Park City Point 2 Point kicks off Labor Day Weekend

A topside view of a section of the race from 2021 Photo: Courtesy of Park City Point 2 Point; Image Taken by Jay Dash

PARK CITY, Utah— With Labor Day weekend quickly approaching, the annual Park City Point 2 Point endurance mountain bike race will be kicking off this Saturday at 7 a.m. The race will feature several local riders such as Keegan Swenson, Sam Sweester, among others. The race starts at Quinn’s Junction Recreation Complex and then moves into Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort before finishing near the Skullcandy HQ building.

This year’s course features a total distance of 77 miles with over 11,000 feet of climbing. Elevation change is a little less than the 2021 race. The middle section of the event this year is definitely the most grueling, as described by Race Director Jay Burke.

“It is a relentless section of the event. The riders will hit part of the new Mother Urban uphill, the classic Steps Trail climb, and then they head off toward the 9K Trail for a really rough and challenging section on their way to Shadow lake,” said Burke.

Not only will the course bring added challenges for riders, but Utah’s current heatwave will force riders to stay on top of their hydration and ride within their means not to overexert themselves.

 “These riders are really going to need to manage liquid and calorie input to be successful as well with the heat. I’ve seen it before when we’ve had hot P2P races and riders try to push through a support station without stopping, it can bite you quickly at the Point 2 Point,” Burke said.

With the men’s race, there are some clear front runners identified, with Swenson and Sweester being high on that last.

“Keegan is going to be hard to beat, this is his homeland…he knows these trails better than most.  On top of that, he’s the fastest cyclist in America right now, in my opinion.  There are some strong riders that will be giving chase, though, I think Keegan will be on the gas from the start. Maybe he breaks under the elusive 6-hour mark – he has gone 6:06 previously,” said Burke.

For the women’s race, there is a deep list of talented riders, making it hard to pick a favorite to win.

“The women’s group has heated up a bit with the addition of 4x winner Evelyn Dong.  Melisa Rollins will be right there with her, though, is my guess.  These two are tied for 7th in the inaugural Lifetime Grand Prix standings, so they can definitely push one another on Saturday. The field here is deep, though; I look to see quite the mix of racers pushing it out front – this will be fun to watch,” said Burke.

While the race is ongoing, the general public is advised to avoid the areas within the event. A list of trails impacted can be found here.