Through Fall
Aspen Ladies’ Ride
Local cyclists organize these informal, no-drop weekly road rides for all levels that last 90 minutes to two hours. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., meet in front of Local coffee shop.

Through Aug 13
Bonus Nights at the Snowmass Bike Park
The Elk Camp Gondola stays open late once a week so you can ride trails like Valhalla, Verde, Expresso, and more from 2 p.m. until dusk. Tuesdays, $34 

Through Aug 13
SBP Race Series
This amateur six-race series at the Snowmass Bike Park features a top-to-bottom sprint down a different course each week. Riders must be at least 10 years old and wear a full-face helmet and kneepads. Tuesdays, registration 4–6 p.m., racing 6:30–8 p.m., $10 (plus bike park lift ticket) 

Through Sept 10
Aspen Cycling Club
Weekly races in various age and skill-level categories alternate between mountain and road biking and take place throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. Wednesdays, 6 p.m., $20 per race (must bring cash) or $135 for a season-long membership 

Through early Sept 
Tuesday Cruiseday
A casual weekly group ride around Aspen, with a party vibe, for cyclists of any kind. Among the stated rules: “It’s not a race” and “Don’t fall off your bike.” Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., meet in front of Aspen Tap, free 

Aug 17
Audi Power of Four Mountain Bike Race 
This test of not only speed but also endurance covers 50 miles of prime single-track at Snowmass in solo racer and team divisions. There’s also a less daunting 25-mile option. Registration from $90 

Aug 17–18
Yeti Cycles Vida Mountain Bike Series Presented by Shimano Women’s Skills Clinic
Two days of instruction in the Snowmass Bike Park is complemented by Yeti bike demos, tech talks, healthy meals, and the all-important happy hour. $395

Aug 17–18
Big Mountain Enduro Finals
Top competitive bikers, pro and amateur, will race six stages in the Snowmass Bike Park and on Aspen Mountain, tackling 1,500 feet of climbing and 15,000 feet of descent along the way. New this year, a groms division for kids ages 10 to 16. Registration from $99

Sept 21–22
Colorado High School Cycling League Races at Snowmass 
No surprise that Colorado has a robust high school mountain biking scene, and this weekend of cross-country races is expected to draw some 600 ripping teens. 

Roaring Fork Cycling Gets Young Mountain Bikers in the Saddle

The Roaring Fork Valley did not have a comprehensive mountain biking program for developing youth riders until 2017, when the coaches of the Aspen High School mountain biking team realized that more coaches than kids were involved with the program. Enter Roaring Fork Cycling (RFC), which now offers free after-school mountain biking clinics for middle-schoolers plus skills-based sessions and summer camps for kids K through 12 from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. 

“Our goal is not to create the best mountain bikers, but to empower kids to be their best through cycling,” says Tyler Durham, who recently became the nonprofit’s managing director after working as a coach last year. That said, he acknowledges that some participants will become great mountain bikers, and some of the fastest riders have already joined high school teams. 

With its free and paid programming, plus a fleet of 20 loaner bikes, RFC is breaking down barriers to entry and creating a new generation of mountain rippers. —Allison Pattillo