World Solo 24 Hour Mountain Bike Championships Comes to Weaverville

Solo riders push their limits to see how many laps they can do in 24 hours

Gathering in Weaverville, California on October 3-4, 2015, the world’s best endurance mountain bike racers will race around the clock as they compete for the title of “World Solo 24 Hour Champion.”

The concept is simple; how many laps of the course can each solo rider do in 24 hours? 

The international sanctioning body, the World Endurance Mountain Bike Organization (WEMBO), grants the privilege of hosting this prestigious annual event to only the best venues and courses.  Moving from Italy in 2012, to Australia in 2013, to Scotland in 2014, WEMBO has chosen the historic California gold-rush town of Weaverville for the 2015 event.

Nestled against the majestic mountains of the Trinity Alps Wilderness, Over a century and a half later, these trails, with their gentle grades that follow the contours of the land, provide some of the best mountain biking imaginable—certainly worthy of hosting the world’s best endurance racers. With over 40-miles of single-track trails to choose from within the Weaver Basin Trail System the organizers are laying out a course that will be a challenging, fun and scenic.

“We are thrilled to showcase the Northern California town to the word. Its rich history and its proximity to the Trinity Alps Wilderness and surrounding mountains and rivers make historic Weaverville some of the best single-track mountain bike trails in the Western United States,” commented Race Director Vic Armijo.  

Major bicycle and accessory manufacturers will be on hand with their demo centers; elite racers will hold skill clinics for the amateurs, in addition to music, entertainment, barbeques, hosted rides and cycling film screenings.  Starting off Race Week is the 2015 Weaverville Nine to Five, an 8-hour event on the World Championship course that will give the 24-Hour racers an opportunity for a shake down session on the course and the less ambitious racers a chance to compare their lap times to their heroes.

Northern California-based manufacturer Santa Cruz Bicycles is the title sponsor of the event. “We’ve been supporting 24-hour racers like Josh Tostado (reigning USA National Champ) for years,” explains Will Ockelton, Global Marketing Director at Santa Cruz Bicycles. “So when we heard the 24-hour Worlds were coming to California we felt we owed it to these guys to get involved and help WEMBO and the Weaverville organizers make the event a success. You have to be an absolute nutter to race something like this solo, and that’s basically what we love about it!”

The event is open only to solo racers (no teams) and unlike previous years there are no qualifying requirements—the organizers want anyone with the desire and ambition to be able to race. There are categories for all ages (18 and above) and abilities and each category winner will be awarded the traditional World Championship Rainbow jersey.

Interested in what solo 24-hour racing is all about? Check out this film from the 2014 World Championships.

Learn more at weaverville24.us.