- (303) 447-8014
- info@lertprograms.com | 194 Taft Dr. Boulder, CO 80301
Full Season - Epic Team
Adventure riding for athletes who want to challenge themselves in Colorado’s backcountry.
The SMBA Epic team builds on SMBA’s tradition of exploring some of the West’s best mountain biking destinations. With sights set on adventure, SMBA ‘s Epic Team offers junior athletes an opportunity to consistently focus on longer-distance, epic, backcountry mountain biking. Our emphasis is geared towards building skills necessary for self-reliant, adventure-oriented mountain biking – we ride for the joy of riding, overcoming challenging terrain, and exploring where we have never been.
The Epic Team provides athletes the opportunity to experience a variety of adventure riding formats, including point-to-point distance rides, home-base van-supported camping trips and rides in association with events where fellow SMBA athletes are competing.
The Epic program is designed for both middle and high school athletes (8th grade and up) who have ridden with the SMBA Team program for at least one session and want to challenge themselves with longer, more epic rides throughout the year. Athletes who sign up for the Full Season Epic Team will ride together as a cohort throughout the spring and summer to build riding skills, confidence on the trail, and to explore the outdoors by bike!
The SMBA Epic program builds skills and abilities through a progression of increasingly challenging rides! Team members will start their adventure with a Spring Break Moab trip, followed by the spring session with a variety of rides designed to build endurance for longer summer epics.
Rides include both weekend and weekday rides on the Front Range including Heil Ranch, Picture Rock, Walker Ranch, White Ranch and Betasso Preserve. Following spring training, summer rides will include venues both familiar and unfamiliar to riders previously enrolled in the SMBA Team program. This includes both rides in the immediate Boulder area, Jefferson County and Colorado’s high country.
SMBA Epic Team rides will be geared towards covering longer distances over rougher terrain than typically encountered on SMBA Team rides. Summer session will also include at least two adventure trips, where athletes will have the opportunity to both ride and camp!
- Spring Break Moab: March 25th – 29th
- Spring Rides: 2 days/week after school (4:15pm – 6:45pm) and Sundays (10am – 4pm)
- Summer Rides: Tuesday/Thursdays, 8am – 3:30pm & Special/extended rides on Fridays
- Adventures: 2 adventure ride/trips summer – TBA
- 2024 Pricing: Full Time – $3150 (Early Bird before March 1st – $2990) Part-Time (part-time spring/summer rides, does not include Moab) – $2100 – (Early Bird before March 1st – $1995)
Click Here To Register for the 2024 Epic Team
Bike & Equipment Requirements for the Epic Team:
- Athletes must be in at least 8th grade at the start of the season or have coach approval to sign up for the team. Athletes should have also have previously participated previously in SMBA Team rides.
- As this program focuses on longer, more backcountry-oriented rides over challenging terrain, athletes should be comfortable spending long periods of time on their bikes and interested in completing semi-self-supported, long-distance rides in backcountry conditions. Epic Team season goals will be to work towards rides that are generally longer and more challenging than those typical for the traditional SMBA Team spring and summer program rides.
- Athletes should have a reliable and safe mountain bike in good working condition that can be ridden on rugged singletrack trails and is geared appropriately for steep terrain. We recommend bikes with 26” wheels and up and with appropriate suspension (either front or full suspension). Athletes are expected to regularly maintain their bikes to keep them in safe working condition and minimize potential mechanical issues on the trail throughout the season.
- Epic Team athletes are expected to come to rides prepared for the backcountry! This means showing up to each ride with a positive attitude prepared to meet unexpected ride/weather/trail condition challenges, working with teammates, listening to coaches, bringing proper tools to fix a flat or make minor trailside adjustments and repairs, having proper clothing for weather and unexpected weather changes, bringing an appropriate pack to carry their tools and clothes (e.g., a Camel Bak) and bringing proper safety equipment to each ride (e.g., helmet, gloves, and sunglasses).
- For overnight adventure trips, athletes must bring necessary camping equipment, including tent, sleeping bag and pad, and appropriate post-ride clothing.
For additional information or questions contact heather@lertprograms.com
Please click on Pricing, Dates, and Times in the box below for more information about program fees, registration, and session datess
Pricing & Registration
Season Dates
Meeting Times & Locations
Additonal Details
Pricing & Registration
Program Fees:
(Payment plans available)
Early Bird Pricing (Before March 1st):
Full Time (Moab, Spring, & Summer): $2990
Part Time : (Spring Sundays only/Summer part time rides, No Moab): $1995
Regular Season Pricing (After March 1st):
Full Time (Moab, Spring, & Summer): $3150
Part Time: (Spring Sundays only/ Summer Part-time, no Moab): $2100
Click Here to Register
Season Dates
Season Dates
March 29th – August 1, 2022
(A fall add on trip or ride may be offered in 2024 – stay tuned!)
Meeting Times & Locations
Drop off/Pick up & Ride Times:
Drop off & Pick up is at the SMBA office (194 Taft Dr. – next to Rocky Mountain Tennis Center, north of Carillon).
Spring Break Moab: Monday, 8am (Drop off)
Friday, ~5pm (Pick up)
Spring Session Rides: After school, 4:15pm – 6:45pm
Sundays, 10am – 4pm
Summer: Tuesday/Thursdays 8am – 3:30pm, and every other Friday (times TBA for each Friday ride)
Summer Adventure trips times and locations: TBA (will be determined by ride goals set by Epic Team athletes and coaches)
Additonal Details
Days on Trail:
Athletes will spend approximately 55 days (~300 hours) on the trail during the Epic Team season.
Types of rides:
Athletes will have the opportunity to plan routes and learn orienteering/ map reading skills; and experience a variety of rides including: multi-day van supported point to point distance rides with camping, single day point to point semi-self-supported rides (with coaching and coach support), and potentially short bikepacking oriented rides.
Coaches will work with athletes to determine ride locations for the season. Epic team adventures are tailored to the team each year.