COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (KOAA) — The Colorado Springs Sports Corp is hosting its seventh annual Pikes Peak Apex on June 13 and 14, and this year's event marks a significant evolution for the competition.
The Pikes Peak Apex is a cycling challenge held at the base of Pikes Peak that draws competitors from around the world.
"We have a couple people from Switzerland signed up this year. I just saw yesterday (thursday) that a woman from New Zealand is joining us. We've got a professional woman from Brazil that's going to show up,“ said Micah Rice, the executive director of the Pikes Peak Apex.
The event started in 2020 as a multi-day mountain bike challenge. Last year, a gravel cycling portion was introduced, and this year it has become a full day event. On Saturday, racers will partake in the Queen of the Canyons race, a 135-mile course with nearly 12,000 feet of elevation gain.
Alternatively, racers can partake in a shorter, 65-mile course called the Mini Majesty that rides the entirety of Gold Camp Road. The Mini-Mini Majesty is a third non-competitive ride stretching 25 miles through the best part of Gold Camp Road.
Sunday will be the apex mountain bike race, with the option of the large marathon course, as well as the mini marathon that goes about 16 miles.
The original idea behind the event was to bring people to Colorado Springs to experience the trails, while also raising money to enhance the trail system.
"We build up the Pikes Peak Outdoors trails stewardship program. A lot of the entry fee money goes into that trail stewardship fund and then we find new things to help put money towards, so, the local(s) here can enjoy some of that upgraded maintenance and things like that,” said Rice.
On Thursday, the Buffalo Creek Bridge on the Gold Camp Road bypass trail opened to the public. Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation was able to build this bridge with the help of Pikes Peak Apex.
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