If you have always wanted to ride the Ultimate Challenge, this may be your year. The route for 2016 was announced this week. It is essentially a repeat of the absolutely superb 2013 route which features the epic Guardsman-Big Cottonwood-Little Cottonwood finish.
(Update: I am adding a comment to my route description above: The finish is truly outstanding, but I am not a big fan of the start, particularly given the early morning departure of the Ultimate Challenge. It can be a long, cold descent from Snowbasin. There is no logical justification for the start other than marketing the idea of resort-to-resort. However, on balance, it may still be better than a lower start which adds extra climbing).
The Queen stage from Snowbasin Resort to Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort returns! Similar to the 2013 version, the race will leave the world-class Snowbasin resort descending Trappers Loops into Morgan and Summit County and begin navigating through the narrow, twisting rural roads. Riders then conquer Guardsman’s Pass from the Park City side; a 7-mile climb that ascends 2800 feet of steep and variable road conditions. A very technical and fast descent down Big Cottonwood Canyon gives the riders a few minutes to catch their breath before they tackle the legendary climb up Little Cottonwood Canyon, as the race will finish on what is one of the hardest stretches of raced road in the United States: climbing over 6,000 vertical feet in the last 35 miles before the finish at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort.
https://www.tourofutah.com/experience/ultimate-challenge
No comments:
Post a Comment