Whiskey Off-Road

The 19th Annual Whiskey Off-Road is ridden in memory of Ed Furbush, a long-time Prescott resident and proprietor of the beloved Southwest Sounds and Cyclery bike shop in downtown Prescott. 

Ed was known by customers and friends as a genuine, sincere, simple and laid back guy who loved cycling and helping people build their dream bike. At barely 150 square feet, Southwest Sounds and Cyclery may have been one of the world’s smallest bike shops, and at only $200 per month rent, it may have been one of the most affordable. But the stories told and memories shared within the walls of that tiny shop could have filled a cathedral.

Before Ed found cycling in the 1980s, he was an avid surfer due to his Florida roots, and a competitive dirt bike racer on the motocross circuits of the southeast. Ed arrived in Prescott at the turn of the millennium, coming from the mountain bike Mecca of Durango, Colorado, where he used to ride with legends like Ned Overend, Bob Roll and John Tomac. Ed was an absolute hammer on the mountain bike, and in his simple fashion, rode a singlespeed most of the time. 

Nobody really knows why Ed chose Prescott back before it was known for its extensive network of mountain bike trails, but according to close friend Sandi Scrimgeour, it was for a simple reason, “Durango was too cold for Ed.”

Living in Prescott, Ed traded in his surfboards for a standup paddle board to explore the local reservoirs, while still maintaining his passion for life on two wheels, especially on the mountain bike and his two-stroke KTM. He opened Southwest Sounds and Cyclery in 2001, selling CDs, servicing peoples’ bikes and doing custom builds with parts brought to him. Ed’s shop was filled with cool art, reflecting his distinct personality and love of the outdoors.  

For more than 20 years, Ed lived in a guest bungalow near Thumb Butte on the property of Scrimgeour. “He lived such a simple life and was like a brother to me,” recalled Sandi. “Back in the day my Mom, Ed and I would pile into the car and drive to mountain bike races all over the southwest.”

There were Ed-isms like “whaddya know, hobo?” and “See ya!” along with his low, characteristic growly grumble. Other times Ed addressed his friends in a unique fashion. “He would always call me by my full name just to be different, nobody else ever did that,” said long-time friend Ron Hart.

But what friends will remember most about Ed was that he lived a simple life on his own terms, and he didn’t waste time with things that didn’t interest him. 

“Ed was a solitary and eccentric guy, but he had a passion for people, for bikes and for small town USA,” said Justin Zich, who knew Ed for more than 20 years, even holding a key to his bike shop. “He had an old school allure, and his down home bike shop encouraged people to pursue their own ride.” 

Southwest Sounds and Cyclery was more than a shop, it was a community gathering space where stories were told and laughs were shared. The shop still sits at 116 S. Montezuma Street, and although it’s permanently closed, locals still stop by to light a candle and pay their respects to the guru of cycling in Prescott.

“After Ed’s passing I was in his shop, and noticed someone sitting out on the front step,” said Zich. “I opened the door and a guy turned around to me and said, ‘let me in the temple, just one last time.’ That’s how important Ed was to the community. People truly loved him.”

Ride on, Ed Furbush.

SEE YA!

Celebrate Ed’s memory with us at the Pro & Amateur Riders Meeting on Friday, April 26 at 7p. 

The 2023 Whiskey Off-Road is dedicated to the memory of Monique Puanani Parmelee, known to everyone in the cycling community as Pua Mata and to her friends and family as Niki. Pua was tragically killed by a motorcyclist on January 25, 2023, only a mile from home while riding her mountain bike to her neighborhood trails in Yucaipa, California.

Pua was a fixture in the mountain biking community thanks to her love of the sport and her remarkable success as a professional racer, as well as the kindness and selflessness she showed towards everyone she met. Pua was born and raised in Mililani, Oahu, Hawai’i and found her love for cycling after being a highly competitive soccer player and cross country runner. 

Racing for Team Sho Air, Pua was a multiple time National Champion, as well as a multiple time winner of the grueling La Ruta de Los Conquistadores. But according to her husband Chris Parmelee, she felt the most important race she ever won was the Whiskey Off-Road, which she did in 2011, beating out the eventual World Champion Catharine Pendrel, and again in 2012, besting two-time Olympian Georgia Gould. 

It wasn’t until after Pua’s passing that many friends in the Yucaipa community discovered her decorated career as a professional mountain bike racer which she retired from in 2015. 

“She was so humble about her success on the bike,” said Chris. “I’ve been getting messages from friends across the country, remembering Pua for her kindness and generosity, not even realizing her prior life as a decorated professional.”

One of the messages Chris received was from the family of a young boy who was racing at the Vail Lake 24 hour event in Temecula, California years ago, when the boy became disoriented, fell off a ledge into a ravine and couldn’t get out. As Pua raced by, she saw the boy, got off her bike, descended into the ravine and helped the boy to safety before eventually winning the race. 

“That’s the kind of person, mother and wife Niki was,” said Chris. “Caring for others always came first. She was an amazing person on the bike and even more amazing off the bike.”

Pua is survived by her husband Chris and their two sons, ages four and seven. Chris credits the overwhelming support from his family and friends in the Yucaipa community with helping him through an incredibly difficult time.  A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to help the family, so please consider giving whatever you can in memory of Pua Mata.

Please join us on Friday, April 28 at 7p at the Stage, where we will raise a Mother Road Brewing pint in celebration of Niki “Pua Mata” Parmelee.

The 16th Annual Whiskey Off-Road is dedicated to not one person, but a group of folks instrumental in making Prescott an international model for community development through trails – Over the Hill Gang (OTHG). Don’t let the name fool you, as this army of local trail building volunteers is anything but over the hill in age, energy or motivation.

This past year was a milestone for the City of Prescott, surpassing 100 miles of multi-use trails connecting with the 56-mile Prescott Circle trail, linking 12 trail systems with a combined 450 miles of trail in both the city and the Prescott National Forest (PNF). And according to Hosking, OTHG is responsible for the majority of all this dirt magic, putting in 8,000 hours of volunteer work on the city’s trails in 2018 alone.

The 15th Annual Whiskey Off-Road is dedicated to Willow Rockwell, a three-time Collegiate National

Champion mountain biker and a two-time bronze medal winner at the Cross Country World Championships in 2009 and 2010, riding for Subaru-Gary Fisher and Trek World Racing. Willow discovered mountain biking in its heyday of the mid-1990s, looking up to riders like Juli Furtado, Paolo Pezzo, and the dominant Volvo Cannondale team.

Zapata “Zap” Espinoza is one of the most identifiable figures in the history of mountain biking, thanks in part to his punk rock style sporting numerous earrings, signature stretched left earlobe piercing, pointy sideburns and bold wardrobe. But his appearance isn’t only what made Zap a household name; his outspoken and opinionated demeanor as editor of Mountain Bike Action (MBA) during the heyday of the sport between 1986 and 1993 was just as bold. As a 1995 Mountain Bike Hall of Fame inductee, Zap was the early voice of mountain biking that helped take the sport to rock star status.

A mountain bike pillar of the east coast, Sue Haywood started 

her professional cycling career later in life than most at the age of 27.  From UCI World Championships to 24HR races, she proceeded to churn out high caliber results across many different disciplines of the sport.   Always comfortable when the speed picks up and the terrain gets gnarly, Sue now spends her time as an IMBA certified level II instructor, passionately teaching mountain bike skills to as many women as she can reach.

Boasting a 2001 UCI World Cross-Country Mountain Bike Championship, a UCI World Cup overall title, appearances in two Olympic Games, a Pan-Am Games gold medal, six U.S. National Cross-Country and Short track titles and six National Cyclocross Championships, Alison Dunlap is one of the most decorated American cyclists in history.

To share her love for the bike, since 2003 Alison has been coaching athletes and teaching skills clinics. Alison’s contributions to the sport have been immeasurable, and now as a mother, she has a broader perspective on helping develop the skills and fitness of people new to the sport.

As a 1990 UCI World Mountain Bike Champion, six-time NORBA National Champion, two-time XTERRA World Champion, UCI Masters Cyclocross World Champion and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member; most people need no introduction to the personality known by millions as “The Lung” and “Deadly Nedly”.  And at 58 years young, Ned Overend is showing no signs of slowing down, recently having bested more than 300 competitors in Cable, Wisconsin to win the 2014 Fat Bike National Championship.

Nicknamed “Queen Juli” for her dominant reign of national and international wins between 1990 and 1995, Juliana “Juli” Furtado won virtually everything she set her sights on including the very first World Mountain Bike Cross Country Championships in 1990, World Downhill Championships in 1992, three World Cup titles, five national championship titles and a 12-race unbeaten streak between 1992 and 1993.

She represented the USA when mountain biking debuted in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and retired shortly thereafter upon being diagnosed with lupus. Since then, Juli has lived a colorful life of self-discovery, figuring out her place in the world as a young retired professional athlete, and moving on to a fulfilling life as a mother who is still immersed in the bike industry.

Epic Rides is honored to Dedicate the 9th Annual Whiskey Off-Road to Joe Murray. The first person inducted into the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame and the US Cycling Hall of Fame, Joe Murray has an incredible pro racer resume with 73 wins in some 400 races. Joe designs and tests and has been a fixture and a force in the mountain bike world for some three decades, and his legacy continues.

Epic Rides is excited to announce the 2011 Whiskey Off-Road is dedicated to Joe Breeze: bicycle designer, bicycling advocate, and founder of Breezer Bicycles. Joe is a charter member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, and is best known for designing and building the first successful modern mountain bikes.

During the 1970s, a time when bicycling was considered a novelty and bikes were only used for tooling around town, Joe was taking 200-mile bike trips and fixing up old Schwinns for downhill off-roading. Not built to endure the rough terrain and off-road abuse, the converted ballooners started falling apart, so Joe developed a mountain biking-specific frame. His first ten bikes, called Breezers, were the first all-new bikes built with rugged frames designed specifically for off-road riding.

In honor of Mike Janelle, Epic Rides has made a few additions to the Whiskey Off-Road in effort to help everyone get a better understanding for who Mike Janelle was and why he was so fun to hang out with. Additions include…

• Ice cream sandwiches, one of Mike’s favorite foods to eat while riding, will be available at the 50 proof turn around point; now, the Skull Valley Café.
• Mike’s father, Jack Janelle, and close friend, Jay Henry, will share a couple stories and provide some of their personal experiences with Mike during the pre-ride meeting on Friday evening.

Ride Like Mike… everyone riding will have the opportunity to join some of Mike’s closest friends, riding buddies and family including Jay Henry, Jimi Mortenson, Gretchen Reeves, Nat Ross, Myron Billy and many many other people at the start line and along the route… Ride like Mike!

What’s Included?

Register by March 31st to guarantee your size of the insanely soft Official Event T-Shirt and personalize your number plate plus receive an Official Event Poster, decal & goodie bag, and three days of access to the Bike & Gear Expo.

Each participant has an equal opportunity to earn their Finisher’s Award: a custom Klean Kanteen Event Pint emblazoned with the distance they finished.

The fee below includes initial Registration and a Donation from the event to beneficiaries. Does not include Distance/Category Modifications, or Taxes.

Amateur & Pro Riders

Packet Pickup: Amateur Friday, 12p – 9p | Pro Friday, 1p – 4p, Whiskey Row

Riders must present a government issued ID to receive a packet. If you are not able to pick up your packet, a friend or family member can with a copy (photo is okay) of your ID.

Mandatory Pre-Ride Meeting: Friday, 7p, Main stage on South Courthouse Steps

Rider meetings are when Epic Rides briefs the group on important course & event updates/changes for the following day’s activities. In essence, this is a safety meeting.

Online distance & category modifications

There is no change fee when changing a distance or category. Rider is responsible for any difference in price when changing from the 15 Proof Fun Ride to 25/50 Proof Ride. Online changes are available until April 12th and can be made here.

Rider Swaps

Registrations can be transferred to another rider until April 12th for no fee. Email us directly to transfer a registration. See below (Transfers or Refunds) for Event Transfers.

On-site rider changes & category/distance modifications: Rider changes, and category/distance modifications can be made at packet pickup for a $20 change fee*

*Rider is responsible for paying the price difference when changing from the 15 Proof Fun Ride to the 25/50 Proof Ride.

Much like dropping in on a steep rocky descent or committing to ride a distance outside of your comfort zone, risk is inherent in our sport.

The act of registering for an Epic Rides event, although not quite as dangerous as riding your bike, presents risks.

Epic Rides takes great pride in the high level of organization and scenic venues our events utilize. In order to assure each event is up to par with Epic Rides expectations it’s critical we make sure nature is cooperating in the effort to avoid unnecessary impacts on both the rider and the trails.

If an act of God or another event beyond our control occurs, what can event participants expect?

1. Decisions made by Epic Rides will be based on participant safety & environmental impact. Oftentimes these decisions are in the hands of the landowners or agencies through which our events are permitted.
2.  If an event is required to be cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control, Epic Rides requires each participant to accept the financial responsibility of their entry fee.

The skinny: Epic Rides does not save any money if you do not participate. Epic Rides needs to pay for all the supplies and services associated with the event, regardless of the outcome. These include (but are not limited to) permits, third-party vendors, transport, administrative expenses, and awards.

Each registration includes a $20 donation toward event fundraising efforts.

The Whiskey Off-Road raises funds for the Yavapai County Food Bank (YFB), Prevent Child Abuse Arizona and other local and national non-profit organizations. The YFB feeds 4,000-5,000 families a month through its main distribution center in Prescott Valley.

For more information regarding the Yavapai County Food Bank please visit Yavapaifoodbank.org.

Fast Pass

The Fast Pass is a list of riders who have finished within one hour of the 1st-place rider of their distance, in the last two years of the Whiskey Off-Road or Tour of the White Mountains. This is not based on category or gender, but based on distance. These riders will be placed in the front corral of the first wave.

25 Proof Fast Pass List

50 Proof Fast Pass List

Amateur Wave Starts

In the interest of optimizing your ride experience, distances with 300+ participants will be broken into wave starts. This enhances rider safety while decreasing potential impact to the trails. Ride times are based on gun time and when the participant crosses the finish line.

To determine which wave start suits you best, we’ve taken into consideration:

• Your finishing time at a previous Whiskey Off-Road (2025, 2024, 2023) or Tour of the White Mountains (2025)
• Your self-determined estimated finishing time input at registration

In order to accurately reflect your wave on your number plate, all wave appeals, including Fast Pass, must be submitted by Saturday, March 28th via completing this Wave Appeal Form.

25 Proof Wave Starts

50 Proof Wave Starts

So you’re ready to do some cheering and support riders when they need it most? Great, choose either of the two locations below to do some hooting and hollering while supporting friends, family and random riders. Just remember to be respectful of the Prescott National Forest and volunteers in the area that are helping with crowd control. And, don’t forget your cowbell!

Location 1: Intersection of Copper Basin Rd. and Thumb Butte Rd./FR 373. To access this location, spectators are required to drive up Copper Basin Rd. For rider safety purposes, absolutely no vehicles will be allowed to access the course past this intersection. Please plan to park and hang out while cheering on riders as they approach the final mile of the climb from the Copper Basin aid station. Spectators are welcome to walk to Sierra Prieta Overlook from here if they’d like an expansive view of the riders ascending from Skull Valley!

Pro riders will begin passing through this section on Sunday at 9:45a.

Directions to Copper Basin/Thumb Butte from Downtown Prescott

Location 2: Thumb Butte Park just before participants exit the course and pin it on the pavement back to Whiskey Row. To access this location, spectators are encouraged to drive to Thumb Butte Park. Park their cars ($5 fee) in the designated parking area, and then hike in on the trail to see as much of the course as you’d like. Just be mindful that participants are riding toward you.

Directions to Thumb Butte Park from Downtown Prescott

Riders will begin passing through this section at 9:30a on Saturday.

Spectators note: Please remember to be a good steward of the land when venturing into nature. Pack out what you pack in. Thank you!

Aid Station Fare

Our wonderful volunteers will staff 5 Aid Stations throughout the weekend.

AID STATIONS

15 Proof Fun Ride

1. Aspen Creek Aid Station (at 5.5 miles)
2. White Rock Aid Station (at 13.5 miles)

25 Proof backcountry course

1. 4-Way @ Copper Basin Aid Station (at 8 miles)
2. White Rock Aid Station (at 16 miles)

50 Proof backcountry course

1. Mike Janelle Memorial Aid Station (at 18 miles)
2. 4 Way @ Copper Basin Aid Station (at 24 miles)
3. White Rock Aid Station (at 30 miles)
4. Spence Basin Aid Station (at 35 miles)

SUPPORT CREWS

Participants may receive “hand-ups” from their support crews at the following locations:

• Aspen Creek Aid Station (FRIDAY ONLY): access via Copper Basin Rd. Park beyond/past the Aid Station so that you’re not obstructing the participants.
• 4-Way @ Copper Basin Aid Station located at the intersection of FR 373/Thumb Butte Rd and Copper Basin Rd. Parking at Copper Basin trailhead only. Support persons will be required to walk 1/4 mile up hill.
• Mike Janelle Memorial Aid Station: Access by taking Iron Springs Rd into Skull Valley and unto Copper Basin Rd. for approx. 4.5 miles. Do not attempt to access via Prescott side (you will impede the ride/race)
• White Rock Trailhead Parking Lot: Leave Prescott on Gurley Street toward Thumb Butte and continue on that road as it turns into Thumb Butte Rd. This parking area is about 1.5 miles beyond the Thumb Butte picnic area. The TH is a large gravel lot on the right side of the road. Parking is free.
• Spence Basin Aid Station: Leave Prescott via Iron Springs Rd. at FS 332. Parking will be very limited at Spence Basin Aid Station. Please do not block right of way for emergency and support vehicle access.
• Please do not attempt to drive to the discontinued Copper Basin Aid Station located at FR53 and Copper Basin Rd. used in previous event years. You will obstruct the participants.

Friday (15 Proof Fun Ride): 2:00p – 6:00p  |  (Fat Tire Crit): 5:15p – 7:15p

Saturday (25 & 50 Proof Amateur Rides): 7:30a – 4:00p

Sunday (Professional Backcountry Race): 8:30a – 1:30p