Ready, set, climb! You win. Students win. Epic!

If you routinely do long rides in the mountains, you know what you’re facing in the Buff Epic, the new, longer, harder “century plus” in this year’s Elevations Credit Union Buffalo Bicycle Classic.

If you don’t habitually spend long hours in the saddle grinding up to higher ground, you might wonder if riding the Buff Epic is your cup of chai.

Either way, we’ve got a ride for you. However well you climb, you win. So do our scholarship students.

Join the 303Cycling News pre-ride challenge, which runs till July 15. The fastest male and female on a pre-set course up Sunshine Canyon will win an awesome (nay, epic) 303Cycling jersey and free registration to the Sept. 8 Buff Classic.

A total of 10 people, men and women in five age categories, will win free registration. (Don’t fret if you’ve already registered. If you ride the course and set the fastest time in your age group, we’ll waive your registration fee.)

Every single participant in this challenge will receive “vintage” Buff Bike Classic jerseys while supplies last, then T-Shirts and water bottles. Fine print: To be eligible, you must register for the Buffalo Bicycle Classic and sign up as a Buff Classic “participant” on Ride With GPS.

Special thanks to 303Cycling for sponsoring this “virtual race,” and to the members of Naked Women’s Racing, who show you how it’s done (see video).

The climb and the classic are great fun for a fantastic cause. In the last decade, we’ve raised $1.8 million in scholarships for high-performing students who qualify for financial aid. Now more than ever, students need this support.

And don’t feel left out if you want a non-epic ride. We’ve got you covered. As always, we have the 14-mile “Little Buff” family-friendly fun ride, the 35-mile cruise, the half-century ride, and the 70-mile “Carter Lake Climb.”

Are you up for it?

Ride Bikes. Change Lives. Register Now!