Mountain bikers cruise along singletrack on Peterson Ridge during the Sisters Stampede mountain bike race in May 2021.

The biggest mountain bike race in Central Oregon usually sells out about two weeks ahead of time.

This year, the Sisters Stampede, capped at 500 riders, sold out six weeks ahead of the race, which is set for Sunday.

“I’m so psyched after two years of slowly migrating back into the proper venue with the horse leadout and the kids race,” said Mike Ripley, owner of Mudslinger events, which runs the Stampede. “We did it in 2020. We did it in 2021. And now we’re back for the big show.”

The Sisters Stampede is one of the few races in Central Oregon that was still staged in 2021 AND 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ripley was able to hold the race with limited riders and a time-trial start.

This year, everything is back to normal, and mountain bikers are eager to race.

“The race is always popular,” Ripley said. “But there’s increased demand from people not comfortable before. Now people are just trying to get back to living, that’s it. That’s where people are at. I’m happy that everything is back.”

The race starts and finishes in the field near Five Pine Lodge in Sisters, and takes riders on loops of 14 or 27 miles along the Peterson Ridge Trail system just south of Sisters.

The Sisters Stampede has sort of become the official start to the summer mountain biking season in Central Oregon. It also serves to introduce newcomers to mountain biking and to the Sisters area. Ripley said he draws most of the participants from Oregon and Washington.

“It’s nice to have Five Pines involved and the support of the community,” Ripley said. “The biggest thing is, this is the gateway to summer mountain biking, and the connectivity to Bend. People who drive right past Sisters and go straight to Bend need to know there’s a reason to stay and play in Sisters.”

Peterson Ridge has become a popular area for mountain bikers. The network consists basically of two main trails — Peterson Ridge Trail West and Peterson Ridge Trail East — with about a dozen smaller trails that connect the two sides. The network is well-marked with signs on nearly every trail connector.

While the trails at Peterson Ridge are somewhat similar to trails west of Bend — both have gradually sloped singletrack cutting through a ponderosa pine forest — what sets Peterson Ridge apart are numerous Cascade peak views and a litany of loop options in a relatively small area.

More than 15 loop options are possible, varying in distance from 1.4 miles to 20.8 miles. This makes the area welcoming to a variety of skill levels, from beginners looking for a quick, easy ride, to more advanced riders seeking to push themselves.

Racers on Sunday will ride either 27 or 14 miles along Peterson Ridge.

“At the Stampede, not everybody has a shiny $8,000 bike,” Ripley said. “It’s a melting pot of mountain bikers, some who maybe don’t call themselves racers, which is really cool. But then you have the higher-end racers who are pinning it and this is leading into the peak of their season.”

Ripley said there are more 70-and-older riders entered this year than ever before, and he is excited about the youth movement that is dominating the mountain biking scene in Central Oregon and throughout the Northwest.

“The junior age group of 20 and under, they have evolved into the new guard of fast riders,” Ripley said. “The youth movement is insane right now.”

For more information on the Sisters Stampede or to follow live results on Sunday, visit mudslingerevents.com/sisters-stampede.