August 10-12, 2018
PC: Chris Williams – @w.ill.iams
What happens when you combine an enduro park, a world-renown Nordic venue, and a homegrown trail network behind a high school with a bunch of bike racers and a weekend of beautiful weather? You get the VT3, Vermont’s newest mountain bike stage race, brought to you by the crew at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center.
Modeled after experience-focused stage races like the BC Bike Race and Trans-Cascadia, the VT3 aims to showcase the NEK’s hidden gems, putting fun at the forefront of the race experience. With courses designed to both challenge and entertain, the VT3 strives to be a bike race for bike riders. This ain’t no UCI-lite, this is burly trail riding with a number plate.
The 2018 edition will follow in the footsteps of 2017’s inaugural running (which saw Yeti Cycle’s Tom Sampson and Marilyne Proulx of the National Cycling Center in Bromont take victory), starting on the hand-cut Hardwick Trails for Stage 1, then turning north to the Victory Hill Sector on the slopes of Umpire Mountain for Stage 2. Racers will be treated to a post-race BBQ, bike games, and raffle after wrapping up Stage 3 at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center.
Interested in racing? The VT3 has two distance option, a long course that totals approximately 50 miles or a short course that will end up closer to 30. Race registration for Vermont residents is only $100. And lodging (complete with all-you-can-eat meals) is available at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. For more details, visit www.thevt3.com or head to www.bikereg.com/18vt3 to sign up.
Still not convinced? Check out DirtWireTV’s stage previews and race recap from 2017.
