Bel Monte Endurance Runs Adds New Course, Mtn Bike Race, Beer, & Band

Bel Monte Endurance Runs Adds New Course, Mtn Bike Race, Beer, and Band

March 23, 2012, Charlottesville, VA— Bel Monte Endurance Races presented by New Belgium Brewing is excited to announce a new 50 mile, 50K, and 25K course for runners and the addition of a 50 mile mountain bike race. Race Directors J. Russell Gill and Francesca Conte of Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports are committed to expanding their event footprint in off-road racing and have added long-time trail runner and mountain biker Carl Bruggeman from Vail, Colorado as Operations Director to oversee the addition of mountain biking events starting with the Bel Monte 50 MTB this spring and a 100K MTB in fall.

“We’re very fortunate” says Gill ” to have a multisport athlete like Carl join our team. We value his enthusiasm as much as his experience and will rely on both to grow Bad to the Bone’s 2012 race roster.” Bruggeman has also been logging a lot of trail time doing trail work for the new Bel Monte course and will lead the newly launched Cedar Drive Trail Restoration Project which evolved as a result of moving the Bel Monte Endurance Races to Wintergreen Resort.

“After the incredible success of UROC at Wintergreen last fall, we’re thrilled to make Wintergreen Resort the new home for Bell Monte” says Conte. “And to embark on a significant trail project that gives back to this venue. With the support of New Belgium Brewing, we’ll be able to bring back this abandoned section of trail in the Blue Ridge, providing a safe and direct path from Wintergreen Resort to the George Washington National Forest for all recreationalists.”

In addition to a catered, post-race pasta feed, runners and bikers will enjoy a Bel Monte deck party featuring great beer and great music. Neil Reeve, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for New Belgium Brewing will be on hand to greet athletes. “New Belgium Brewing Company” says Reeve ” is pleased to be the presenting sponsor of an event celebrating human-powered, outdoor fun, great beer, and supporting a trail restoration project, all of which takes place in a beautiful mountain setting.”

Welcome to Hoonah! is an area band from Roanoke, VA compiled of expatriates from elsewhere in the US, thus accounting for their fusion of swing, Americana-folk and Bakersfield country delivered with Appalachian flavor and urban verve. Their upbeat, feel good vibe can be sampled online at www.welcometohoonah.com.

About Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports
By directing premiere endurance events, Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports strives to motivate athletes of all backgrounds to challenge themselves. For almost 10 years, Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports events have reflected owners’ Gill and Francesca’s decades-long knowledge and passion for running. www.badtothebone.biz

About New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and other Belgian-inspired beers, began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces seven year-round beers. In 1999, New Belgium became the first wind powered brewery and since its inception has taken pride in being an ”alternatively empowered” role model, making business decisions based on minimizing environmental impact, encouraging the growth of the employee owners, and being a socially responsible contributor to its community with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship.