Pro Men
1, Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 1.34.24
2, Mitchell Petersen (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 1.36.02
3, Robbie Squire (US National Team) 1.38.11
4, David Welsh (Kuhl/Scott) 1.38.41
5, Chris Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 1.39.34
6, Blake Zumbrunnen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
7, Quinn Bingham (Biker'sEdge)
8, Ty Hansen (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
9, Matt Ohran (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
10, Marc Wimmer (Wimmer's Ultimate Bikes)
Pro Women
1, Heather Holmes (Kenda/Titus/Hayes) 1.25.07
2, Kathy Sherwin (Kenda/Titus/Hayes) 1.25.10
3, KC Holley (Subaru/Gary Fisher) 1.29.15
4, Sarah Kaufmann (Titus/Roaring Mouse) 1.30.10
5, Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) 1.32.30
Sunday, July 12, 2009
22nd Annual Mountain Bout, Snowbird, Utah presented by Bingham Cyclery
Results : Big Bear Shootout #2-SoCal State Series #8
Pro Men
1, John Nobil (Bear Valley Bikes) 1.18.44
2, Romolo Forcino (Bear Valley Bikes) 1.19.52
3, Miguel Valdez (Mex-America) 1.20.28
4, Jason Siegle (Bear Valley Bikes) 1.20.58
5, Ryan Clark (Cynergy Cycles) 1.21.00
6, Nate Whitman (Hammer Nutrition)
7, Garnet Vertican (Giant/ODI)
8, Alex Boone (Helens/Subaru)
9, Tom Koerner (Bear Valley Bikes)
10, Robert Herber (Dixon Art)
11, Derek Hermon (Bear Valley Bikes)
12, Christopher Crosby (Primus Cycles)
DNF Jeffery Meyer (Axis Sport Group)
Pro Women
1, Natasha Hernday (Amgen) 1.36.22
Point Standings after 8 races
Pro Men
1, John Nobil (Bear Valley Bikes) 263
2, Sean Donovan (Cytomax/KHS) 230
3, Miguel Valdez (Mex-America) 225
4, Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air/Specialized) 221
5, Jason Siegle (Bear Valley Bikes)
Pro Women
1, Natasha Hernday (Amgen) 317
2, Allison Mann (Sho-Air/Specialized) 252
3, Heather Ranoa (intense Cycles) 229
4, Joy Duerksen (Pass PT) 205
5, Krista Park (Incycle) 171
Type rest of the post here
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Jen Hanks Breck Epic Blog-Final Stage
Jen Hanks is currently riding in 3rd place at the inaugural Breck-Epic in Breckenridge, Colorado. Jen is an experienced endurance and cross country mountain bike racer who has completed both the Transalp and Transrockies stage races. Join us as she shares her experiences each day of the Breck-Epic.
Today I finished the 2009 Breck Epic. I am officially a BMF (Bad Mother F’er)!!!!! I thought from the course description that today’s route would be a bit more straightforward than the previous two days. I also figured that race promoters would want to end the 6-day race on some rippin’ singletrack, which of course we did.
Being the last day of a 6-day mountain bike stage race, there was no reason to conserve energy today. That was apparent from the start as racers charged up Boreas Pass to the singletrack. There was a slight bottleneck when we transitioned from road to singletrack climbing, however I had no problem getting around a few racers allowing myself to peg it as hard as I could go. I was actually familiar with this part of the trail because it had been used in the Prologue on Day 1. We climbed more relatively smooth singletrack and came back out onto Boreas Pass Road where the Firecracker 50 course goes into singletrack. We then climbed the rest of the way to the top of Boreas Pass. For the first time in 6 days, I found myself with another racer on the road. We worked together trading pulls to the top of Boreas Pass. I was a little bit quicker through the feed zone at the top of the climb and got to enjoy a clear trail for the first of two super-fun downhills of the day. This downhill ended all too soon and then it was a gradual 10-mile climb up the other side of Boreas Pass Road. I wasn’t so lucky this time and found myself alone fighting an annoying headwind to the top. At the top of Boreas Pass, I was greeted by Larry from Squirt Lube with a beer. I thought it was a bit premature for me to celebrate as I still had 10-miles of downhill before the finish. I had also been riding really hard and probably would have vomited. I cruised down Boreas Pass Road waiting for the final singletrack downhill. There was still a pretty strong headwind so there would be no coasting. Finally, the last bit of singletrack. I let it rip as fast as I could as to enjoy my last little bit of Breckenridge glory.
Overall, I could not be more pleased with how my week of racing went. I accomplished all three of my goals which included having loads of fun, no mechanicals (thank you Revolution for helping my bike run perfect), and racing my very, very hardest. It was just an extra bonus to finish third in my category!
I would like to thank race promoter Mike McCormack for putting together such a spectacular event. This was truly a first class event and it was clear every day that a lot of heart was put into making it special. I am honored to have been able to share my daily experience. At the finish today I told Mike that I was a bit sad that the race was over and that I would not be able to race again tomorrow. While it is true that I enjoyed every minute of the past 6 days, now that the caffeine has worn off, I feel that I am ready to sleep in!
I would also like to thank all of the race sponsors. Their support of this event has helped make it such a wonderful experience for the racers. Special thanks to Larry Grossman with Squirt lube who lubed my chain at almost every single feed station as well as the neutral feeds who supplied me with endless bananas and oranges (my favorites)! I’d also like to mention how well the course was marked. I am known to take wrong turns on trails in my own backyard. I never questioned that I was heading in the right direction all week. Truly AMAZING!
While I am thanking people, I would like to thank everyone who voted for me to win one of the blogger’s grants. Special thanks to my Salt Lake City Revolution Bike shop team, my Granite School District co-workers (who are very dedicated voters), as well as the rest of my non-biking friends and family. Also, I would like to thank my coach, Monica Cazzetta who somehow comes up with a training plan to prepare me for these events while working a full-time job. Finally!!!! thanks to my husband and in-laws for spending their vacation helping to support me all week as well as my hound dog (Gordon) who patiently waited for me to finish every day.
Now the only thing up for debate is which one of us (me or my husband) will get to do this race next year!
Late addition to post: The post race party last night was fabulous. It was held at an amphitheater right on the river. The food was delicious and even though I am sick of stuffing calories in my mouth I wanted seconds. Dale Pale Ale also provided free beer. The raffle was the best I have ever seen. Everyone went away with something cool. Some of the highlights included a custom Spot frame who my new friend Jens scored!!!!, $1000 Crankbrothers wheelsets, and super cool long boards. I scored an Easton carbon seatpost and handlebar, Frisbee, and socks.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Breck-Epic Stage 5: Preliminary Results and Photos
Jorge Espinoza wins Stage 5 with an amazing attack on the final day while Jeremiah Bishop holds on for GC win
Jorge Espinoza made a bold move attacking at the beginning of today's stage
Writing and Photos by: Shannon Boffeli
The final stage of the inaugural Breck-Epic was no champagne drinking parade lap. It included several hard climbs, challenging singletrack, mud, and plenty of rocks. As soon as the pace car pulled off the neutral start it was clear these racers were itching to prove themselves one final time.
The attacks started almost immediately as the riders climbed up Boreas Pass Road. As the road transitioned to tight singletrack the top racers were looking to get in clean. Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) had the GC win all but tied up but others were looking for a stage win or to improve their GC standing. One rider on the hunt was Horizon Organic Cycling's Jorge Espinoza who started the day in 9th on the GC. Jorge rode with the bunch through the opening trails and once the riders emerged on the Boreas Pass Road near the top he put it down. After the race Espinoza said, "I figured this is the last stage and once we got to the singletrack again those guys would catch me so I just went for it on the road."
With his acceleartion Espinoza got a 15 second lead over the nearest chaser Colby Pearce (Michelob Ultra) who crested Boreas Pass 15 seconds in front of the main group of chasers, which including Bishop, Travis Brown, and Brandon Dwight (Boudler Cycle Sport). Once over the top the riders bombed down a section of ripping fast singletrack before hitting an 8-mile section of dirt road climbing up the back side of Boreas Pass.
Again Espinoza crested Boreas with a 30 second lead over the chasers. This time it was the high-powered duo of Bishop and Brown looking to close it down on the Horizon rider. With just 20 minutes of descending left Espinoza gave it his all. the two chasers worked together but we unable to bring back Espinoza who had been solo of the front for over 90 minutes.
Espinoza crossed the line over a minute in front to take his first stage win at the Breck-Epic. Bishop was able to gap Brown on one of the short climbs on the final descent and crossed the line in second taking the Breck-Epic leaders jersey back to Virginia. Travis Brown finished third with Colby Pearce coming home in fourth.
In the women's event it was Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) once again taking the stage win. This time in commanding fashion. Although she started the day more than 28 minutes in front of her nearest competitor she was not content to cruise to the overall victory. Gersbach attacked the opening climb and pushed a furious pace over the 33-mile course. By the time she crested Boreas Pass the second and final time the race leader had over 10 minutes on second place and kept pouring it on down the final descent. "I had so much fun today" the Breck-Epic Champion exclaimed after the finish, "that course was just really fast and fun."
Christina Begy took second on the day with Jen Hanks crossing the line in third.
In the singlespeed competition David Wilson (Titus) had blown the race apart on the Wheeler Loop yesterday taking a 7 minute thirty second lead over second placed Dan Durland (Pro Cycling) but it was clear the race between these two wasn't finished yet. Wilson took the early lead up Boreas. But on the return trip over the pass Wilson was upset that he had chosen the wrong gear for today's race, it was too small. Durland closed a gap of several minutes on the race leader and by the time they crossed the pass for the last time the two were side-by-side. Unfortunately for the chaser, the 20 minutes of desecendng left him little opportunity to make up his GC gap. The two competitors cranked down the final descent with Wilson taking the stage win by just over a minute.
Jen Gersbach took every stage of the Breck-Epic including today
Riders roll off the start for the final stage of the Breck-Epic
David Wilson and Dan Durland crest Boreas pass together with just 20 minutes from the finish
The chase group including Jeremiah Bishop crest the Boreas Pass climb behind Espinoza
Results
Solo Men
1, Jorge Espinoza (Horizon Organic Cycling) 2.14.11
2, Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 2.15.59
3, Travis Brown 2.16.12
4, Colby Pearce (Michelob Ultra)
5, Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport)
Solo Women
1, Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot)
2, Christina Begy
3, Jen Hanks (Revolution/Powerbar)
Singlespeed
1, David Wilson (Titus)
2, Dan Durland (Pro Cycling)
For Full Results and all the other categories Click Here
Jen Hanks Breck-Epic Blog: Stage 4
Jen Hanks is currently riding in 3rd place at the inaugural Breck-Epic in Breckenridge, Colorado. Jen is an experienced endurance and cross country mountain bike racer who has completed both the Transalp and Transrockies stage races. Join us as she shares her experiences each day of the Breck-Epic.
Day 5 is in the books. The difficulty of this stage caught me completely off guard. On the start line I was chatting with some of the women racing solo and we were thinking that today’s stage would be about 4 hours. WRONG!!!!! We didn’t account for the 45-minute hike-a-bike to the top of Breckenridge ski resort!
The day once again started with a casual neutral start up the road. The actual racing began with some super steep switchbacks up a ski hill. I got passed by a bunch of people at first, but about 30 minutes in I found my rhythm and settled into my endurance race pace. We then descended some super fun, flowy downhill before we started what was to be the “big” climb of the day. It actually started out pretty mellow and I was able to ride in my middle ring for quite a bit of it until we hit the first feed station of the day. Switched out the camelback and grabbed a banana. The road got really steep after the feed but I was able to keep the wheels rolling. Soon after I arrived at the “hike-a-bike”. I knew we were going to be hiking a bit today, but I thought it would be similar to yesterday’s 15-minute hike up French pass. The racers I was with were in pretty good spirits when we started pushing; we were laughing and telling stories. After about 20 minutes of pushing, the conversation stopped and we suffered in silence. I am not a big fan of hiking with my bike, but I will admit that the scenery at the top was fantastic. We topped out at about 12,500 feet and the air was cold and wind strong. I would have no relief from the insane altitude for about 30 more minutes as we traversed the top of the mountain through a swamp and multiple snow drifts. Finally the downhill. It took me a few miles to actually start enjoying this steep and narrow descent because I was dizzy from the altitude and my arms exhausted from pushing my bike. We descended for about 3000 vertical feet to Frisco and the second feed station. Oranges have never tasted so good. The day was capped off by a fun, rocky, rooty climb back to Breckenridge ski resort. My ride time today was 5 hours 15 minutes. A bit longer than the anticipated 4-hour day! I can honestly say that every single muscle in my body is tired and sore. Even muscles that I did not know I had.
After today I think I am deserving of the BMF status, but I will have to survive one more day before I get my finishers buckle and can claim that title.
On a side note, I have decided that endurance racing kills brain cells. I cannot remember simple things like an email password that I’ve had for 4 years! I can’t think of a better way to get brain damage.
My post race special food request today was Pizza . No feeling of barfing yet!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Breck-Epic Stage 4: Photos and more GC shake-ups
Jeremiah Bishop lays down another unbelievable stage time as the Breck-Epic goes over 12,000 feet again
Travis Brown leads Jeremiah Bishop on the climb up the Burro trail with Colby Pearce just behind
Writing and Photos by: Shannon Boffeli
Scroll down for more photos
If yesterday was the Queen stage of the Breck-Epic, today's stage, the Wheeler Loop, would have to be the King. Riders would have to climb from Breckenridge to a height above 12,000 feet and stay there for close to an hour. The night before, Race Director Mike McCormack explained that the course went up the Burro climb then Spruce Creek road and onto a goat trail. Many riders, like myself, believed the Goat Trail was just another interesting Breck trail name. But they were wrong. It was actually a trail, used by white-bearded mountain goats. The trail was narrow, at times too narrow for a rider and a bike and it crossed over several snowfields and after the finish it was all everyone was talking about. It's clear this hardy bunch of riders are here for a challenge and that is exactly what the Wheeler Loop gave them.
Once again it was Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) and Travis Brown (Trek) pushing the pace early in today's stage. This time the lead duo was joined by Colby Pearce (Michelob Ultra). Pearce has been pretty quiet since the prologue where he finished 4th. Pearce was on fire today and was clearly looking to move up in the GC. Behind the leaders came a tight bunch with all the GC contenders including Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport), Jorge Espinoza (Horizon Organic), and Cannondale teammates Ben Thompson and James Williams. Harlan Price (Indepent Fabrications) was missing in action and at risk of losing his tenuous grip on 5th in the GC.
Once the riders crested Spruce Creek Road and hit the hike-a-bike Bishop had opened a small gap on his two companions. He pushed the pace over the snowfields trying to maintain his lead and by the time he hit the descent and onto the long section of bike path near Interstate 70 the leader could no longer see his chasers. The Monavie rider kept on the gas for the next 10 miles and despite fading towards the end he was never at risk of being overtaken. After the race a tired but staisfied Jeremiah Bishop said, "I really pushed the pace hard on the bike path and into the last few miles of the trail. I kind of paid for it in the end. I got really tired heading into the finish. Up on the crest I should have just put a foot down and grabbed something to eat but I was too anxious to keep my gap."
Travis Brown crossed the line in second just two minutes back while Colby Pearce completed a fantastic ride taking 3rd on the day and moving himself up to 5th in the GC. Ben Thompson struggled with flat tires today and lost significant time in his quest to overtake Brandon Dwight for 3rd in the GC, while Canadian Cory Wallace (Kona) had another solid ride finishing 4th on the stage.
In the women's event Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) was on the defensive all day against a strong attack from Christina Begy who sits 2nd in the GC. Begy got a healthy lead in the early climbing and Gersbach was forced to chase. By aid station one Begy was over 4 minutes in front and still climbing well. She cruised through the aid station without stopping. Begy maintained her lead throughout the summit of Peak 10 and down to aid station two just 8 miles from the finish.
Gersbach was chipping away at the lead and by aid two Begy was less than a minute out front. With the determination of a great endurance racer Gersbach used what was left in the tank and closed the gap. Once past Begy she motored her way through the final sections of rocks, roots, and bridges pulling away by a full 4 minutes at the finish.
As we reported yesterday, the singlespeed men were separated by less than one second in the GC with David Wilson (Titus) taking Stage 3 over GC leader Dan Durland (Pro Cycling). Wilson would not be denied today. Grinding his way into the lead on the early climbs it was clear he had his sights set on another stage victory. Durland did his best to limit his losses but trailed Big Dave by 8 minutes at the end of stage 4.
Tomorrow is the final stage of the inaugural Breck-Epic. Riders face slightly less climbing than previous stages and a distance of roughly 33 miles. Check back with MTBracenews.com for all the results, photos, and reports from the final stage.
Solo Men
1, Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 3.35.53
2, Travis Brown (Trek) 3.37.54
3, Colby Pearce (Michelob Ultra) 3.42.53
4, Cory Wallace (Kona) 3.47.08
5, Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport) 3.48.45
6, Yuki Saito (Topeak/Ergon)
7, Kip Biese (Old Town Biek Shop)
8, James Williams (Cannondale)
9, Ben Thompson (Cannondale)
10, Blake Harlan (Jamis)
Solo Women
1, Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) 4.30.49
2, Christina Begy (Christina Begy) 4.34.50
3, Jen Hanks (Revolution/Powerbar) 5.11.42
4, Amy Robillard (Tough Girls/Scott) 6.14.05
5, Kim Bear (Santa Fe) 6.34.48
Singlespeed
1, David Wilson (Titus) 4.13.40
2, Jake Kirkpatrick (New Belgium Brewing) 4.19.22
3,Dan Durland (Pro Cycling) 4.21.11
Duo Men
1, Team Kappi (Brady Kappius/Russell Kappius) 4.03.26
2, GT Dirt Coalition (Ryan Krayer/ Jerry Long) 4.29.35
3, Team 303 Racing (Nick Howell/Hank Pool) 4.40.03
GC Standings after 5 stages:
Men Solo
1. Jeremiah Bishop 12.40.13
2. Travis Brown 12.49.09
3. Brandon Dwight 13.14.17
4. Ben Thompson 13.24.06
5. Colby Pearce 13.32.28
Women Solo
1. Jen Gersbach 16.16'51"
2. Christina Begy 16.44'55"
3. Jen Hanks 18.12'05"
Singlespeed
1. David Wilson 14.56.10
2. Dan Durland 15.03.40
3. Jake Kirkpatrick 15.28.17
Men Duo
1. Team Kappii (Russell and Brady Kappius) 14.35.18
2. Team GT Dirt Coalition (Ryan Krayer and Jerry Long)15.03.46
3. Team 303 Racing (Nick Howell and Hank Pool) 16.40.54
For Full Results and all the other categories Click Here
Riders climbed up Spruce Creek road and finally onto the snow fields in the distance
David Wilson grimacing his way into first in the singlespeed competition
Russell and Brady Kappius opened a can on the GT Dirt Coalition Team today
Mark Legg-Compton riding strong as always in the top-10 overall
Team Ergon's Yuki Saito
Jen Gersbach holds onto the women's solo jersey
Jen Hanks Breck-Epic Blog: Stage 3
Jen Hanks is currently riding in 3rd place at the inaugural Breck-Epic in Breckenridge, Colorado. Jen is an experienced endurance and cross country mountain bike racer who has completed both the Transalp and Transrockies stage races. Join us as she shares her experiences each day of the Breck-Epic.
Jen-
We are officially over the hump and as promised today was a doozie. Today had a little bit of everything. Tough as shit climbing, ripping fast descents, sweet singletrack, river crossings, rocks galore, snow, and a bit of hike-a-biking. Oh yeah, we climbed above 12,000 feet and crossed the continental divide twice!
We started at race headquarters and the neutral start for a mile was welcomed by my tired legs. Race profile indicated 4 significant climbs with the middle two being the biggest. My game plan for the day was to hold a steady pace and hopefully have something left for the end. The first climb was tough; much steeper than I anticipated. I was able to ride most of it in my granny gear. We then ripped down a super rocky descent. I like to say that at least once a week I ride like a beginner and by the way I was riding this descent I was thinking it was today. We rolled into feed number one and to be honest I don’t remember much about that part of the day. I grabbed a water bottle and two power gel flasks from my drop bag because the toughest part of the day lay ahead. We then climbed through a meadowy section, a few small creek crossings, and then to two super steep climbs that ended up being hike-a-bikes for me and the people I was racing around. My Garmin GPS peaked out at about 12070 feet.
We then crossed about 30 meters of snow pack and then a rippin’ fast and steep downhill, too many river crossings to count and then onto a dirt road climb up to Georgia pass. This climb ended up being much more mellow than I anticipated and was really the only part of the course where we were not pounded by rocks. The second feedzone was near the top of the pass and my support was there to give me a seamless camelback handoff and a banana. We then got to ride down the Colorado Trail to our final feed of the day. We had ridden a different part of the Colorado Trail during Monday’s stage and I remembered it as being fast and flowy. That was not the case for this part of the Colorado Trail. It was fast and rocky; getting even rockier toward the bottom. My triceps were killing, but at least I was not riding like a beginner anymore! At the final aide station I got another water bottle, gel flask, and banana and then headed up the final climb of the day. 
This climb ended up being much longer than I expected and I passed a lot of fellows that were blown. Even though I was pretty tired at this point of the stage, I felt like I was climbing fairly strong. Before I knew it I could hear the announcer at the finish. It was actually a trick though as we twisted around for about 4 more miles! My finishing time for the stage was 5 hours 15 minutes. I believe we climbed almost 10,000 vertical feet today.
Overall, today was a fantastic stage, definitely the toughest so far. After finishing a demanding stage like today’s, I always feel like I can accomplish anything. It is in search of this feeling that I am addicted to these epic events.
My post race special food request was French fries. Now I feel like I’m going to barf!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Breck-Epic Stage 3: Report, Photos, and Full Results
Breck-Epic Stage 3: Mount Guyot
Jeremiah Bishop and Jen Gersbach make it 4 for 4 as other categories shake up the GC
Breck-Epic race director Mark McCormack wanted Stage 3 to be the queen stage. He wanted to challenge the riders and create drama in the general classification. McCormack was successful on both counts. The Mount Guyot stage challenged even the strongest riders, at Georgia Pass just below the peak of Mount Guyot former World Champion Alison Dunlap said, "I want to go back into retirement." That was just before 8 miles of downhilling on the Colorado Trail, which certainly changed her mind.
One rider who wasn't thinking of retirement was Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com). The Monavie rider used today to blow apart his competition. Bishop excelled on the early climbs, of which there were many, opening gaps on the chasers including Travis Brown (Trek) who trailed Bishop by just 46 seconds in the GC. By the time the riders crested Georgia Pass at mile 22 Bishop had opened a 4 minute gap on Brown and showed no sign of slowing.
Despite the 43-mile racecourse and roughly 8,000 vertical feet of climbing Bishop was standing and pounding on the pedals like it was a cross country race. After Georgia Pass, Brown had 8 solid miles of descending to work his magic and limit his time gap on the leader. Bishop wasn't having any of it today. After the downhill and final climb the Monavie strongman had put an additional 2 minutes into second place. Bishop crossed the line with an astonishing time of 3 hours 33 minutes.
Ben Thompson would take 3rd on the stage
Behind the leaders Ben Thompson (Cannondale) and Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport) continued their battle for 3rd place in the GC. The two riders have been closely matched all week with Dwight sitting in third on the GC by just 76 seconds. Dwight marked his challenger all day long and lost just 3 seconds to Thompson on the line.
Independent Fabrications rider Harlan Price pulled out another strong finish today crossing the line in 5th. Two strong days of riding have moved him into 5th on the GC just one second in front of James Williams (Cannondale) and 13 seconds in front of Colby Pearce (Michelob Ultra).
In the women's event Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) used the added mileage in today's stage to take more time out of the competition. She steadily climbed her way to the front over the first half of the race before dropping the hammer and finishing over 11 minutes in front of Christina Begy. Jen Hanks finished third again today.
Singlespeeder David Wilson giving it his all in the prologue is just 1 second out of first
The men's singlespeed competition seems to be one of the hottest. Dan Durland (Pro Cycling) and David Wilson (Titus) have been trading wins throughout the race with Wilson taking the top spot today. Durland retained his leaders jersey by less than one second. This will be a good race to watch throughout the final stages of the Breck-Epic.
In the men's duo category the GT Dirt Coalition Team of Ryan Krayer and Jerry Long pulled off a big upset today as they held on for the win after Team Kappii flatted early in the race and were not able to close on the GT squad. Team Kappii held onto their GC lead by 2 minutes 19 seconds.
Race Notes:
Larry Grossman has been get'n the lube out all week
Squirt Lube is not only sponsoring the race but Squirt Lube's frontman Larry Grossman has been personally lubing every riders chain at the aid stations. With 140 riders in the race and two aid stations each day Larry "The Hardest Working Man In The Lube Business" has lubed roughly 1,120 chains since the race started on Sunday.
Stage 3 Results:
Solo Men
1, Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 3.33.16
2, Travis Brown (Trek) 3.39.25
3, Ben Thompson (Cannondale) 3.43.46
4, Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport) 3.43.48
5, Harlan Price (Independent Fabrications) 3.48.21
Solo Women
1, Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot)
2, Christina Begy (Christina Begy)
3, Jen Hanks (Revolution/Powerbar)
Singlespeed
1, David Wilson (Titus) 4.13.59
2, Dan Durland (Pro Cycling) 4.19.52
3, Jake Kirkpatrick (New Belgium Brewing) 4.24.13
Duo Men
1, GT Dirt Coalition (Ryan Krayer/ Jerry Long) 4.14.34
2, Team Kappi (Brady Kappius/Russell Kappius) 4.21.16
For Full Results and all the other categories Click Here
Jen Gersbach looks comfortable in her leaders jersey
Brandon Dwight has been consistently strong all week
Jeremiah Bishop cements his lead with a strong effort on today's stage
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Jen Hanks Breck-Epic Blog: Stage 2
Jen Hanks is currently riding in 3rd place at the inaugural Breck-Epic in Breckenridge, Colorado. Jen is an experienced endurance and cross country mountain bike racer who has completed both the Transalp and Transrockies stage races. Join us as she shares her experiences each day of the Breck-Epic.
Jen:
Yesterday I was caught on video saying that the stage was more fun than any stage I had done at both the TransRockies and TransAlp. Today I would feel comfortable repeating that statement. If you’re looking for a mountain bike stage race with LOTS of tough climbing and LOADS of singletrack, Breck Epic is for you. A compounding factor that adds to the challenge of the race is the incredibly high altitude. Racers who live at altitude definitely have an advantage.
Today we started at the Breckenridge hockey ring and climbed up the same road used in the Firecracker 50 Marathon National Championships. I felt good from the start and tried to keep my pace up and catch a draft off some of the other racers. The equipment change that I eluded to in yesterday’s post was to use my lighter hardtail bike today. Yesterday I felt that I struggled on the climbs and rode the downhills really smooth so I was hoping that I could improve my climbing today. It seemed to be working and I kept the leaders in my category in sight up the long first climb. We hit a singletrack downhill and the hardtail seemed just as fast. I lost contact with the leader of my category on the next dirt climb, however I was still feeling good. It was here that I latched on to one of the co-ed duo teams. It was cool to see them work together and it brought back fond memories of doing TransAlp and TransRockies with my husband.
At mile 6 I blew through the neutral water zone. It felt like we had just started the race. We then climbed forever again to a super rocky doubletrack downhill, through a creek, and up again to the first official feedzone. I arrived to the feed zone looking for my support, but he was nowhere in sight. This had me a bit flustered, but really wasn’t too big of a deal because the neutral support was phenomenal and I had put extra food/drink in my drop bag ‘just in case’. We then rode down a dirt road with lots of potholes. It was admittedly pretty rough on the hardtail. I was then rewarded with some super fun and fast singletrack. When I finally arrived to the final feed I looked for my support. Man, I missed him again! I dumped off my camelback in my drop bag and picked up two water bottles to get me up the last super steep climb and down another rough and rocky downhill to the finish. I finished exactly where I did yesterday, so riding the ‘climbing’ bike did not really help me at all. My time today was just over 3 hours. This sounds like a relatively short stage, but I’m finding that the altitude makes recovery more difficult. Right now I am too tired to think about what I will do for tomorrow. I’m having a love/hate relationship with food. Trying to get lots of calories in, but nothing sounds good. This is pretty typical for me midway through a stage race. As for tomorrow, I believe it is the longest, toughest, and most brutal of all days. I can’t wait, but first I need some rest!
Breck-Epic Stage 2: Report, Results, and Photos
Breck-Epic Stage 2: Pennsylvania Creek Loop
Jeremiah Bishop eeks out another win by just 5 seconds, Gersbach repeats
It seems the weather has finally turned for the Breck-Epic. Warm temperatures and sunny skies greeted the riders at the 9AM start. Despite having logged over 40-miles ofbackcountry racing in the last two days most riders seemed to be in good spirits this morning.
The racers would be attacking the Pennsylvania Creek Loop today which starts with a steep, leg-burning climb up Boreas Pass Road similar to the Firecracker 50. After the climb racers were treated to a series of singletrack trails, steep technical climbs, and scorching-fast fire road descents.
The solo men's race shook out faster than Stage 1. Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) and Travis Brown (Trek) quickly controlled the front of the race as the chasers focused on each other. Just behind the leaders Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sports) and Ben Thompson (Cannondale) were joined by Cory Wallace (Kona). Wallace started the day 21st in the GC but seemed intent on making up time in today's stage.
Brown and Bishop rolled past Bakers Tank roughly halfway through the stage. Each rider appeared calm and relatively fresh. Once they through the singletrack descent and past the Sally Barber Mine road the leaders began testing each other with small accelerations. On the final climb, with roughly 20 minutes to go, Bishop gave it full gas on what he thought was a short ascent. "I went really hard at the start of that climb and saw I got a gap on Travis. I thought the climb was over but I was only about halfway. I figured I would just keep going hard and see what happened."
By the time he crested the final climb Bishop had 20 seconds on the Trek rider. As they blasted down the final fire road to the finish Brown used his exceptional talents to close it up on the leader as they crossed the line just 5 seconds apart. Jeremiah currently leads the GC standings over Travis by a mere 46 seconds.
Dwight crossed the line solo in 3rd followed by Wallace and Thompson who were separated by just 3 seconds.
In the solo women's race Dale's Pale Ale rider Jen Gersbach is looking untouchable as the GC leader. Gersbach, an experienced endurance racer, switched from hardtail to full-suspension for today's race. The race preview called for more rough, rocky trail. The bike switch seemed to only make her faster as she put over 4 minutes on second place rider and former 24-Hour World Champion Christina Begy.
After the race Gersbach said, " I was nervous about switching bikes for today but I had so much fun on the full-suspension I don't know if I will ever go back!"
Jen Hanks (Revolution/Powerbar) maintained her position in third place.
Race Notes:
Duo Men's race leaders Brady and Russell Kappius had a nervous few moments when Brady flatted late in today's stage. The father/son team chased hard to regain the lead over second place GT Dirt Coalition team of Ryan Krayer and Jerry Long.
Solo Men:
1, Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 2.05.15
2, Travis Brown (Trek) +5 sec
3, Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport) +3.45
4, Cory Wallace (Kona) +5.15
5, Ben Thompson (Cannondale) +5.18
6, Colby Pearce (Michelob Ultra)
7, Harlan Price (Independent Fabrications)
8, James Williams
9, Blake Harlan
10, Yuki Saito
Solo Women:
1, Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) 2.43.16
2, Christina Begy (Christina Begy) +4.33
3, Jen Hanks (Revolution/Powerbar) +18.44
4, Amy Robillard (Tough Girl/Scott) +41.24
5, Kim Bear (Santa Fe) +1.00.06
Singlespeed
1, Dan Durland (Pro Cycling) 2.25.53
2, David Wilson (Titus) +5.15
3, Jake Kirkpatrick (New Belgium Brewing) +10.39
4, Jeffrey Carter (Mafia Racing) +11.36
5, Brian Hollister (Bodysync) +17.00
Men 40+
1, Mark Legg-Compton (Katie Frick'n Compton) 2.17.30
2, Charlie Hayes (Subaru/Gary Fisher) +6.27
3, Guy Sutton (Calcoast) +15.26
4, Sean Raborn (Powerquip) +27.33
5, Jeff Hall (Green Mountain Sports Velo) +32.04
Dan Durland wearing his singlespeed leaders jersey
Riders start Stage 2 on the Breck-Epic
Harlan Price had a good day today
Mark Legg-Compton leads the 40+ field and has finished in the top-10 overall everyday
Monday, July 6, 2009
Breck-Epic Stage 1: Report, Photos, and Results
Jeremiah Bishop completes an impressive come-from-behind victory to win Stage 1 as Jen Gersbach increases her lead
The sun shone brightly in Breckenridge this morning. After yesterday's rain-soaked prologue riders were overjoyed to see the early morning sunshine. The race started at 9AM sharp with roughly 140 riders taking the start. The Breck-Epic riders enoyed short neutral start through town before attacking the trails.
A front group quickly emerged on the opening 6 miles of climbing. Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com), Travis Brown (Trek), Ben Thompson (Cannondale), and Brandon Dwight broke clear of the others. As they passed the first aid station, 10 miles into the race, the leaders were charging like it was a cross country race. Once the leaders crested the climb up Tiger road they entered a 17-miles of pristine singletrack on the world-renouned Colorado Trail.
The four leaders bombed through the wooded and rocky section of trail until Bishop flatted. He recovered quickly but had dropped back to fourth place and by the time the Brown reached the final aid station he had over a minute lead on chasers who were now Dwight, followed by Thompson and finally Bishop.
With less than 10 miles of riding left it looked doubtful that Bishop could close the gap on the leader. Bishop started by overtaking Thompson after the final aid station. He then made quick work of Brandon Dwight who was riding strong in second place. Finally he caught and passed the Trek rider Brown just before the finish crossing the line just 19 seconds out front.
Jen Gersbach keeps it steady on the climbs
The solo women had their own battle for the top spot. Christina Begy (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) started the day strong hammering the opening climb and securing an early lead on the Tiger Road climb ahead of Jen Gersbach and Jen Hanks (Revolution/MTBracenews.com). But as the trail began to steepen just before the Colorado Trail entrance her Gersbach climbed her way past Begy.
Once on the Colorado Trail Gersbach used her talents as a technical rider to stay out front putting several minutes into the chasers before the final aid station. She held her lead throughout the final 10 miles of trail tightening her grip on first in the GC. Begy stayed strong to finish in second ahead of Hanks who fell back to 3rd in the GC. Gersbach, a newcomer to stage racing, said after the race, "I felt good today the trail was really fun.I hope I can go this fast again tomorrow."
Indeed all the riders of the Breck-Epic seemed to share that same feeling, FUN. Today's Colorado Loop was a hit with all the participants.
Race Notes:
Blake Harlan (Jamis) was having a strong ride early in the race. The Jamis yougster was hanging tight with Mark Legg-Compton when he suffered the first of 4 flat tires he would have today.
Solo Men:
1, Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 2.47.25
2, Travis Brown (Trek) 2.47.47
3, Ben Thompson (Cannondale Factory) 2.50.02
4, Brandon Dwight 2.52.00
5, James Williams 2.58.10
Solo Women:
1, Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) 3.37.14
2, Christina Begay (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) 3.42.08
3, Jen Hanks (MTBRaceNews.com)
Singlespeed
1, Dan Durland (Pro Cycling) 3.13.37
2, Dave Wilson (Titus) 3.15.51
3, Jeff Carter 3.22.16
2-Person Coed
1, Grege Frozley/Alison Dunlap 3.33.14
40+ Men
1, Mark Legg-Compton 2.56.02
2, Charlie Hayes (Gary Fisher) 3.07.17
General Classification after 2 stages:
Men Solo:
1. Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie Cannondale) 3:22:49
2. Travis Brown (Trek) +.41
3. Ben Thompson (Cannondale) + 6.38
4. Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport) +6.55
5. Colby Pearce +13.46
Women's Solo:
1. Jen Gersbach (Dale Pale Ale/Spot) 4.27.16
2. Cristina Begy +7.40
3. Jen Hanks (Revolution/MTBracenews.com)+15.43
4. Amy Robillard (Tough Girl/Contessa) +43.17
Riders enjoy the fantastic Rocky Mountain backdrop
No surprises here Alison Dunlap and husband Greg Frozley are leading the Coed Duo race
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Breck Epic Prologue - Report, Photos, and Preliminary Results
Bishop and Gersbach take the early lead
Writing and Photos by: Shannon Boffeli
Precisely at 3:00 PM this afternoon the inaugural Breck-Epic kicked off. Unfortunately for the racers, it was also pouring rain. Breckenridge has been unseasonable wet this summer and while the rain made the course and the riders very wet it wasn't muddy.
Riders hit the wet course
The rain did nothing to dampen Jeremiah Bishop's spirits. "This is beautiful" the Monavie-Cannondale rider exclaimed as he finished off the 5-mile prologue. "My lungs were so tight yesterday with all the allergens in the air... the rain was just what I needed to help me breathe again."
And it showed as the polished off the prologue climb, which featured almost 2,000 vertical feet of climbing in just 35 minutes and 24 seconds. His prologue win puts him 19 seconds infront of mountain bike racing legend and Colorado favotire son, Travis Brown (Trek). Third place went to Brandon Dwight at 37.44.
In the solo women's race Colorado resident and experienced endurance racers Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) flexed her muscles today to win the stage by over 2 minutes. The rain seemed to have little effect on Gersbach who has logged many hours riding the Colorado backcountry.
Jen Hanks on the podium
Second place went to Jen Hanks (Revolution/Powerbar/MTBracenews.com). An experienced stage racer in her own right, Hanks has completed Transalp and Transrockies but will be competing solo for the first time in Breck. The final podium went to another Dale's Pale Ale rider, Christina Begay who finished just 28 seconds behind third.
The rain was coming down so hard nobody was brave enough to get a warm-up in just minutes before the Pro Women's start
Stage 1:
The first full stage of the Breck-Epic starts tomorrow at 9AM. Riders will attack a 43-mile course, which includes over 5,000 vertical feet of climbing. Currently the forecast calls for highs in the low 60s and sunny skies.
Check back with MTBracenews.com for photos, results, and reports for the Breck-Epic.
Braden Kappius is racing the Duo category with his dad
Solo Men:
1) Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 35:24
2) Travis Brown (Trek) 35:43
3) Brandon Dwight 37:44
4) Colby Pearce 37:57
5) Jorge Espinoza 38:27
Solo Women:
1) Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) 50:02
2) Jen Hanks (MTBRaceNews.com) 52:20
3) Christina Begay (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) 52:48
4) Amy Robillard (Tough Girls/Scott) 59:11
5) Kim Bear (1:05:07)
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