Fort Ord 50 — 4 laps of a 12-mile / 1,353 ft loop across the Fort Ord National Monument on California's Monterey coast, produced by Repack Racing on August 30, 2026 as part of the California MTB Endurance Series.
Build Your Personalized Race Fueling Plan — $19The Fort Ord 50 is a single-day lap-based mountain bike endurance race held on August 30, 2026 at the Fort Ord National Monument on California's Monterey coast, produced by Repack Racing as part of the California MTB Endurance Series. The 2026 course is four laps of a 12-mile / 1,353 ft loop — 48 miles and ~5,412 ft of cumulative climbing — threading together the region's iconic singletrack (chaparral-fringed ridge trails, oak-woodland descents) with sandy coastal fire roads across a former US Army training reservation now protected as a BLM National Monument. Punchy per-lap climbing, coastal-heat and marine-layer weather swings, deep-sand sections, and 4–7 hour finish times make fueling, hydration and per-lap pacing the decisive levers. The lap format means you pass the start/finish (and support crew) four times — the aid-station math is simpler than a point-to-point but the pacing discipline is harder because it is tempting to overspend on lap 2.
Distance
48 miles (≈ 48 mi) — 4 laps × 12 mi
Elevation
≈ 5,412 ft — 4 laps × 1,353 ft per lap
Typical duration
4 – 7 hours for most amateur finishers
Location
Fort Ord National Monument, Monterey County, California, USA (near Marina, Seaside and Salinas)
Time of year
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Terrain
Fort Ord singletrack, oak-woodland descents, chaparral-fringed ridges, sandy coastal fire roads and punchy short climbs — repeated 4× as laps
The official Fort Ord 50 course, elevation profile, and route reference. Use this to plan your pacing, aid-station strategy, and fueling touchpoints.
Fort Ord 50 — 2026 official 12-mile loop (raced 4×)
Open in RideWithGPSRoute year
2026
Course change notice
Course details, aid stations, cutoff times and access rules may change. Confirm the latest official race information with Repack Racing before race day. The RideWithGPS route and GPX file represent the official 2026 12-mile loop (raced 4 times as laps for 48 mi / ~5,412 ft total).A practical race-week checklist: carbs, hydration, sodium, caffeine and race-day supplies — print it or keep it on your phone.
The 2026 course is four laps of a 12-mile loop with 1,353 ft of cumulative climbing per lap. The lap format means you pass the start/finish (and any support crew) four times — aid-station math is simpler than a point-to-point but pacing discipline is harder because it is tempting to overspend on lap 2 when the legs still feel fresh.
Each 12-mile loop combines iconic Fort Ord singletrack (chaparral ridges, oak-woodland descents) with sandy coastal fire road and delivers 1,353 ft of climbing as a series of short, sustained efforts. Cumulative across 4 laps that's 5,412 ft — repeated punchy efforts burn glycogen faster than sustained tempo climbing does. Pacing lap 1 conservatively is the single most predictive decision of the day.
Fort Ord sits on the Monterey Bay coast. A race day can start under morning marine layer (54–61 °F, gray, damp) and finish under mid-afternoon coastal sun on exposed ridges (75–86 °F, high UV). Riders who under-plan hydration for the first two laps pay for it on laps 3 and 4.
Fort Ord has sand-flat and sandy fire-road sections that drain power, punish tires, and reward front-wheel steering skill under fatigue. Technical descents on packed sandy singletrack can hit 40+ km/h under an oak canopy — riders who cannot descend well under fatigue lose time on laps 3 and 4, not on the climbs.
The lap format lets you plan aid at a single fixed point every 12 miles (~60–90 minutes for mid-pack riders), plus any on-course support stations Repack sets up. Pre-mixed bottles left at the start/finish, plus a support crew handing up bottles on the fly, save meaningful time across 4 laps.
Mid-pack Fort Ord 50 finishers spend 4–7 hours on course. That's enough time for every 15 g/hr of under-fueling to compound into a real deficit — hourly carbohydrate delivery and structured sodium intake stop being 'preferences' and become the deciding variables.
Coastal California sun on exposed chaparral ridges is intense from mid-morning. Sunburn on lap 1 becomes a heat-management problem on lap 3. SPF 50+ reapplied every second lap at the start/finish is a performance decision, not comfort.
General, evidence-based guidance. Numbers should always be personalized to sweat rate, body mass, fitness and weather.
70–90 g/hr of mixed-source carbohydrate (glucose : fructose ~1 : 0.8) for most trained riders. Trained guts can push toward 100 g/hr on the longer punchy-climb blocks. Liquid + gel is more tolerable than solids in coastal heat and helps you eat safely between technical sections.
17–34 fl oz/hr adjusted for the day's coastal-heat profile. Cool marine-layer mornings trick riders into light bottle plans that leave a deficit by hour 3. Drink to the clock, not to thirst — especially in the first two hours when the perceived need is lowest.
500–1000 mg of sodium per liter of fluid as a default. Salty sweaters and afternoon-half riders should push toward 800–1200 mg/L. Sodium debt on Fort Ord builds silently across 6+ hours and typically shows up as cramping on the last climb, not the first.
3–6 mg/kg body mass, split between pre-start and the base of the biggest mid-race climb. A 154 lb rider targeting 5 mg/kg takes ~200 mg pre-race and 150 mg mid-race. Save at least one 50–100 mg dose for the final third.
The lap format means you pass the start/finish area at the end of every 12-mile lap. Pre-mixed bottles in a labeled cooler + a support crew handing up bottles on the fly saves 60–120 sec per lap versus stopping. Cap start-finish stopped time to 30–60 sec on laps 1–2 and 60–90 sec on laps 3–4 if you need to grab solids.
1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 2–4 hours before the gun, from familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods. A 154 lb rider targets 140–280 g CHO. Oats + banana + honey, bagel + jam or a rice bowl are proven. Add 30–50 g CHO 15–30 min pre-start via a gel and sports drink.
Fuel BEFORE entering technical singletrack sections and IMMEDIATELY after exiting them — never force intake with both hands on the bar. Set a 15-minute alarm on the head unit from km 0. Chew during flat rolling connectors, sip constantly on descents where the surface allows.
Within 30–60 minutes of the finish: 1.0–1.2 g/kg carbohydrate and 0.3 g/kg protein, plus 150% fluid replacement with sodium. Repack Racing finish villages typically include post-race food — use it. The 60-minute post-race window is the single highest-return investment for how you feel the next week.
Grams and millilitres per hour for each phase of the race. Personalize to your sweat rate, body mass and conditions.
Fort Ord 50 (4 × 12 mi laps, 48 mi total, 4–7 hr) — targets for a mid-pack finisher
0 → 12 mi (start → end of lap 1)·0:00 → ~1:05
Caffeine: 150–200 mg 20 min pre-start (with breakfast option)
Focus: Do NOT chase early moves. Cap effort at high Zone 2 / low Zone 3 HR — even if the front group goes harder. Lap 1 is reconnaissance: learn line choice, sand-flat traction and descent grip. Lock in a 15-min intake alarm from mile 0.
12 mi (start/finish)·~1:05
Focus: Fast in, fast out. Support crew hand-up ideally — no dismount. If solo, cap stopped time at 30–60 sec. Take 1 gel now if you skipped one on lap 1.
12 → 24 mi (lap 2)·~1:05 → ~2:15
Focus: The biggest lap-race trap: legs feel fresh so riders push. Wrong lap. Lap 2 should feel identical to lap 1. Save the effort for laps 3 and 4 where it actually decides the finish.
24 mi (start/finish)·~2:15
Focus: Halfway checkpoint. Quick internal audit: HR trending up for the same effort? Cramping signals? Fueling on schedule? Take the solid item now — chewing gets harder on the second half.
24 → 36 mi (lap 3)·~2:15 → ~3:30
Caffeine: 100–150 mg at the base of the biggest climb this lap
Focus: Fixed HR / RPE ceiling on the climbs. Fuel through the sand flats. Riders who overcooked lap 2 blow up here; riders who paced conservatively pass them. This is where the race sorts itself.
36 mi (start/finish)·~3:30
Focus: Last transition. Take 1 gel, one more caffeine dose if under daily cap (≤6 mg/kg). Confirm you have enough fluid + one emergency gel for the last lap.
36 → 48 mi (lap 4, finish)·~3:30 → finish (~4:30–7:00 depending on pace)
Focus: Ride to power / HR, not to feel. Late-race under-fueling is where riders break — reset the 15-min alarm even if you 'know' the finish is close. Descend within your skills; a crash on the last descent costs the race.
Finish line to team box·T+0 → T+60
Focus: Recovery starts the moment you cross the line. Compress, shade, elevate. Use the finish-village food. Full meal 1–3 hours later.
Times assume a 5-hour finisher; scale ±30% for faster or slower paces. Sand-flat locations and per-lap peak heat may shift the numbers within a lap. Confirm the exact 2026 course layout, on-course aid stations, cutoffs and category-specific details in the Repack Racing pre-race athlete communications on repackracing.com/fort-ord-50. Individual sweat rate can shift fluid and sodium targets by ±30% — personalize with a pre-race sweat test.
A structured 48–72 hour carbohydrate-loading protocol tuned for a long day at altitude. Rehearse it before a training block, not for the first time on race week.
Target 6–8 g/kg body mass per day of carbohydrate while transitioning to lower-fiber, lower-fat foods that protect the gut for race day. Reduce raw vegetables, fried food and heavy sauces. Add 500–1,000 mg sodium per liter of fluid — coastal California heat starts stealing sodium the moment you arrive.
Target 8–10 g/kg body mass per day of carbohydrate from familiar low-fiber sources: rice, pasta, potato, bread, sports drinks, honey. Keep protein moderate (1.2–1.6 g/kg/day). Reduce fat to ~0.5–0.8 g/kg/day. Hydrate to pale-yellow urine.
Same high-carb, low-fiber, low-fat pattern. Do not experiment with new foods, new Monterey restaurants or a special 'pre-race' meal you have never eaten. Ride 30–45 min easy with 3–5 race-effort openers. Sleep 8+ hours.
1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 2–4 hours before the gun (breakfast well before dawn if the start is early), from familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods. Add 30–50 g CHO 15–30 min before start via a gel and sports drink.
Within 30–60 min of the finish: 1.0–1.2 g/kg CHO + 0.3 g/kg protein + 150% fluid replacement with sodium. Repack Racing finish villages usually include post-race food — use it. Full meal 1–3 hours later. The 60-min post-race window is the highest-return investment for how you feel the next week.
The lap format rewards discipline. Cap lap 1 effort at high Zone 2 / low Zone 3 heart rate — even if the front group is going harder. Lap 1 is where you learn the course flow (line choice, sand-flat traction, descent grip) so laps 2–4 can be faster with less risk.
The biggest lap-race trap: legs feel fresh at the start of lap 2, so riders push harder. Wrong lap — lap 2 should feel identical to lap 1. Save the effort for lap 3 and 4 where it actually decides the finish.
Lap 3 is where the race sorts itself. Ride at threshold on the climbs (not above), fuel through the sand flats, and use the descents to eat and recover. Riders who overcooked lap 2 blow up here; riders who paced conservatively pass them.
Lap 4 is where months of training pay off — or fail. Ride to power / HR, take one last caffeine dose at the start of the lap, save one gel for the final 20 minutes. Descend within your skills; a crash on the last descent costs the race.
Line choice in Fort Ord's rocky and sandy singletrack decides finish time more than raw power. Ride your line even if the rider in front takes another — following bad lines to save 5 watts costs 30 seconds and a mechanical.
You cannot eat safely in Fort Ord's technical singletrack or sand flats. Force calories BEFORE entering each technical section and IMMEDIATELY after exiting. Losing one scheduled feed in a sand flat means chasing 30–40 g of missed carbs for the next 30 minutes.
You pass the start/finish 3 times mid-race (end of laps 1, 2, 3) + finish at lap 4. Cap start/finish stopped time to 30–60 sec on laps 1–2 (bottle swap only) and 60–90 sec on lap 3 (bottle + solid + sunscreen top-up). Pre-mixed bottles in a labeled cooler + support crew hand-ups eliminate stopped time entirely.
A modern XC hardtail (fast, light, efficient) or a 100–120 mm short-travel trail bike both win Fort Ord. Hardtails favor climbing efficiency on the punchy profile; short-travel full-suspension protects the back on the technical descents and preserves late-race power. Race the platform you have trained on.
Most riders run 2.2–2.4" tubeless XC tires with reinforced casings. Fort Ord has enough sandy sections to reward a slightly wider tire with cornering knobs — 2.4" gives better float and grip in the sand flats than 2.2". A semi-aggressive tread handles the rocky-to-loose-sand range. Avoid ultralight casings — sidewall cuts on the technical descents end days.
Starting point for a 154–176 lb rider on 30 mm internal rims: 20–24 psi front, 22–26 psi rear. Drop 1–2 psi for the sandier years to improve float. Test on similar coastal-California singletrack in training — sand + hardpack combos feel different than home loops.
A 32–34t front chainring with a 10–52t 12-speed cassette gives most amateurs the bailout for Fort Ord's steepest short climbs. Elite riders often go 34–36t front.
Four-piston brakes with 180 mm rotors front and 160–180 mm rear handle the fast rutted descents. Fresh pads race week, bed them in on a short descent. Carry a spare set in the mechanical box — coastal salt and dust wear pads faster than inland conditions.
A 100–150 mm dropper is worth the small weight penalty on Fort Ord's technical descents for most amateurs. Front-of-pack racers weigh the trade-off individually.
Two large bottle cages plus a 51–68 fl oz hydration pack is the common setup — bottles alone leave you exposed between aid stations in Fort Ord afternoon coastal heat. Some elite riders skip the pack; most amateurs benefit from carrying it.
Minimum: 2× CO₂ + inflator, tire plug kit, mini pump, tubeless spare tube, tire lever, chain quick link, multi-tool with chain breaker, spare derailleur hanger. Zip-tie a valve core tool to the frame. Coastal salt corrodes drivetrains — rinse and lube the chain the night before the race.
| T-4 h | Wake, coffee, first breakfast (1–2 g/kg CHO) from familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods: oatmeal + banana + honey, bagel + jam or a rice bowl. Hydrate 17 fl oz with sodium. |
|---|---|
| T-2 h | Second small feed (~50 g CHO) — fruit + sports drink. Chamois cream, sunscreen SPF 50+, kit on with marine-layer morning layer. |
| T-90 min | Bike check — tire pressure (protect against sand + sidewall cuts), brakes, chain lube, dropper, computer, bottles loaded (pre-mixed), top-tube bag stocked. Layer for expected 54–61 °F start temperature. |
| T-45 min | Ride or drive to the start venue. Sip 7–10 fl oz sports drink. Restroom. |
| T-20 min | First caffeine dose (100–200 mg if used). Final sunscreen check. Confirm HR / power start plan with yourself. Warm layer over kit until 5 min out (marine-layer mornings can feel colder than the number suggests). |
| T-5 min | Half a gel. Breathe. Commit to a conservative first hour (do not chase early surges). |
| Gun | Rollout. Cap effort in the first hour — the deciding sections come at miles 30–45, not in the opening 15. |
Every entry route into the Fort Ord 50, from the annual lottery to qualifier races, coaching-program slots and charity entries.
Register through the California MTB Endurance Series page on Webscorer, linked from repackracing.com/fort-ord-50. Confirm current-year pricing, tiers, category eligibility and deadlines on the official site. First-lot pricing is typically discounted; register early to save.
The Fort Ord 50 typically runs Pro Elite (M/F), age-group solo categories, and sometimes duo / e-bike options as part of the California MTB Endurance Series structure. Choose based on your fitness, technical skill and finish-time goal. Confirm current-year categories on the registration page.
Repack Racing partners with FuelQ Pro so the first 20 eligible registered Fort Ord 50 athletes can claim a sponsored FuelQ Pro Race Pack (retail USD 39, athlete USD 0). Access to your planning experience opens August 5, 2026. Details and the claim form: fuelqpro.ai/race-fueling-plan/fort-ord-50.
Refund and transfer windows are set year-by-year by Repack Racing / the series. Historically a partial refund window closes 30–60 days pre-event; category / distance changes may be possible before published deadlines, subject to fees. Confirm the current-year policy in the Webscorer registration terms.
Airports, lodging, packet pickup, parking and crew access for the Fort Ord 50.
Fly into Monterey Regional (MRY) — ~15 minutes to Fort Ord — or San Jose International (SJC), ~90 minutes north. San Francisco International (SFO) is ~2 hours north. Rent a car — public transit to the Fort Ord race base is impractical.
Options in Marina, Seaside, Sand City and Monterey — all within 15–30 minutes of the Fort Ord trailheads. Book 3–6 months in advance for race weekend. Monterey has more restaurant density; Marina puts you closer to the race base.
Held near the race venue on the day(s) before race day per the Repack Racing pre-race communications. Attend any pre-race briefing — course changes and safety notices are announced there. Bring photo ID and registration confirmation.
Monterey County has a strong farm-to-table restaurant scene, but stick with familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods for race week. Negotiate early breakfast service with your accommodation for the pre-dawn race morning. Bottled water for teeth and drinks — coastal California tap water is generally safe but travel-day GI issues can derail race day.
Ship your bike ahead via a specialized courier (Bike Flights, Ship BikesNow) or fly with a bike case. If flying with the bike, arrive at least 48 hours before race day to allow reassembly and post-transport mechanical checks.
Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row and the 17-Mile Drive are classic post-race rest-day destinations. A recovery swim or paddle in Monterey Bay works if you're not too fatigued (water is cold — expect 54–59 °F year-round).
Cool 54–61 °F morning starts under a marine-layer sky trick riders into a light bottle plan; by 11 AM the ridge is 79 °F and the deficit is already baked in.
Fort Ord 50 punishes riders who match early surges on lap 1. The 4-lap format compounds early over-effort into hour-4 cramping and lap-3 blow-ups. Cap effort at high Zone 2 / low Zone 3 heart rate through lap 1 — even if the front group is going harder.
The biggest lap-race mistake: legs still feel fresh at the start of lap 2, so riders push harder than lap 1. This is the wrong lap to push — lap 2 should feel identical to lap 1. Save the effort for lap 3 and 4 when it actually decides the finish.
You cannot safely open a gel in a rocky singletrack chute or a sand flat. Riders who skip a scheduled feed 'because the trail is technical' arrive at the next open section already 20 g behind — front-load calories before technical sections instead.
Punchy Fort Ord terrain burns glycogen faster than steady road tempo at the same average power. Intake should sit at the top of the recommended range (80–90 g/hr) not the bottom (60 g/hr).
Coastal salt, dust and long time-on-course amplify GI risk. Race only what you have trained on 4+ hour rides — even a familiar-looking new gel is a bad bet on hour 5.
Sea breeze cools skin without reducing sweat loss. Riders systematically underestimate sodium loss. A structured plan tied to fluid intake (600–1200 mg/L) prevents late-race cramping and cognitive fog.
Thirst under-reports fluid deficit by 1–2%. On a 6+ hour Fort Ord day, that gap compounds into cramping and cognitive fog by hour 5.
Coastal California UV on exposed ridges is stronger than most riders realize. SPF 50+ reapplied at every aid stop is a performance decision, not comfort.
Fort Ord was a US Army training installation from 1917 until it closed as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process in 1994. The 14,650-acre Fort Ord National Monument was designated in 2012, protecting the trail network and preserving public access to one of California's most beloved mountain-biking destinations. Every mile of the Fort Ord 50 course rides across ground that shaped California history.
Repack Racing organizes the California MTB Endurance Series, producing multiple flagship endurance events across Northern California including the Fort Ord 50. The organization is named as a nod to Marin County's legendary Repack downhill race — an early-1970s hillside race credited as the birthplace of modern mountain biking.
The Fort Ord 50 is a marquee stop on the California MTB Endurance Series calendar. The Series brings together Repack Racing's endurance events and provides year-round competition for California mountain bike endurance athletes across age-group and elite categories.
Fort Ord's trail network — chaparral-fringed ridge trails, oak-woodland singletrack, sandy coastal fire roads — is considered one of the most storied MTB destinations on the California Central Coast. The Fort Ord 50 course showcases the region's variety in a single race weekend.
Two riders on the same start line can need very different fueling. FTP, target finish time, body mass, sweat rate, temperature, altitude adaptation, nutrition products and race goals all change the answer. A generic 60 g/hr recommendation is a starting point, not a plan.
Free calculators, checklists and articles to help you personalize your Fort Ord 50 plan.
A practical race-week checklist: carbs, hydration, sodium, caffeine and race-day supplies — print it or keep it on your phone.
Every athlete is different. FTP, finish time, body weight, sweat rate, weather, nutrition preferences and race goals all change what you should eat and drink.
FuelQ Pro builds a personalized race fueling strategy tuned to your ride — carbohydrate, hydration, sodium, caffeine and recovery, mapped to the course.
A Race Fueling Plan gives you a personalized strategy for this event. The free checklist helps you prepare the basics first: race-week setup, 48-hour prep, race morning, hydration, sodium, caffeine, aid stations, and backup calories.
