The Carrabassett 100 is one of the United States’ best endurance mountain bike races. As part of the NUE (National Ultra Endurance Series), riders are tested on their long-distance ability as they will race up to 100 miles to complete this monster ride. There are three race lengths to choose from. The approximately 100K, 50K, and 25K courses will cover a great mix of backcountry mountain bike terrain winding through the beautiful, unspoiled forests and mountains of Carrabassett Valley and its surrounding communities, consisting of technical single track, double track, and dirt roads, with steep climbs and exciting down hills.
The race organizers give some great information on the local trail development and the trails you will be riding in the event description. “During the past 10+ years, approximately $700,000 has been spent building mountain bike trails in the Carrabassett Region. The goal is to construct an iconic mountain bike trail network on everybody’s “must-ride” list. The region is well on making this a reality through the help of many organizations and individuals, including over 5,000 volunteer hours. To date, there are over 80 miles of riding for all abilities. This includes miles of super flowy, machine-built singletrack and old-school style trails carved out with hand tools and sweat. The Carrabassett Backcountry Cycle Challenge (CBCC) is your chance to experience outstanding riding. You will sometimes find yourself deep in the woods, crossing streams and maybe even pushing your bike up a punchy climb. This race will challenge your mental toughness but will leave a big grin on your face at the finish line…..DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES”
The race course is exceptional and takes riders on some of the best single tracks the northeast offers. And, of course, there is the famous creek crossing. Good luck trying to ride it 😉
The Carrabassett is part of the National Ultra Endurance Series. The National Ultra Endurance Series (NUE) is a race series that has some of the best endurance mountain bike races in the United States. NUE comprises an Epic Series, 100-mile events, and a Marathon series, which includes 50-mile and 75k length events.
- True Grit 100/50
- Cohutta 100 – Big Frog 65
- Mohican MTB 100
- Wilderness 101k
- Telluride 100/50
- Shenandoah 100
- Marji Gesick 100/50
- Ring of Fire 100
- Big Grizzly 100/75
- Carrabassett 100
- Pierre’s Hole 50/100
Below, we have a terrific interactive map from Veloviewer in which you can see the map and the 3-d profile of the elevation difference/ course direction of one 50k lap of the race course. For even more details on the course and the specifics, you can click on the Veloviewer link to see all the micro-details of the course you could imagine.
