December 5, 2008 – Push has finally come to shove and it looks like this bird is actually going to fly. The catering folks have concocted an unbelievable series of menus (you may actually gain weight,) the insurance folks have had their say and we’ve even gotten the additional buy-in of another elected official or two. It helps that they’re all swag whores like the rest of us.

There’s a broad stretch of information in this newsletter, but mostly it’s about the fact that we’re opening registration on Friday, December 5th (today) at noon MST. We’re placing 400 start spots up for sale and they’re available on a first-come-first-served basis. This may be the final number – we just don’t know yet, but it’s a safe assumption.

So rev up your credit cards and head to SportsBaseOnline here today at noon. Thanks for tuning in.

Coupla things that you should know:
– Deposits will be $250 (US) per rider.
– They are fully refundable until we finalize pricing on Janurary 3rd. You’ll have the opportunity to confirm your spot or request a refund at that time. After the opt-in period deposits and installments become non-refundable, but they are transferable/assignable.
– We’re offering only 400 spots…and this is likely to be it for 2009.
– While final pricing is still TBD, it will be on par with the other offerings (BC Bike race, Intermontaine Challenge, Trans Rockies) in the format. The benefit? You don’t need to speak Canadian at our race.
– We’ll offer three different items; the race, camping and a meal plan. Your final cost will be determined by which of those elements you elect to purchase.
– All “Race” entries include a t-shirt, jersey, socks, and banquet ticket. You get a lot of other stuff as well, but I don’t need to belabor the fact that you’ll receive “professional results and scoring!” and “a number plate!”.
– Payment will be set up in 2 installments (after your initial deposit).
– We are still accepting blogger’s grant applications. The deadline is December 31st. Voting begins on January 3rd. For more info please visit the blogsite at www.breckepic.blogspot.com. Blogger’s Grant program applicants are required to submit an initial deposit. It’ll be refunded if you win.

Other Stuff
– The website will be going live soon…that’s a promise. The original version was too good for this world. The DOS-based version will be mostly text, followed by more text. In Times New Roman. Dammit.
– The food will be better than fantastic. Super-fantastic?
– The courses will be very good…and very hard. Prologue (@ 10 miles) on Sunday the 5th, moderate stage on Monday, difficult stage on Tuesday, moderate stage on Wednesday, another soulcrusher on Thursday, then a final moderate one on Friday followed by a banquet and awards ceremony on Friday evening. At which there will be food. And beer.
– We’ll have coverage of Le Tour available every night in the social compound (generously provided by Subaru)

Categories Update
OK, we’ve received a ton of feedback on this and think that we have it pretty dialed. The follwoing categories will be offered initially. If we have less than 5 applicants in a category we reserve the right to roll it into another category.

Here’s what we have:
– Open Men Duo
– Open Women Duo
– Open Mixed Duo
– 80+ Duo
– 100+ Duo
– Singlespeed Duo
– Solo Men Open
– Solo Women Open
– Singlespeed Open
– Solo Men 40+

Got something you need to get off your chest? Sure you do. mikemac@breckepic.com Drop us a line…

New Partners
We’d like to welcome Subaru, Marmot, Great Western Lodging and Jett MTB to the fold. Talks are ongoing with several other bike industry folks and a thoughtful handful on non-endemics. I like our lineup so far and am pretty optimistic that ongoing discussions will bear fruit to the benefit of all.

Subaru will be the official vehicle of the race. We’re big fans of their ‘zero-waste’ philosophy and will attempt to emulate it in principle and practice in every aspect of our event. Subaru is also providing shuttle vehicles that will be used throughout the race for athletes and spectators alike. Check out their environmental philosophy here.

Marmot has a longstanding tradition of supporting audacious, grand-scale backcountry efforts and we’re stoked that they jumped on baord. Philosophicallt they understand what it means to hold the backcountry dear and their efforts to date have paved the way for raised awareness and increased protections for the things that we as outdoorspeople hold dear. Check out their Fall/Winter 08/09 line as well as some great stuff about who and what they support at www.Marmot.com.

Great Western Lodging is owned and operated by cyclists. They’ve been huge supporters of all the mountain bike stuff in Summit County for nearly a decade. They’ve got properties throughout the community from studios to 6-bedroom units and are offering substantial logding discounts to event participants. rates begin at $40/night/person (double occupancy/1 BDR condo). Mention The Breck Epic MTB Stage Race and receive 2 FREE nights on a 6-night minimum stay. Several downtown bike-friendly accommodations to choose from, many of which include hot tub access, garage parking and laundry facilities. Studios to 6 bedrooms. Condos, townhomes and limited private homes. Offer only valid for travel dates 7/4-7/11. Please call or email us for details, as our online availability is only valid through April 2009. Other restrictions may apply. 970.453.4246 or www.GreatWesternLodging.com.

And finally, Jett MTB is heading up our merchandising efforts. They’ve concocted a merchandise line for us that’s pretty cool – hats, tees, entrant’s jerseys (pro style and baggie – pick your poison – one free with your entry), wool socks, leader’s jerseys… you name it. And if I get my way, we’ll also do some classic custom wool training sweaters. Visit them at www.JettMTB.com.

If you’d like more info from our end on how to get involved please drop us a line mikemac@breckepic.com and we’ll forward some info.

Industry Cup
If you’ve been playing along then you know that along with the $10,000 cash purse we’re also offering a way for sponsored teams to increase the size of the treasure chest. Teams riding in the Industry Cup are required to donate merchandise from their sponsors that will then be raffled off throughout the week. The auction will be open to the public and will take place on eBay. All proceeds from the Industry Cup auction will be awarded to the on the podium who’ve donated goods.

At first we thought that we’d just offer this to the ‘Open’ (translation: Pros and everyone who wants to ride with them) categories, but after sitting on it awhile we thought, “we’ve got all this interest nationwide in the event – we could probably generate some interest in a swag auction.” So why not expand it to all categories? Check out the blogsite to get the broad strokes, but basically athletes are allowed to donate items which we’ll then place on eBay for the official Breck Epic auction. This auction will be open to the general public. If you donate you’re eligible for those proceeds, but your donation must fetch at least $100 to be eligible to partake in the winnings. And thus a cash purse for all categories is theoretically possible.

About the Breck Epic and The Greenspeed Project
The BE is a 6-day ultra-endurance mountain bike stage race to be contested in the sprawling trail network surrounding Breckenridge, CO in early July, 2009. As a race its mission is to showcase the incredible work that visionary land managers here have accomplished by pairing an ambitious and shared vision with a ‘let’s roll our sleeves up and get this thing done together’ mentality. It is one of a small few such races in US, and certainly among the most difficult. The Breck Epic is among a small portfolio of events produced by the newly established Greenspeed Project. The Greenspeed Project’s mission is to fund open space, trails and backcountry initiatives through the medium of slightly left-of-center events. If you’d like to find out more we’ll happily fire a mind-bullet your way stuffed with an ungodly amount of sleep-inducing propaganda. No need to send us a note, we’ll know that you want it. We can also email it.

MikeMac@BreckEpic.com