This course has amazing views, challenging uphills and flowy downhills. There is one section the you'll ride twice but it's the best downhill on this course and totally worth it!
The Firebird 50K starts in the heart of Eagle, next to Color Roasters coffee shop. Racers begin by riding two miles on the bike path along Eagle Ranch Road and Haystacker Drive, where a right turn onto the
Turniphead Trail marks the start of dirt miles until the finish.
Just shy of a mile after turning onto dirt, riders pass through the Arroyo trailhead, at mile 2.4. From Arroyo, the course continues steadily up, first on doubletrack on Third Gulch Trail, then veering left onto singletrack on Pipeline Trail. Throughout this climb, riders travel from sage-covered high desert into beautiful aspen groves on the Pipeline Trail. 1,300 vertical feet above Arroyo, riders reach the location of aid station #1,
Firebox, at mile 6.5.
Racers leave the aid station and continue uphill on Hardscrabble Road briefly to a hard right turn onto
Firebox Road. After two miles with some steep climbs through forest and pastureland on
Firebox Road, riders veer left onto singletrack and descend toward
Dead Cow.
A very steep but short climb awaits riders as they get onto
Mike's Night Out. The course rewards with sweeping views as it continues on
Mike's Night Out gently descending to aid station #2 location, Spring Creek, at mile 13.0. A short and beautiful ride on
Itch will take you to the
World's Greatest downhill much of which is fast and flowy and some is just steep.
After a sharp left turn at the Schoolhouse trail, the course brings you back up to the Spring Creek aid station through
Star Wars and
Easy Rider. After reaching Spring Creek #2, riders once again get to experience
World's Greatest. From here, the fun isn't quite over, as the course heads up one final 200-foot climb.
From the top of this punchy climb, the trail makes a serpentine descent to the Horton Street Trailhead. Riders head down the neighborhood street and turn left onto the bike path. A short 0.4 miles along this path lead back to your car.
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