Tour des Suds sends riders up the mountain for annual Park City tradition

The 2026 Tour des Suds. Photo: TownLift // Randi Sidman-Moore

PARK CITY, Utah — After a weekend of high-level racing at the inaugural FOX Mountain Biking U.S. Open at Deer Valley, Park City’s Tour des Suds took a decidedly more playful approach Sunday, sending costumed riders up the mountain for a community celebration of the fall mountain biking season.

The annual event sent riders on a seven-mile climb from City Park to Empire Pass, gaining about 2,200 feet of elevation along the way. Riders could approach the course as a serious mountain bike race or simply treat it as a costumed ride and community party.

Either way, the climb was the main challenge.

The race began at 10 a.m. Sunday, with post-race celebrations at City Park and an awards ceremony later in the afternoon. Riders finished at Empire Pass, with the Skullcandy Party Station at the top of Guardsman Pass providing a destination for the celebration.

Costumes are a longstanding part of the event, with participants encouraged to embrace the “crazy costumes, crazy bikes” theme. The result is a race that looks considerably different from a typical mountain bike competition, with riders of all ages pedaling uphill alongside everything from superheroes to tutus.

“It’s just fun! It’s hard to believe that a seven-mile, 2,200′ vert climb could ever be described that way, but when you mix in costumes, kids, great trails, and a few suds, something magical happens,” Ian Hartley, resource manager for Mountain Trails Foundation, told TownLift.

The event is organized by Mountain Trails Foundation, which has kept registration costs low to make the ride accessible. Children under 12 can participate for free.

Mountain Trails Foundation also relies heavily on volunteers to make the event happen, from organizing the course to supporting riders and helping with the post-race festivities.

What began more than four decades ago as a lighthearted end-of-season ride has evolved into a distinctly Park City tradition.