Leadville Silver Rush 50 mountain bike race canceled
The 4,150-acre Willow Fire has caused the cancellation of Silver Rush, but there's no word yet on the status of next month's Leadville Trail 100.
The Leadville Silver Rush 50 mountain bike race has been canceled amid a 4,150-acre wildfire burning west of the Colorado mountain town.
The Silver Rush 50 mountain bike race and trail run is part of the summer-long Leadville Race Series, which also includes the well-known Leadville Trail 100, and was set to take place this weekend.
However, the Willow Fire sparked on June 28 and quickly led to evacuations. The fire is now more than 4,000 acres in size, and pre-evacuation notices have been ordered for areas on the far west side of Leadville.
The Silver Rush course is on the east side of Leadville, but organizers cited air quality concerns and public safety as reasons for the cancellation.
“Given the air quality, the increase in evacuation and pre-evacuation orders, the strain on our emergency resources, and the safety of our athletes, volunteers, staff, partners, and the Leadville community, this is the right decision for everyone,” and statement posted on social media said.
Registered athletes have the option to defer their entry to next year, donate their entry fee to community support funds, receive a refund, or transfer their entry to another Life Time event.
It is not yet known how the fire will impact other Leadville events such as the Leadville Stage Race scheduled for July 24-26 or the Leadville Trail 100 on August 15.
The fire is burning directly south of Turquoise Lake, near the Powerline climb and descent. Fires of this size can take months to fully extinguish, and forest and infrastructure rehabilitation takes even longer.
Silver Rush is the second event Life Time has been forced to cancel in the span of weeks. The Crusher in the Tushar gravel race in Beaver, Utah was canceled last month because of the Cottonwood fire, which is now nearly 100,000 acres. The fire burned through the area of the climb heavy race, including the finish venue of Eagle Point ski resort.
Further event impacts are likely this summer as wildfires threaten forests and communities with flames and poor air quality amid hot and dry conditions throughout the American West.
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