2021 Title Sponsor

Giants Ridge!

Giants Ridge is the #1-rated family vacation destination in Minnesota. Located north of Duluth in the heart of Minnesota’s unspoiled Superior National Forest of the Mesabi Iron Range, Giants Ridge offers incredible four-season fun and adventure for every level of outdoor enthusiast.

MOUNTAIN BIKING !

Soon to be the largest lift-served mountain bike park in the Midwest, Giants Ridge features eight purpose-built gravity (downhill) mountain bike trails, with more trails in construction throughout the 2021  season! Our lift-served downhill trails are considered beginner to advanced and are built to enhance rider enjoyment and fun!

New in 2021, Giants Ridge will offer nearly ten miles of cross country mountain bike trail winding through the dense forest terrain that surrounds Giants Ridge! 

www.giantsridge.com

GAMEHAVEN REGISTRATION CLOSES THURSDAY 5/20 AT 8:00 PM

YOU MUST REGISTER ONLINE - NO DAY OF REGISTRATIONS 

SUPERPASS RACE THEM ALL!

2021 Races are ONLINE REGISTRATION ONLY due to MDH guidelines.
No day of race registration will be allowed. 

Slides from the Town Hall meeting.

Welcome to the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series! With roots going all the way back to 1990, the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series features some of the best singletrack -- and racing -- that the Midwest has to offer. We strive to make all of our events fun and competitive for every kind of racer from weekend warriors to elite athletes. Join us just for the day, or bring the family along and make a weekend out of our destination races. We look forward to seeing you at the start line!

We are excited to return to racing! 

In order to run races as safely as possible, we're implementing some changes this year. Namely mask wearing, field size limits, social distancing, race "pods", and eliminating pre-registration and prizes. 

It is expected that every racer will check the Covid Protocol page before each race for updates.

In order to welcome more riders to the MN Mountain Bike Series and improve the experience of transitioning between fields, we’re piloting a new Women’s Comp option for 2021 and adjusting Women’s Sport. 

Here’s what you can expect: 

Women’s Citizen – Less technical course, 6–10 miles, 45 mins*

Adjusted! Women’s Sport – More technical course, 6­–10 miles, 55 mins*

NEW! Women’s Comp – More technical course, 12­–15 miles, 80 mins* 

Women’s Elite – More technical course, 18–20 miles, 110 mins* 

*times are approximate 

FAQ

Why was the Women’s Sport course adjusted?

• We shortened the Sport course to empower more riders to move up from the Citizen field and make transitioning from Citizen to Sport more feasible—that is, adding in the more technical riding and climbing, without adding the extra distance at the same time. 

I liked Women’s Sport the way it was.

• Great! You should race Comp now. The previous Sport class is now the Comp class—only the name changed. 

Women’s Sport and Women’s Citizen are the same distance now—are they basically the same race? 

• Nope! While these two fields are similar in distance, they are very different in terms of course difficulty—giving riders a great opportunity to hone their technical skills without adding additional mileage until they upgrade to comp. For certain venues, the amount of climbing DOUBLES from Women’s Citizen to Women’s Sport! 

What’s the starting order and who races with who?

• The Citizen and Elite fields will stay the same. Women’s Comp and Women’s Sport will start together in the same wave. On some courses where a “prologue” or half lap are included, Women’s Sport riders will always get to ride the full, technical, challenging course. 

What do you mean by “more technical” and “less technical” courses?

• The more technical courses include roots, rock gardens, logs, small drops, berms, steep hills, and other features that the less technical courses don’t have. That being said, we recommend pre-riding the course so you know what to expect before racing no matter what field you’re in. 

Why wasn’t there a Women’s Comp field until now?

• To explain this, we need to start with the Elite fields. Due to race speed, Men’s Elite usually races 1 more lap than Women’s Elite in the same amount of time. The logic was that, since Women’s Elite already does the same distance as Men’s Comp, racers who would otherwise choose Women’s Comp might as well sign up for Women’s Elite. Plus they’d have a chance at winning money! However, as fields sizes and interest in the series has grown, we realized that it made sense to pilot this program in 2021 so that racers in the women’s fields could feel empowered to pick a field that suits their ability level best and confidently upgrade from Citizen, Sport, and Comp. 

I’m a visual person and this is confusing.

*Times are approximate 

We use SMS/Text messages to communicate with racers when there were major changes or delays at our races.  Please follow the link below to sign up.

We will only use this system to tell you if the race has had a change in the following:

• Cancelation - the race will NOT be held.
• Change in Race Times - the race will move the race start times, but the race will go on that day.

For all other normal notifications you will want to check our Facebook or Twitter feed.  We also send emails with the latest news and you can signup on the home page of our web site.  If you choose to sign up for this we hope you will never get a text this year, because all of the races are going as planned. 

2021 Race Day Changes

• Races are FULLY SELF SUPPORTED. There will be no food or drink available at the venue. Please plan ahead and bring enough water and food for your event.  
• Arrival and Departure times
  • We have created race day pods that have arrival times listed. 
  • Please exit the venue as soon as possible ( before the next pod arrival time) 
  • Families that race in multiple pods are allowed to be on site until their last class has finished.
  • Youth are allowed one parent or guardian non-racer to accompany them to the venue.  
  • All spectators should try to view the race from outside of the venue.  Many of our events have wonderful viewing areas in the trails. Please stay 10' off the trail to allow for riders to maintain social distancing. 
• No Marathon Class for 2021
  • Because having a pod of people that interface with multiple other pods we are not able to hold the Marathon class for this season. We hope you will have fun racing in one of the other classifications. 
• No on site registration 
• Price increase : Due to the increased use of trail systems and the need to pre-register for all racers we are increasing each registration by $5. This $5 increase will go directly to the race organizers to help fund and maintain new and exciting trails. 
• No Kids Fun Race 
• No Food trucks, post race snacks, or Water Jugs. Races are 100% self supported for 2021.
• Start Times Changed to accommodate a maximum number of people on the course : see schedule below
• Online Registration Only : Following the MDH guidelines. 
• Mask wearing at the venue & starting grid is mandatory. During the race mask not required at this time per the MDH guidelines.

New RULES for 2021

This year we are going to be using online registration to make sure that we are able to comply with Covid 19 MDH rules and regulations.  

1. Race day pods will have limited registration
   • Kids Comp / Citizen : 175 Riders
   • Sport / Women's Comp : 175 Riders
   • Comp / Elite : 175 Riders
2. Race Day Check-In to pick up front number plate. Please re-use this plate for all races you will attend. 
   • Must wear a mask for check-in
   • Staff person will be wearing gloves
   • Series to provide face dividers 
   • Provide 6 feet distance between you and others
   • Sign waiver clipboard
   • Give your name to the volunteer 
   • You will get your race plate and back tag. 
   • KEEP your plate and back tag for all series races
3. Once you have checked in prior to your race please remain socially distant to others and wear a mask to be in compliance with MDH. 

Race Plate must be placed on the handlebars of your bike and be visible from the front. This plate has an RFID timing chip on it.  Please do not bend or fold your race plate. 

Get a bib to wear on your back. (If you raced this season at a series event, reuse your bib for all the races.) The back bib identifies your class and age group to other riders. Pin it to your back.

Note : No awards will be given for 2021 with the exception of Kids Comp. 

POD 1 : Arrival time 8:00

If you arrive before 8:00 please remain around your vehicle or warmup outside of the venue. 

9:00 am Kids Competitive (Kids Comp will host awards for those that earn medals) 

9:30 am Citizen 

POD 2 : Arrival time 11:00

If you arrive before 11:00 please remain around your vehicle or warmup outside of the venue. 

12:00 am Sport / Women's Comp

POD 3 : Arrival time 1:30

If you arrive before 1:30 please remain around your vehicle or warmup outside of the venue. 

2:30 pm Elite 

2:35 pm Comp 

Each race starts in waves by age group. The starting line area will have signs for each wave.

1. Must wear a mask when in the venue, this includes the starting line.
2. Arrive at the starting area about 10 minutes before the start time.
3. Line up by age group. Your wave position will be the same for all series races.
4. Listen for announcements and instructions about the course.
5. When your wave is called forward, the top 3-4 racers in the series standings will be called up to the starting line first followed everyone else 

Traditional race lineup groups may be adjusted to have less people in the start grid.  Riders should pay extra attention to your race class to be in the correct grouping. 

Race results will not be printed and posted at the race course. We will be updating our website with race results as quickly as possible during the race.  

Our timing team will be checking this email address during the race to address timing concerns and protests. Please send your bib number and a phone number so that you can be reached.

Our protest period will be until 11:59am on race day to make sure that we can address any chip errors.

For 2021 awards will be given out to ONLY Kids Comp class. 

Kids Comp will have an awards ceremony following the start of the Citizen race class.  Masks must be worn at all times during the awards. 

• Warm up before your race.
• First aid support is available if you need it.
• Wear proper riding attire, including fully enclosed shoes.
•  It is important that you read the Series Racing Rules.
•  In the event of bad weather, please review the Race Weather Guidelines.