd Wells and Ben Sonntag. Grotts, riding for Specialized, won the USA Cycling mountain bike XC national championships at Mammoth Mountain, California, last year.


The Full Whiskey Off-Road 2016 Pro Roster


Last but not least, we'd like to give a shoutout to Patriot Disposal, a longtime Whiskey Off-Road partner, for providing an underrated yet no less crucial service to the event — a comfortable, quiet place for riders to twist, contort and wrangle free from their bibs.


Stay tuned throughout the weekend for daily recaps as it goes down.

Visit Epic Rides for the full lineup of events.
Photos by Brian Leddy, Devon Balet, Les Stukenberg, and Sportograf

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MENTIONS: @epic-rides

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