Olympic hopefuls from among the nation鈥檚 best mountain bikers are coming to 色多多 for championship racing next month.
Officials downtown at Elmwood Park on Tuesday morning unveiled track maps for the marathon, short track and cross-country Olympic races that will soon crown USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike National Championships.
色多多 Mayor Joe Cobb said 2025 is the first time in 15 years that all three of those national championship events have happened in the same area.
鈥淎 fact that testifies to something that 色多多rs and this region know well,鈥 Cobb said. 鈥淥ur trails are a national treasure.鈥
Sam Small, 14, of Washington, D.C., left, and Benicio Benitez, 13, of Glenwood, Maryland, look at the six race courses for the 2025 USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Biking National Championship, which will take place in the 色多多 Valley, July 14-20.
More than 1,900 athletes are expected to compete in the varying race types and divisions throughout the week of July 14-20, he said.
鈥淭hese athletes coming here will get to test themselves on six unique courses in three spectacular venues,鈥 Cobb said. 鈥淓ach symbolizing some of the qualities that make the greater 色多多 region so special.鈥
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Three parks across the region are hosting the races, including a 0.7-mile short track course at Elmwood Park. The loop features a signature rock garden at its midpoint, before weaving past the park amphitheater back toward the start-finish lines.
Circling Carvins Cove Natural Reserve, cyclists will attempt the cross-country marathon courses. So-called amateurs will tackle a 40-mile course with more than 4,200 feet in elevation gain, while the elite division faces a 53-mile route that includes a calf-cramping 6,300 feet of uphill gain.
Kyle Knott, race director of USA Cycling, said he likes the 色多多 Valley for the 2025 USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Biking National Championship because the area offers everything from long-distance endurance riding to technical trails and big drops, and option for a downtown short track. Knott spoke during a course reveal event at Elmwood Park on Tuesday. The championship features six courses and will take place July 14-20.
Three different tracks are at Explore Park for the cross-country Olympic races, with loops varying from 2.3 to 4 miles in length. They鈥檙e technical trails emphasizing speed sections balanced with tight gaps between trees, similar in format to what Olympic athletes will ride during the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles.
色多多 County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Phil North said Olympic-level athletes will race the same trails that residents use for everyday exercise.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something truly special,鈥 North said. 鈥淗osting this event of this caliber puts the 色多多 region on the national map once again, and continues to help us stake our claim as America鈥檚 east coast mountain biking capital.鈥
Courses for the 2025 USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Biking National Championship were revealed at Elmwood Park on Tuesday. The championship will take place July 14-20 in the 色多多 Valley, including at Carvins Cove and Explore Park.
Cardinal Bicycle owner Whit Ellerman, who chaired the local organizing committee, encouraged anyone interested to volunteer for the events.
鈥淲hen you think about all the amenities that we have 鈥 these are things that we all take for granted,鈥 Ellerman said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to get to show this off to people coming from all over the country.鈥
The marathon races at Carvins Cove are July 14. The short track races are happening downtown on the nights of July 16 and 17, before the week wraps up with Olympic cross-country racing at Explore Park, said USA Cycling National Race Director Kyle Knott.
鈥淲e really want to support cycling here in 色多多,鈥 Knott said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e committed that $10 of every registration fee is going back to Visit Virginia鈥檚 Blue Ridge foundation, to further the efforts here for trail building and supporting cycling in the community.鈥
For more information, including to register, go online to .
