What do mountain bikes, golf and microbrews have in common? The inaugural Sedona Bike & Brew Mountain Bike Race, which takes place at Sedona Golf Resort on Aug. 22 and 23. The race begins with a group ride followed by a prerace dinner and party on Aug. 22 at 5 p.m. The evening will feature live music, cornhole games and eight microbrews on tap from Four Peaks Brewing Company in Tempe. The race begins on Aug. 23 at 7 a.m. It will be divided into five divisions: men’s open, men’s sport, women’s open, women’s sport and junior. A post-race awards ceremony, party and silent auction benefiting the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition will follow. Registration for the race is $75 for general admission and $150 for VIP entry. The idea for the race has been brewing for almost a year.
“We manage a golf course in Oregon, and a bike race asked for permission to cross our driving range,” says Jeremy Hayman, general manager of the Sedona Golf Resort. “I saw photos from the race, and I thought it was cool – why not do that here? It’s difficult to get the forest service to sanction a race, but we have 80 acres at the golf resort that we can use.”
The 6-mile race track, which organizers began planning and constructing in May, will include at least six obstacles such as jumps, washes, gullies and, if all goes as planned, a very narrow bridge suspended above one of the golf course’s water features. The race takes place in two stages: The top 30 percent in the criterium stage will advance to the final race. After the final race, a strider race for kids will take place. Striders are miniature bikes sans pedals. Jeremy expects the race to wrap up around noon.
Not a mountain biker? You can still enjoy the action. Both parties are open to the general public, and spectators are encouraged to set up camp on the golf course greens to watch the race at no charge. Sedona Golf Resort will be closed to golfers for the day. Sedona Bike & Brew is open to a maximum of 200 racers. Registration is open now. – Erika Ayn Finch. Photograph by Jim Monahan.
SEDONA CALENDAR: Events, activities, shows, happenings
