40th annual Road Apple Rally will be held Oct. 3-17, featuring two mobile apps for riders

FARMINGTON — Cyclists bracing for the 40th annual Road Apple Rally will have plenty of leeway in this year’s virtual format.

Christa Chapman, marketing and public relations specialist for the City of Farmington’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, said the storied mountain bike race will be spread out over two weeks, from Oct. 3-17, and competitors will still ride the actual course at Lions Wilderness Park.

However, Chapman said riders should do so at a time where they can limit contact with others.

“They can do it any time they want within those two weeks… Hopefully, that’ll spread out,” Chapman said.

Additionally, Chapman said competitors will have two mobile apps they can use to record and submit their times.

The first app is Strava, a commonly-used outdoor recreation app. The second app is MTB Project, which already has the Road Apple Rally track built in.

Both apps are free, have built-in global positioning systems and record times and routes, Chapman said.

Chapman said riders would take a screen shot of their recorded time and route and submit it using the app on their phone or FitBit fitness device.

“They are both fairly simple,” Chapman said, adding the Road Apple Rally’s website will have a step-by-step guide to download and use.

However, Chapman said one must have their phone and a good GPS signal at all times during the race.

“That way we can make sure they’re actually riding the track,” Chapman said. “It tracks where you’re riding, the time, the date and all that… This way, people can ride at their own comfort level.”

Chapman said the time window to race each day during the two-week racing period will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“They’ll have plenty of daylight if something (like a flat tire) happens,” Chapman said. “We won’t have staff and aid out there. People ride (at Lions) all the time, so they should be fine. We want to make sure everyone’s cautious.”

Chapman also said race organizers will either contact winners online or a hold a livestream award presentation via Zoom or Facebook Live.

“We’re just going to explore that as we go forward,” Chapman said.

Registration starts on Sept. 1 and ends at 12 p.m. Oct. 2.

Results must be submitted by 6 p.m. Oct. 18.

This year’s fee is only $25, which Chapman said will cover costs for 40th anniversary t-shirts and trophies for those who place.

To register, visit roadapplerally.com or fmtn.org/webtrac and click on the “Sports & Athletics” tab.

Matt Hollinshead covers sports for the Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4577 on Twitter at @MattH_717.

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