More than 100 bike riders are expected to participate in the second annual "Pedal in the Pines" which will be held this Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, at Echo Basin Guest and Dude Ranch near Mancos.

A total of 70 riders participated last year and more are expected this year. Early registration has been strong and a good number always preregister before the race.

This is the fifth race of the Four Corners Cup Mountain Bicycle Series.

Races will be held for Beginners, Sport, and Expert. More than $1,000 in cash prizes plus Father’s Day Prize Category for family participation. Prizes will be awarded for the top three finishers in the sport and beginner classes. Kids will also receive prizes.

Those who register the morning of the race will pay $30. Registration forms are available at Mancos Town Hall and at Kokopelli Bike and Board. Both fees include a tee shirt. Race day registration will be held from 7-9 a.m. with the children’s race getting things under way a few minutes later. The start time for the race will be at 10 a.m.

Riders who participated in last year’s race will notice a few changes on the course. The course will be different, emphasizing more off-road terrain. There will be some steep hills, both up and down. Riders will go on some graveled surfaces with some single track. There will be an all-out double track stomp through Mancos River Canyon.

The Town of Mancos and Echo Basin Guest and Dude Ranch are sponsoring the event. Other sponsors include Kokopelli Bike and Board, Osprey, Canyon Sports, Joy’s Inc., City Market, Absolute Baking, Southwest Designs, Mancos Pizza and Deli, Silver Peaks Realty, Mountain Desert Recreationists, and Mountain Sun Organic Juices.

The third race of the Four Corners Cup Mountain Bicycle Series was held May 12, near Saul’s Creek. The first race was held in Aztec, N.M., as part of the Aztec UFO Symposium, in March. Actually, some bike riders who participated in the Blue Mountain Triathlon (28-mile bike ride) near Monticello, Utah, back in late February received points toward the end-of-season standings. The second race of the series was held in Farmington on Pinon Mesa on April 21. The Battle of the Badlands was one of the original races in the Four Corners Cup Series.

The only Four Corners Cup race in Arizona was held at Cove, just over the New Mexico border on the Navajo Reservation, south and a little west of Shiprock. The date for that fourth race in the series was May 20.

The Four Corners Cup is a mountain bike points series consisting of 11 races held throughout the Four Corners Area. For information about the Four Corners Cup Series, phone (970) 264-415.