Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Town Challenge Mountain Bike Series race with the longest history returns to Gondola Square today.

The Mount Werner Thunderhead Climb starts at 5:30 p.m. with children's and Miller Lite division races. Other race divisions start at 6 p.m.

"It's been in the race series since 1992, so it's probably the longest running race," Town Challenge race director Gretchen Sehler said. "This is the race with the longest history."

The race begins at the base of the gondola and finishes at the top of Thunderhead. An all-out ascent from the base of the Headwall ski run, the Thunderhead Climb is the second event in the eight-race Town Challenge series.

Essentially, Sehler said, it's a 4.72-mile race straight uphill.

"It leads to the guys that climb hills well," she said. "The rabbits are the ones who do well. It's not really technical, it's just a hill climb."

Children 15 and younger as well as Miller Lite division competitors will finish at the Christie lifts or the Thunderhead chair.

All adults and juniors ages 16 to 18 will climb from Gondola Square up the Zig Zag ski trail and on to the top of the gondola.

Race registration begins at 4:30 p.m. and runs until 5:45 p.m. Cost for the race is $16 for adults and $11 for children. Sehler said registration will be strictly cut off at 5:45 p.m. to give race workers and timers a chance to get to the top of the gondola.

The fastest men will do the course in less than 37 minutes, Sehler said. Ian Prichard holds the course record of 35 minutes, 17 seconds, which he set in 2004.