Iditarod Trail Invitational

The Iditarod Trail Invitational follows the historic Iditarod Trail from Knik (home of the Joe Redington Sr.) to the interior village of McGrath, across the Interior and along the Yukon River and to the coast all the way to Nome, The famous sled dog route runs 1000 miles through frozen Alaska every winter since 1973 in memory of those brave individuals who brought the important serum to Nome in 1925 during a diphterie outbreak and was started by the famous Joe Redington Sr.

This race was formerly known as Iditasport (until 2001) and the Iditabike.
The holy grail of winter ultra events, the Iditasport was the world’s longest winter fat bike and running race. Inspired by Joe Redington Sr. and brought to life by Dan Bull, this human-powered event was first held in 1987 as the Iditabike, a 210-mile mountain bike race. In 1997, a 350-mile race to McGrath, Alaska was added as the Iditasport Extreme, and in 2000 the Iditasport Impossible, a 1,000-mile race to Nome was incorporated into the event as the world’s longest winter ultra marathon by fat bike, foot and ski.

TYPE: Winter Ultramarathon (Ski, Bike, or Foot)

DISTANCE: 130 miles / 350 miles / 1,000 miles

TIMING: February

FITNESS LEVEL REQUIRED: High 

Absa Cape Epic

The Absa Cape Epic is an annual mountain bike stage race held in the Western Cape, South Africa. It has been accredited as hors categorie(beyond categorisation) by the Union Cycliste Internationale. First staged in 2004, the race typically covers more than 700 kilometres (435 miles), and lasts eight days - a prologue and seven stages. The Absa Cape Epic attracts elite professional mountain bikers from around the world, who compete in teams of two. To qualify for a finish, teams have to stay together for the duration of the race. The race is also open to amateurs, who enter a lottery in order to gain a slot. A total of 600 teams take part. The times taken to finish each stage are aggregated to determine the overall winning team in each category at the end of the race. The course changes every year, but the race has always taken place in the Western Cape. The Absa Cape Epic was described by Bart Brentjens, 1996 Olympic gold medallist in mountain biking and a former Absa Cape Epic winner, as the "Tour de France of mountain biking".

TYPE: 8-Day Stage Race (MTB)

DISTANCE: 700+kms

TIMING: March

FITNESS LEVEL REQUIRED: High

Mongolia Bike Challenge

The Mongolia Bike Challenge is an epic, 6-stage mountain bike race in the land of Genghis Khan. It is open to both professional and amateurs. 
Discover a country that leaves no one untouched, participate in a race open to everyone. Private yurt and tent accommodation, Western-style catering, world-class logistics and organization, and the company of some very like-minded and adventurous people, make it one of the best experiences possible on two wheels. 

TYPE: 6-Day Stage Race (MTB)

DISTANCE: 600+kms

TIMING: August

FITNESS LEVEL REQUIRED: High

Glacier 360

Have you ever dreamed of a fantastical land of volcanoes, fjords, tundra, and wilderness like nowhere else?  If so, you might of been dreaming of Iceland and the Glacier 360 cross-country MTB event.  Part race, part tour, the Glacier 360 delivers on interesting terrain, great support, and one amazing view after another as you roll through the ~300km course over three days.  The circuit takes you on a ride around Langjökull Glacier in Iceland. You start at Geysir geothermal area and finish off at Gullfoss waterfall. We race in three stages, one stage for each day of the race. 

It all comes down to dealing with long distances in the rough but majestic Icelandic highlands. For this challenge you can expect anything and everything to happen, weather and conditions can vary from one minute to the other and unforeseen situations are a part of the challenge. 

The terrain is diverse, you'll find it all, smooth and a bit rugged gravel roads, flowy and fun turns, a few steep climbs, easygoing dirt single tracks and rivers to cross (not on bridges but with support).

TYPE: 3-Day Stage Race (MTB)

DISTANCE: ~300kms

TIMING: August

FITNESS LEVEL REQUIRED: High

Leadville 100MTB

The Leadville Trail 100 MTB is the second oldest of the growing number of 100-mile (160 km) marathon mountain bike races held in the United States, the first being the Wilderness 101 in Central PA. The Leadville Trail 100 MTB was first run in 1994 and has become one of the best marketed, attended and known marathon events in mountain bike racing.

Entry to the event is controlled and restricted. Some entries are awarded by a random lottery, while other entries are awarded by finishing well in a series of qualifying events. The lottery entries are due by the end of January for the race that is run the second Saturday in August. The qualifying events are similar to the Leadville 100 race but shorter, typically around 100 km in length. These course typically cover similar paths (roads, dirt roads, gravel roads and mild trails) with similar vertical elevation gains (~100 feet per 1 mile).

The Leadville Trail 100 MTB race is an outgrowth of the Leadville Trail 100 footrace. Both races were begun by Ken Chlouber as part of an effort to spur the economy of the town of Leadville after a local mine that employed many residents closed. The mountain bike race began after a sponsor of the footrace offered to sponsor it and to arrange for television coverage. The first running of the race drew just 150 entrants, while the 2009 edition allowed 1400 entrants.

TYPE: 1-Day Ultramarathon (MTB)

DISTANCE: 160kms (100 miles)

TIMING: August

FITNESS LEVEL REQUIRED: High

Winterlake Lodge (Alaska)

Winter or Summer, this is the place to go for backcountry luxury accommodations along the Iditarod Trail in interior Alaska.  Just on the souther side of the Alaskan Range, Winterlake Lodge sits among a cirque of peaks that offer hiking and skiing in the winter (heli-assist, if you prefer) and fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking and climbing in the summer.

Wolverine Mountain, behind the lodge, offers quick access to spectacular and varied hiking trails with access to view points of Mt. Denali, migrating birds, wildflowers and berries that are difficult to see in other locales.

Winterlake Lodge is the starting point for adventure, float and fish our favorite nearby rivers, land on surrounding glaciers, hike wild flower meadows and summit ridge lines in the Tordrillos.  The lodge offer daily exploration opportunities.

For all lodge guests we offer complimentary massage, yoga classes, daily cooking classes, cheese tastings, and personalized service.

And if you love your experience at Winterlake Lodge, check out the sister location of Tutka Bay Lodge for more high-energy adventures in the Alaskan wilderness.