Over 2,500 mountain bike racers converged on West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort June 10-11 to participate in the “Toyota 24 Hours of Snowshoe” race, one of the largest mountain biking events on the east coast. Beginning noon Saturday, racers from 500 four- and five-person teams traversed a 12-mile course at the resort’s Silver Creek area, biking around the clock until noon on Sunday.

“We’re excited about the world class course we have developed for the event,” said Laird Knight prior to the race. Knight founded the event nine years ago and is serving as the race promoter. “The course is definitely going to be tougher then in years past and will be a challenge for most riders,” he added.

Snowshoe plans on incorporating the 12-mile course into its 125-mile mountain biking trail system.

In addition to the race, Snowshoe featured a free industry expo, an outdoor cookout, and outside entertainment, which helped to attract thousands of spectators. Temperatures in the D.C. region climbed into the 90’s over the race weekend, but remained cooler at the Pocahontas County resort, with an elevation of nearly 5,000 feet.

Throughout the event, Snowshoe Mountain Resort and WVOutside.com provided regular updates and pictures, tracking the progress of racers.