Wilmington Whiteface Bike Fest

Race up, race down, race all around Wilmington and Whiteface

After the snow melts at Whiteface, the mountain doesn’t go into hibernation - every year, in fact, it is becoming a bigger destination for mountain bikers. This event brings hardcore bikers together with a pair of races that take some serious chops if you want to compete. Bikers partial to skinny tires race on Saturday in the annual Uphill Bike Race, a grueling 11-mile trek that starts at the ski center, winds along the Ausable River to Wilmington, and then up the Whiteface Veteran’s Memorial Highway to the castle near the summit. On Sunday, mountain bikers get a turn in the Wilmington/Whiteface 100K. Starting at the base of Whiteface Mountain and heading straight up its slopes, cyclists head for a knee-pounding circuit on gravel and dirt roads and through the backcountry that’s a qualifier for the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race, the country’s best-known race.

At a glance

It’s all fun and gams: Check out the Best Calves contest on Friday night, before the races.
The mountain-bike race is one of just six qualifiers for Leadville in the U.S.; the uphill is part of the BUMPS (Bikes Up the Mountain Point) series in the Northeast.
Prefer an easier pace? Guided rides, kids activities and free shuttles at the bottom of the 3-mile-long Poor Man’s Downhill trail are available, as well as exhibitions and demos.