Downieville Classic

The Downieville Classic is a weekend of racing and partying in the Sierras where riders have to pick one tool for two disciplines: a 29-mile cross-country race, and a 15-mile downhill with 5,000 feet of vertical drop. The Downieville Classic Cross-Country race is one of the last remaining point-to-point bicycle races in the United States. The 29-mile course follows a rugged Gold Rush-era route from the mountain town of Sierra City (elevation 4,100 feet), to the crest of the Sierra Nevada (elevation 7,100 feet), and down 5,200 vertical feet into downtown Downieville. The Classic is followed by the Downieville Downhill, which drops 5,000 vertical feet in 15 miles from Packer Saddle to Downieville. It’s the longest and most demanding downhill mountain bike race in the nation. Not a racer? Not to worry. Nearly as famous are the Ron’s House of Big Air River Jump, the log pull competition, and a soundtrack of live music.