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Gallery: Whiskey-Off Road kicks off Epic Rides MTB series

For its sweet 16th edition, Whiskey Off-Road adds new singletrack and keeps the same exciting vibe with high-speed fat tire crit, and hordes of fans and riders taking on the 50-miler in Arizona.

April 29, 2019 VeloNews.com

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Whiskey — As is the case at every Epic Rides Off-Road Series weekend, things kick off with a blur of speed at the Friday night pro-only fat tire criterium. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Unlike most of the series’s fat tire crits, this one favors the climbers, with a steep run up Nob Hill in downtown Prescott, Arizona. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Local pro Chloe Woodruff (Pivot-Stan’s) won the crit for the second year in a row. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Keegan Swenson (Pivot-Stan’s) won the men’s fat tire crit with an attack on the last lap after breaking away with Russell Finsterwald (Clif Pro Team) and Payson McElveen (Orange Seal). Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Arizona Devo’s young riders were out in force for Saturday’s amateur race, which served up both the full 50-mile route and the 30-mile option for about 2,000 riders. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — The Prescott Regulators and Shady Ladies kicked off the race in full regalia with a shotgun blast. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Katerina Nash (Clif Pro Team) made friends with a Vizla dog — she’s got two of of her own back at home. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Two-time reigning marathon national champion McElveen is racing the entire Off-Road Series, as he did last season. He just set a fastest known time on Moab’s White Rim trail. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Arizona-based CZ Racing always turns out in force for what is practically a home race. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Travis McCabe is mixing in some mountain bike races to his 2019 schedule with the Floyd’s Pro Cycling team. He made a surprise move at the start, attacking on the pavement but was quickly caught. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Former world champion Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team) rode to third on the day. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — This year’s route featured much more singletrack in the last 15 miles of the course, changing the race dynamics. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Courtney went on to win the women’s race solo after applying the pressure on the route’s main climb out of Skull Valley, which was a bit shorter this year to fit in the extra singletrack. She bet her mechanic Brad Copeland that, if she won, she’d do a shot of whiskey. Based on Instagram, it looks like she didn’t back out of her promise. Photo: Dave McElwaine

Whiskey — Swenson won the men’s race by a whopping six-minute margin. Photo: Dave McElwaine

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