Riders battle their way up a section of trail while competing in the High Cascades 100 mountain bike race last year near Bend.

The 15th edition of the High Cascades 100-mile mountain bike race is set for trails west of Bend on Saturday.

The 2023 course is one of the most technical courses ever for the event, according to mudslingerevents.com.

The race starts and finishes at the Athletic Club of Bend in southwest Bend, and includes a mass start for all riders at 5:30 a.m.

The course features 9,400 feet of elevation gain.

Some of the singletrack trails included on the 100-mile route are Mrazek, Farewell, Skyliner, Upper Whoops, Flagline, Funner, Tiddlywinks, Afternoon Delight, Storm King and Catch and Release.

The race includes five aid stations for riders.

The first finisher is expected at noon on Saturday at the Athletic Club.

The High Cascades has designated cutoff times that riders must make in order to stay in the race.

Riders must reach Mile 14.7 by 8 a.m., Mile 26 by 10:30 a.m., Mile 47 by 12:30 p.m., Mile 72 by 4:15 p.m., and Mile 80 by 5:15 p.m.

About 10% to 15% of riders typically do not finish, according to the race website.

Riders not making the cut at any point receive complimentary transport back to Bend.

Kyle Trudeau, of Tucson, Arizona, won the men’s High Cascades 100 last year in 6 hours, 41 minutes, 15 seconds. Bend’s Rebecca Fahringer won the women’s race in 8:29:20, 12 minutes ahead of second-place Chelsey Magness, also of Bend.

Registration is open for the event through Friday at 5 p.m. at bikereg.com/high-cascades-100.

Those interested in volunteering to help with the High Cascades 100 can sign up at bikereg.com/high-cascades-100-volunteers.

For more general information on the event, visit mudslingerevents.com/high-cascades-100.