Montana Enduro Series: 2026 Helenduro event

The first Helenduro was held in 2009. As one of the oldest enduro races in North America, the Helenduro has grown a lot over the years, but we’ve worked our butts off to maintain its grassroots vibe.

We recommend a three-day experience. Arrive Friday, pre-ride the course, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Queen City. Race Saturday and celebrate with us in the afternoon. Explore the rest of the trail network on Sunday.

Race Timeline:

Friday, June 26th

MES volunteers will mark the course
All day: course open for practice
4:00 - 8:00 packet pickup at Blackfoot River Brewing (66 S Park Ave)

Saturday, June 27th

7:30: racer check-in opens at the Park Avenue Building parking lot (301 S Park Ave)
8:30: packet pickup closes; unclaimed entries released
8:30: racer meeting
9:00 race start
3:00 course closed
Prizes and awards will happen as soon as all results are in. RETURN YOUR TIMING CHIP AS SOON AS YOU FINISH. Make sure you stay around for the awards, since we will have loads of prizes and giveaways from Pit Viper, Flylow Gear, Deity, Wild Rye Apparel, and Kühl.

We have permission to use the Park Avenue Building parking lot. Please do not venture onto the building patio or stairs.

If you check in Friday and something comes up to keep you from racing, you must return to the timing chip to us as soon as possible Otherwise, we have no way of accounting for you on race day.

Helenduro 2026 Route:

The 2026 Helenduro route satisfies the Blackfoot River Brewing Helena Ridge Challenge. Show your server your GPS track and you earn a free beer and a sticker, along with the right to buy a 2026 Ridge Challenge T-shirt. Blackfoot donates the T-shirt proceeds back to the trail network. In fact, the first part of Stage 4 was built last year using Ridge Challenge money!

Sport and Junior classes will not compete the full course, and will end after Stage 3. Anyone wanting to ride the entire course may have their category changed. Just ask us.

Learn more here: https://blackfootriverbrewing.com/helena-ridge-challenge/

Stage 1: Show Me the Horse. This Helena classic is fast. It’s riding great this year thanks to some recent work.

Transfer: Turn right and climb Grizzly Gulch Road to the Wakina Sky Trailrailforks.com/trails/wakina-sky-trail/]Wakina Sky Trail[/L]. Climb to the meadow and turn left, climbing Stairway to Heaven. Notice the pink surveyors flags on either side, and look forward to the much nicer climb MBG will build later this year.

Stage 2: Stairway to Heaven. This former favorite doesn’t see many tires these days, and the rubble is deep as a result. Expect loose conditions. Shortly after the stage start, the trail braids around and over the ridgeline. Choose your own adventure here. After a series of small drops, stay to the right at the junction. Be prepared for tight turns with little warning.

Transfer: Cross the road to Evans Trail and drop down to Orofino Gulch. Cross the road and climb TR Trail to Pinchot Trail. Carry on to the open bench above Rent Money.

Stage 3: Rent Money – Sourdough Starter – Upper Davis Bike Course. This stage includes Helena’s first bike-optimized trail, and the upper Davis jump line, tied together with a new connection built last year. The stage ends just after the jump line exits the woods.

JUNIOR AND SPORT CLASSES END HERE. PRO, EXPERT, AND MASTER CLASSES CONTINUE TO STAGES 4 AND 5.

Pro, Expert, Masters transfer: Climb the Archery Range Trail and Entertainment Trail to the top of the ridge. Continue to the north (left) on the 2006 Trail a short distance.

Sport and Juniors transfer: descend DeFord Trail to Davis Street and return to the Park Avenue Building. Observe all road safety protocols.

Stage 4: Hoppiness – Mt. Ascension Loop – Cruse Control – Eddye Return: Hoppiness is a new trail, funded by Blackfoot River Brewing’s Helena Ridge Challenge. The MBG proposed it as a better way to access the directional trails. There are a few side features, but otherwise it’s straightforward. It runs into the lower portion of the Mount Ascension Loop Trail, which goes straight into Cruse Control. Cruse Control is a flow trail with optional side features. The fun line may not be the fast line. The trail gets steeper and tighter towards the bottom. Cross the bridge and continue across to the Eddye Return Trail. This is fast and flowy, but with a few unsupportive corners.

Transfer: Drop down to Arrowroot Drive and cross it to Eddye McClure. Make sure you catch the right turn onto Eddye – it’s easy to miss. If you find yourself descending to the left (north), you missed it. Climb Eddye’s 12 switchbacks to the top.

Stage 5: Eddye McClure: Helena has some janky trails. This is a standout. Watch for pedal strikes, tight trees, and sharp switchbacks.

Transfer: The return to Park Avenue Building is several miles, but doesn’t require much climbing. Descend Martinez Gulch. Turn left and climb South Hills Drive. After 50 feet, you’ve done most of the climbing. Follow South Hills Drive all the way to Lime Kiln Road and descend that to Virginia Dale. Turn left onto Sanders, and descend Sanders. We recommend tuning left on Highland, jogging slightly north to Hillsdale at Hoback and Raleigh streets. This will take you to Davis Street while avoiding vehicle traffic on Broadway. Turn left on Davis and then right on State Street. This will take you to Cruse Control and back to base.

Hydration: Self-sufficiency is a core tenet of mountain bike racing, so please do not rely entirely upon on-course water. That said, we will have water available at the Old Shooting Range parking lot, along with a full aid station.

Timing System
We use the SPORTident Air contactless timing system. This gives the best and most accurate results in our sport. You are responsible for following our procedures for checking in and heading out to the course. The timing chips must be switched on to collect time stamps. Crucially, they must be returned to the timing tent for scanning for you to have results. If you lose your timing chip it will cost you $100 to collect backup timing results. Keep the chip on the right-hand wrist outside of your clothing to ensure good time stamps.

Rules

Our rules are simple and intended to make sure everyone has a high-quality experience. We will cover rules and course-specific concerns during the racer meetings. The basic rules are:

Enduro format – timed stages are mostly downhill, and transfers are mostly climbs. Transfer stages are untimed, but don’t linger because we have a course closure time.
Helmets must be worn at all times when on the bike. This includes uphills/transfers. Anyone riding without a helmet will be disqualified immediately. Full-face helmets are recommended but not required.
The trail is the course. Whether or not a corner is taped, shortcutting the trail tread is a rule violation.
You must be able to hear an overtaking rider. No earbuds or external speakers are allowed.

Our complete rulebook is available on our website.
Volunteers will help us assess if we need to penalize any racers that aren’t following our series rules. Keep it fun and throw out high fives all day!

Swag

We have some great swag lined up for you this year, along with prizes and giveaways from Pit Viper, High Above, Deity, Wild Rye Apparel, and Kühl. We will also have T-shirts, socks, and water bottles available for purchase.

Volunteers

If any of your traveling companions would like to volunteer out on course, we’d be happy for the help. Also, if you can’t race for some reason on Saturday, we’ll happily refund your registration fee in exchange for your volunteer service. True story: running an enduro race takes a lot of volunteers. Find us at the MES tent in the morning or email shannon at montanabicycleguild.org.