Vail Recreation District Swaps Son of Middle Creek for Eagle Enduro

The air on Bellyache Road tastes of pine needles and dry dust, a familiar scent for anyone who has ever chased their breath up that steep, winding grade from The Bluffs neighborhood. It is a climb that demands respect, a relentless incline that separates the casual weekend rider from the serious enduro competitor, and this year, it serves as the starting line for a significant shift in how the Vail Recreation District measures its mountain bike talent.

The district is moving the mountain bike town series enduro event to a new location, swapping the traditional Son of Middle Creek race for the Eagle Enduro. This isn’t just a change of scenery; it’s a recalibration of the competition itself. Since 2022, the AC/DC award has crowned the district’s most versatile cyclists based on combined times from the Davos Dash and the Son of Middle Creek Enduro. Now, that legacy is being rewritten on the slopes above Eagle, where the technical, speedy nature of the new course demands a different kind of rider.

You can feel the tension in the change. The adult-only downhill race will now coincide with a youth race, the Boneyard Brawl, creating a dual-energy atmosphere on Wednesday evening. While the adults tackle the grit of the enduro, the younger riders will navigate the 2-mile Boneyard Brawl course, taking partway up Bellyache Road before descending the lower portion of Boneyard singletrack. Youth races kick off at 4:45 p.m., giving way to the adults, who begin Stage 1 at 5:30 p.m. sharp.

The new format is stricter, more precise. The enduro competition now consists of two timed stages: a 1.6-mile, 372-foot descent of Upper Boneyard Trail for Stage 1, followed by a 1.9-mile, 591-foot run down Redneck Ridge for Stage 2. Category winners are determined by the combined time on both segments, a system that rewards consistency over raw speed alone. Racers must arrive and start within their designated window, or they are disqualified. It’s a time-trial format where a missed minute means missing the podium.

There is a warmth to the community that gathers for these events, but the logistics are unforgiving. A 2.6-mile, 941-foot climb up Bellyache Road leads from The Bluffs to the start of Segment 1, and a 1.4-mile, 391-foot climb connects the two timed segments. Racers aren't timed on these climbs, so the strategy involves grinding up, resting, and then attacking the descent. Parking is available in the Eagle Valley Elementary and Eagle Valley Middle School lots, but if you park in The Bluffs neighborhood, you’ll be paying the price of disqualification or a tow.

History weighs heavily on the AC/DC award. Sam Brown and Rebecca Howland took the inaugural title in 2022, and Brown has dominated since, winning in 2024 and 2025, though both years saw no women’s pro finisher. Jonathan Modig claimed the men’s title in 2023, while Haley Dumke edged Bayli McSpadden for the women’s crown that same year. This year, the awards and raffle will take place at the Camp Hale Hup on July 8, a venue that feels like the heart of the district’s athletic identity.

If you look closely at the course map, you see the challenge: the climb is long, the descent is technical, and the margin for error is thin. The race directors have set the stage on Bellyache Road at the Boneyard Trailhead, east of The Bluffs, where bib pickup and registration will happen. It’s a place where the dust settles on your jersey and the adrenaline fades into the quiet of the evening, leaving only the memory of the climb.