Dig the wigs out of the closet, grab some face paint and, most importantly, put on your creative cap: The 31st annual Tour des Suds mountain-bike race returns to town Sunday, Sept. 18.

The seven-mile route from City Park to the top of Guardsman Pass will take riders on a 2,700-foot climb, all while dressed in costume to impress judges. The race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Sunday. Preregistered riders can pick up race numbers at City Park from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

According to the Mountain Trails’ website, post-race festivities will take place, in conjunction with the Park Silly Sunday Market, on the Town Lift Deck, located on Lower Main Street. Prizes for best costumes will be awarded.

“You can call it a fun race tour,” said Charlie Sturgis, executive director of the Mountain Trails Foundation, which organizes the annual event. “A lot of people are familiar with it and it’s all about being there, more than the race itself.”

Imaginative costumes are encouraged. As stated on the Mountain Trails’ website, “Crazy costumes, crazy bikes is the concept!”

“It’s a simple event,” Sturgis said. “It’s not particularly serious. People have bragging rights and just enjoy beating buddies. We’re going to be seeing a lot of costumes.

“A lot of people are there because it’s a fun event to do and they want to see how they stack up.”

How the Tour des Suds came to be an inventive event, Sturgis said, is an evolution over the last 30 years.

“This event has always been the end-of-the-season event around town,” he said.

Edwin Cycles is the official sponsor of this year’s Tour des Suds race and owner Doug Driessen added his own touch to 2011.

The first ever “Tour des Suds bike,” which was custom-built here in Park City, will be featured as a silent auction item during the race. A 29-inch mountain bike, it features a hard-tail design, according to Driessen.

Driessen said at first he just went on the Mountain Trails website to look for a way to contribute.

“I wanted to volunteer and help,” he said. “I said, ‘What if instead of money, I’d give you a bike and consider maybe doing this every year for Tour des Suds?'”

He said everything on the bike was assembled on site in town and a majority of the parts were donated by Quality Bicycle Products in Ogden. The custom paint job was done in Salt Lake City.

“My intent is, every year, I’ll do this and create a series of bikes,” he said. “I think it’d kind of draw more people in.”

The Edwin Cycles owner says he’s already planning on his costume for this year’s race.

“I may ride in a welding helmet,” he said, laughing. “We’ll see.”

For more information on the 2011 Tour des Suds, visit: http://mountaintrails.org/events/tour-de-suds . To register, visit www.athlete360.com . Registration fees are $40 day of the race.