47th Mt. Graham Hill Climb, Arizona State Championship Hill Climb

47th Mt. Graham Hill Climb
Arizona State Hill Climb Championship
SEPTEMBER 20, 2026, Safford, Arizona 85546

HELD UNDER USA CYCLING EVENT PERMIT NUMBER 2026-Pending

Race Director: Edward “Nippy” Feldhake III
5601 East Scarlett Street, Tucson, Arizona 85711 (520) 747-2544 
nippy-mr-smarty-pants@juno.com

Registration is OPEN on Bikereg.com.

Very heartfelt thanks to Joey Iuliano, President of ABRA for obtaining a grant to pay for the additional 1-million-dollar general aggregate insurance required by the ADOT risk management director. The cost of the additional 1-million-dollar general aggregate insurance through USA Cycling is $1950.

The 47TH Mt. Graham Hill Climb with be a mass start event for the 20-mile and 10-mile distances with the pre-race get together in the parking area. The mass start will travel up hill on Arizona State Route 366 from mile post 151.

Register early with 100% Refund if you don't show up as I have very limited number of volunteers!!!

Due to the shortage of volunteers, in 2025 there were 3 total, the following item will be cut or pared back. Numbers will not be mailed out due to the high cost of postage!

I will post race number on the Mt Graham web page, it will be updated weekly, and Bike Reg registered page will have the race numbr for each cyclist. To pick up your race number there will be a “NUMBER pick-up” table near the Mt Graham Observatory Office with binder by race distance and gender. All you will have to do is walk up look in the binder and take your number. Your name is on the back of the number.

ONE DAY LICENSE holder will have to see me and pay for the “one-day” License in order to get their number.  Payment must be in the form of check or cash only for one-day license.  

There MAY NOT BE a vehicle that will be able to take any clothes to the top. ASK on Race Day! Be prepared if there is not a vehicle to take clothing to the top

Cyclist needing rides down the mountain after the race WILL have to find a ride themselves! Check with other racer before the event. I may have only one vehicle going to the top so there will be no room coming down!

FREE food will be available at rest area past the finish line!
Registration is open at BIKEREG.COM

20 MILE RACE WILL START AT 8:00 AM.   10 MILE RACE WILL START AFTER!

The race starts at 8:00 AM on SR 366 at Milepost 115.1 and finishes at Milepost 135.1.  The distance is 20 miles.

The 10-mile race for Juniors & Masters cyclist starts at 8:10 AM SR 366 at Milepost 115.1 and finishes at Milepost 125.1.

The 20 mile start road race starts @ mile post 115.1 across from the Federal prison (elevation 3,379 ft.) and winds up the “Swift Trail” (State Route 366) to the finish at mile post 135.1 near the Snow Flat campground (elevation 9,068).  The 5,689 ft. climb travels through high desert grassland, oak woodlands, and pine forest to alpine meadow!

First rider’s finishing time will be around 9:30 am. Last rider finishing time will be around
11:00 AM.  Those riders choosing to ride down the mountain will return to the parking area around 12:00 noon!

Located in the southeastern corner of Arizona, Mt. Graham draws riders from all over the USA each year to a spectacular event.

This is the Arizona State Hill Climb Championship.
Support along course, free food at the top and a super great awards ceremony!

Record setters receive special award!

WEB PAGE ADDRESS:
http://presteza.homestead.com/MtGrahamIndex.html

REGISTRATION:

Registration is OPEN on bikereg.com.  

On-line registration web address:

https://www.bikereg.com/47th-mt-graham-hill-climb

ON-LINE Registration opens on July 4, 2026, and will closes on WEDNESDAY, September 16, 2026, at 8:00 PM Arizona Time!

FEES FOR 2026

Before September 1, 2026
Juniors $ 45.00
All other Categories $ 80.00 (Seniors Categories and Master)

After September 1, 2026
 Juniors $ 50.00
 All other Categories $ 85.00 (Seniors Categories and Masters)

Day before Race at Best Western Hotel on September 19, 2026:
 Junior's categories $ 50.00
 All other Categories $ 90.00 (Seniors Categories and Master)

September 20, 2026 (RACE DAY):
Junior's categories $ 50.00
 All other Categories $ 100.00 (Seniors Categories and Master)

Categories in 2026

     CATEGORIES                                                       DISTANCE

1.Senior Men Category 1                                        20 Mile       
2.Senior Men Category 2                                        20 Mile        
3.Under 23 (Espoir's)                                               20 Mile          
4.Senior Men Category 3                                        20 Mile        
5.Senior Men Category 4                                        20 Mile      
6.Senior Novice Men (Formally Cat 5)                 20 Mile       
7.Senior Women Category 1                                   20 Mile      
8.Senior Women Category 2                                   20 Mile      
9.Senior Women Category 3                                   20 Mile     
10.Senior Women Category 4                                 20 Mile    
11.Senior Novice Women (Formally Cat 5)         20 Mile        
12.Master Men 35 to 39                                            20 Mile        
13.Master Men 40 to 44                                            20 Mile          
14.Master Men 45 to 49                                            20 Mile         
15.Master Men 50 to 54                                            20 Mile       
16.Master Men 55 to 59                                            20 Mile       
17.Master Men 60 to 64                                           10 OR 20 MILES
18.Master Men 65 to 69                                           10 OR 20 MILES
19.Master Men 70 to 74                                           10 OR 20 MILES
20.Master Men 75 +(5yr age groups)                    10 OR 20 MILES
21.Master Woman 35 to 39                                     20 Mile       
22.Master Woman 40 to 44                                     20 Mile
23.Master Woman 45 to 49                                     20 Mile 
24.Master Woman 50 to 54                                     10 OR 20 MILES
25.Master Woman 55 to 59                                     10 OR 20 MILES
26.Master Woman 60 to 64                                     10 OR 20 MILES
27.Master Woman 65 to 69                                     10 OR 20 MILES
28.Master Woman 70 +(5yr age groups)             10 OR 20 MILES
29.Tandem Men Elite Under 70                              20 Mile
30.Tandem Men 70 Plus                                           20 Mile  
31.Tandem Men 90 Plus                                           20 Mile
32.Tandem Men 120 Plus                                         20 Mile 
33.Tandem Mixed 70 Plus                                        20 Mile
34.Tandem Mixed 90 Plus                                        20 Mile 
35.Tandem Mixed 120 Plus                                      20 Mile
36.Tandem Women Elite Under 70                        20 Mile  
37.Tandem Woman 70 Plus                                     20 Mile   
38.Tandem Woman 90 Plus                                    20 Mile   
39.Tandem Woman 120 Plus                                  20 Mile 
40.Juniors 11 to 12 (Boys or Girls)                        10 MILES ONLY   See Note Below
41.Juniors 13 to 14 (Boys or Girls)                        10 MILES ONLY   See Note Below
42.Juniors 15 to 16 (Boys or Girls)                        10 MILES ONLY   See Note Below
43.Juniors 17 to 18 (Boys or Girls)                        10 MILES ONLY   See Note Below

JUNIOR RACERS: (ALL):

Per the USA CYCLING RULE BOOK: JUNIOR RACE FOR NATIONAL AND STATE CHAMPIONSHIP NOW START AT AGE 11 TO AGE 18.

THE RACE DIRECTOR HIGHLY RECOMMENS THAT AN ADULT RIDER FOLLOW, BEHIND THE JUNIOR, UP THE MOUNTAIN FOR THE SAFETY OF THE JUNIOR RIDER.

ALL JUNIOR RACERS AGE 16 AND UNDER MUST RACE THE 10-MILE DISTANCE ONLY.  NO EXCEPTION NO MATTER WHAT CATEGORY/RANKING THE JUNIOR HOLDS.

ALL JUNIOR RACERS AGE 17 AND OLDER MUST BE A CATEGORY 3 OR ABOVE TO ENTER THE 20-MILE DISTANCE.  ALL JUNIOR RACERS AGE 17 AND OLDER THAT ARE CATEGORY 4/5 MUST RACE THE 10-MILE DISTANCE. NO EXCEPTION!

IT IS HIGHLY SUGGESTED THAT ALL JUNIORS RACERS AGE 16 AND UNDER DO NOT RIDE FROM MILE POST 125 TO MILE POST 135.  THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN FOR ALL YOUNG RIDERS!!

Mail in Registration
1. Nippy Feldhake 5601 East Scarlett Street Tucson, Arizona 85711
2. Make checks out to Presteza Cycling Club!  Phone (520) 747-2544

Registration (Day Before) September 19, 2026:

In Safford at the Best Western Desert Inn Motel - Saturday 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. At Best Western Desert Inn, 1391 Thatcher Blvd. Safford, Arizona 1-800-707-2336 or 928-428-0521.

Registration (Race Day): September 20, 2026
Registration will be in Mt. Graham International Observatory Safford Base Camp area.
From 7:00 AM to 7:30 AM. No real early birds. Let us get set up, please!

Fees include USA Cycling $5.99 surcharge for insurance! Promoter pays this fee to USA Cycling!

USA Cycling Licenses

1. All riders must have a USA Cycling License to be a participant in Mt. Graham Hill Climb

2. USA Cycling annual & one-day licenses will be on sale during registration (day before & race day!)

3. One-day USA Cycling license is now $ 15.00 or $35.00.

4. USA Cycling annual license will also be available at registration. Only annual licensed riders are eligible for State championship medals and State Jersey per USA Cycling rules.

Riding Down-THE RACE IS UP THE MOUNTAIN NOT DOWN!!!
You may ride your bikes down Mt. Graham however extreme care needs to be taken when riding down the mountain! Helmets are required.  The race is up the mountain NOT DOWN!  Riders wanting a ride in a vehicle down the mountain ask at the start before the race OR AT THE FINISH AREA!

Host Motel-Hotel:

Best Western Desert Inn       1391 Thatcher Blvd. Safford, Arizona
1-800-707-2336 or (928) 428-0521!       Ask for the Mt. Graham Hill Climb Special!

Ask for the Mt. Graham Hill Climb Special!
There are two Best Western motels in Safford.
I use Best Western Desert Inn NOT Best Western Plus!

Breakfast served from 6 AM to 10 AM. Check with the front desk for more details!

ROOM RATES: $ 99.99 + tax for Mt. Graham Hill Climb!
Rooms have the one of the following One King or One Queen Bed or for Two Queen Beds!
LATE CHECK OUT for all riders is 1:00 PM. Just let the front desk know you are with the bike race!

Race Day Parking!!!!!!!
Parking will now be in the Mt. Graham International Observatory Safford Base Camp area.  The address is 1480 West State Route 366 Safford Arizona 85546.  The parking area is on the right side of Sr 366 just across the road from the Main Entrance to the Federal Prison.

 There will be port-a-johns for everyone to use.  The port-a-johns will be placed in the North-West corner in the second lot.  The gate will be unlocked at 6:15 AM on Sunday so no reason to get there super early.

We will be sharing the lot with the Mt. Graham Observatory staff so we cannot block any vehicle as they may have to go to the top of Mt. Graham. No volunteers will be directing you to where to park.  Not everyone can park in the first parking space next the entrance. If you are bringing a “trainer” to warm up on, we ask you to put the “trainer” behind your vehicle not on the side of the vehicle.

There MAY NOT BE a vehicle that will be able to take any clothes to the top. ASK on race day! Be prepared if there is not a vehicle to take clothing to the top.

ALL RACERS MUST BE IN THE PARKING AREA AT 7:45 AM SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE FOLLOWING: The national anthem and the prayer and “call up” of categories to line up in the parking lot.  There will be a “neutral” start from the parking area to Mile Post 151.1 (the start).

The officials will be the lead vehicle for the race.

ON-LINE REGISTRATION ENDS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2025
 AT 8:00 PM ARIZONA TIME (MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME)

SPECIAL THANKS:

A very special thanks to the following, they make this race possible> All Nippy's family, Marty, Don Lash, Broadway Bikes, Team Aggress, ADOT, Graham County Supervisors, Graham County Sheriff Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), US Forest Service, Mt. Graham International Observatory Safford Base Camp, Best Western Inn, Scarborough Pumping and Plumbing, Eastern Arizona Courier, former Mt. Graham race director Al Hopper, former webmaster Jay Schreiber, photographer Kathleen Drier and all past volunteers!

Camping:

ROPER STATE PARK: Park is 2 miles from start line. Amenities include showers, indoor toilets, RV hookups and ramadas. FOR COSTS CALL (928) 428-6760 FOR RATES. Follow brown colored state park signage off Hwy 191!
http://azstateparks.com/Parks/ROLA/index.html Address 101 E. Roper Lake Road Safford, Arizona 85546

Camping on Mt. Graham!

There is camping on Mt. Graham!  One is at milepost 124.5 at the U. S. Forest Service Camp Ground Arcadia. The other is Snow Flats at milepost 135!  The fees are - around $ 20.00 per day per campsite.

AWARDS

1. AWARDS WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, September 20, 2026 after the race! The location is in the Graham County General Services Building. The building is located at 921 Thatcher Blvd., Safford, Arizona 85546. The entrance to the room is in the behind the main building. Room is expected to be open around 11:30 PM. Awards will start once all have eaten and the results have been driven down from the top of Mt. Graham by the officials.

2. This is officially the Arizona State USA Cycling Hill Climb Championship Race. Each winner of all categories and age groups winner will receive the Arizona State Championship jersey. The race director pays for the jerseys.

3. USA Cycling State medals will be awarded to the first three cyclists in each category & age group for Arizona licensed cyclists. They are Gold, Silver & Bronze medals.

4. Per the USA Cycling rule book, only those riders that have an ANNUAL license are eligible for the state championship title! ONE-DAY LICENSE RIDERS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE STATE JERSEY OR MEDAL!

5. Only Arizona State Annual licensed riders are eligible for the Arizona State Championship Jersey.

6. Break a Mt. Graham record and receive an “Official Mt. Graham Record”!

You may ride your bikes down Mt. Graham however extreme care needs to be taken.  Helmets are required.  The race is up the mountain NOT DOWN!  Riders wanting a ride in a vehicle ask at the start before the race OR AT THE FINISH AREA AFTER THE RACE!

Riding Down-THE RACE IS UP THE MOUNTAIN NOT DOWN!!!

FREE food will be available at rest area past the finish line!
 

Most INSPIRATIONAL CYCLIST!
Each year a cyclist male and female are chosen as the MOST Inspirational CYCIST! This year I am going to announce then early so that everyone knows. Check out event web page for short history on each cyclist! You can still nominate someone for 2026! If you know someone who deserves this award e-mail Nippy at nippy-mr-smarty-pants@juno.com.

Past Recipients!

1999   Al Hopper                  2000 Vern Roberts                                       2001 Jeannie Longo & Don Melhado 
2002   Scott Price                 2003   Rebecca Cooke & Ken Stamm          2004 Steve Walters (In Memory)
2005   Herb Johnson & Adrienna Brian                                2006   Maggie Williams & Dave Deichman
2007   Marlene Zuhl & Dwight Nelson                                 2008   Christina Carbone & Kerry Farrell 
2009    Tammy Lamb & Jesus Lamb                                     2010 Jay Schreiber
2010    Colleen Whealdon-Haught (In Memory)                   2011 Franz Hammer & Catherine Dickerson
2012    Reg Dowell & Martha Stedman                                 2013 Alisha Welch & Darien Newman
2014    Luis Chacon & Joanna Roberts                                  2015 Lawrence (Larry) Smith & Deborah Robison (In Memory both)
2016    Lisa Crujido & Joey Iuliano                                       2017 Nathalie Potvin & Gustavo “Gus” Amado
2018    John Conahay (In Memory) & Shelby Hoglund        2019 Richard Horn and Cathi Stevens
2020   Joel Thompson & Lauren Frisk                                   2021 Elizabeth Perry & Jerrmy Barrett (In Memory)
2022   Leslie O'Doherty (In Memory) & Ron Sweet              2023 Barbara & Ted Frohling
2024   David Swain & Lee Marvin                                         2025 Allan Fisher & Jo Roberts

EVENT SPONSORS

PIMA STREET BICYCLES

BROADWAY BIKES

Daniel Parkman Company - DSD-Composites!

Kathleen Dreier Photography

Any other questions Please e-mail Nippy at: nippy-mr-smarty-pants@juno.com

THANKS AGGRESS RACING

Nippy Feldhake, Race Director
E-mail:  nippy-mr-smarty-pants@juno.com
Mobile Phone (520) 747-2544!