The Gray Head Gold Rush cross country bike race, slated by local cyclists as "Cross country mountain bike racing the way it should be," returns to the epic single tracks of the Gray Head Ranch area for its third year this Saturday.

The event, sponsored by Gray Head Development and the Paragon Racing Team, is a kickback to grassroots local mountain bike racing of yesteryear. Says Paragon Racing Team manager and one of the event's organizers, Daniel Murray, "This event is totally grassroots and we (the local cycling community) are privileged to have someone like Steve Catsman and Gray Head Development to facilitate putting something like this on. It's fun to get out and engage in a little friendly competition amongst the mountain bikers in town."

Murray, along with fellow cyclists and Gray Head Ranch foreman Mike Young, has recently been hard at work "buffing out the best single track around - it's a must-ride trail," says Murray.

The course affords some of the best riding and most dramatic views the area has to offer, as the seven-mile loop awards riders with stunning Mt. Wilson views, up-close-and-personal jaunts with Willow Creek's pools and waterfalls, scenic sections through old-growth pine forests, and more. The loop begins and ends at the Gray Head Owner's Cabin, and riders competing in the beginner's category will take one tour of the course, while riders in the sport category will make two laps and those in the expert pro group will make three.

Event sponsors Paragon Ski and Sport, Cindy Bread, Telluride Coffee Company, and BIOTA have all donated raffle prizes to be given away at the afternoon barbecue party at the Gray Head Owner's Cabin.