Intermountain Cup #8 – Snowbird, UT

Written by: Jen Hanks

The Intermountain Cup’s 8th stop of the season was at picturesque Snowbird Resort.  Snowbird’s 8000+ foot elevation was just high enough to give racers reprieve from Salt Lake City’s heat wave that has had temperatures hovering in the low 100s for the past three weeks. The high altitude race was also a perfect final test for racers planning to race cross country nationals at Mammoth Mountain in two weeks; this included the Whole Athlete Development team who has been training at altitude in Park City in preparation for Nationals.  Utah’s own development team, Summit Bike Club, was also out in full force.

The impressive eleven-rider pro women’s race featured some of Utah’s fastest ladies as well as three juniors with UCI rankings in the top-10 worldwide including Haley Batten (Whole Athlete-ranked 1st in the world), Rachel Anders (Summit Bike Club – 4th in the world) and Kelsy Urban (Whole Athlete – 8th in the world).

Joey Lythgoe flows through the wild flowers at Snowbird - Photo by Angie Harker

Joey Lythgoe flows through the wild flowers at Snowbird – Photo by Angie Harker

Rachel Anders took the hole shot and hit the singletrack first with Haley Batten and Nicole Tittensor (Revolution) not far behind.  Joey Lythgoe (Kuhl) who has won five of the seven I-CUP XC races had a slow start and was caught behind traffic in the initial singletrack allowing the lead trio to get away.

Although Lythgoe said after the race that she wasn’t sure she would be able to catch up to the leaders, in actuality it didn’t take her long; as soon as the course opened up she closed the gap and was in her usual position of contending for the win.  The pace remained high and Anders dropped back on the 2nd lap ultimately getting caught by KC Holley (Kuhl).  At the front, Lythgoe was able to build a small, but comfortable lead on the final lap ultimately taking the win by less than a minute over Haley Batten.

Behind Lythgoe, Tittensor was chasing Batten down the final rocky descent.  Just as she made contact, the trail kicked up again and Batten climbed away to the finish.  Holley finished a strong 4th with Anders close behind in 5th.

Although he mainly races on the road Rob Squire never disappoints on dirt - Photo by Angie Harker

Although he mainly races on the road Rob Squire never disappoints on dirt – Photo by Angie Harker

In the Pro Men’s race, Cypress Gorry, the 2014 collegiate XC and STXC National Champ and junior Carson Beckett represented Whole Athlete.  Hincapie/Holowesko roadie and sometimes mountain bike badass Robbie Squire was on hand as was the always competitive Revolution racers Drew Free and Justin Desilets.

Off the start, the trio of Robbie Squire, Drew Free, and Cypress Gorry quickly established themselves at the front.

The leaders rode together until Gorry flatted on the 2nd of 4 laps.  He was able to repair his tire and move back into third place only to flat again toward the end of the race ultimately dropping back to 6th.

Meanwhile, Squire and Free stayed within 15 seconds of each other until the fourth and final lap where Squire, who clearly saved something for the last lap, rode away on the first climb of the final lap and ultimately finished with a 1:30 gap.  Whole Athlete junior, Carson Beckett, finished 3rd followed by Chris Holley (Kuhl) and Justin Desilets (Revolution) to round out the podium.

Click Here for full results from all categories

Thaw Massacre – Moab, Utah

Justin Lindine and Joey Lythgoe Take the Inaugural Thaw Massacre

written by: Shannon Boffeli

The Thaw Massacre, Utah’s newest mountain bike race, launched yesterday in Moab, Utah. Starting at the Bar M trailhead, just north of town, riders tested their early-season fitness on a technically challenging and sometimes bone-rattling 40-mile course.

The ride included trails that tested every rider’s bike handling skills including Deadman’s Ridge and Long Branch and others like Rockin’ A and Circle O determined who had been doing their core workouts over the winter. Each 20-mile lap sprinkled in just enough fast, flowing singletrack to keep racers smiling.

Justin Lindine solos his way to a win in Moab - photo by Angie Harker

Justin Lindine solos his way to a win in Moab – photo by Angie Harker

Despite the difficult terrain riders still turned in crazy-fast lap times with Competitive Cyclist rider Justin Lindine throwing down the fastest time of the day at just 3 hours 7 minutes.

Lindine powered away from the Colorado duo of Bryan Alders (Training Peaks/Yeti) and Chris Baddick (Boulder Cycle Sport).

Together for most of the race, Alders and Baddick were finally separated on their second trip through the unrelenting slickrock of Circle O. Baddick inched just far enough out front that Alders was unable to make contact before the finish.

The slickrock also determined the final podium spots for the men as fifth-placed rider John Osguthorpe (Endurance 360) surged past Drew Free (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) on the unforgiving bumps and drops of Circle O.

The top pro men, women, and semi-pros took home stacks of cash - photo by Shannon Boffeli

The top pro men, women, and semi-pros took home stacks of cash – photo by Shannon Boffeli

The women’s race featured an impressive group of Utah’s toughest female riders. Each one experienced at hammering tough desert racecourses.

Off the start it was Joey Lythgoe (Kuhl) moving off the front in typical fashion. Unlike previous races she wasn’t alone as Jen Hanks (Pivot/Epic Brewing) stayed close behind finally making contact in the rock-crawling sections of Deadman’s Ridge.

The gap stayed small throughout the opening lap as Lythgoe held just a 90-second advantage at the end of lap one.

The Kuhl rider’s elite-level fitness took over at this point as Lythgoe continued to power through her second 20-mile lap increasing her advantage with every mile.

She crossed the line with just over 6 minutes advantage on an exhausted Jen Hanks. Lythgoe was the only women to finish the race under 4 hours at 3 hours 56 minutes.

Hanks took second, tired but happy with her performance.

KC Holley (Kuhl) finished third turning in a strong performance in her favorite riding environment. Debbie Mortensen (Diamond Peak) finished fourth.

Thaw Massacre represented the opening round of the 4-race endurance series hosted by the Intermountain Cup. The next race on the endurance calendar is a two-day stage race, the Stan Crane Memorial, in Draper, Utah, May 23rd and 25th. Click here for more information or the entire Intermountain Cup schedule

 

Results

Pro Men

1, Justin Lindine Competitive Cyclist 3.07.02
2, Chris Baddick Boulder Cycle Sport 3.13.19
3, Bryan Alders Training Peaks/Yeti 3.18.00
4, John Osguthorpe Endurance 360 3.26.11
5, Drew Free Revolution/Peak Fasteners 3.26.45
6, Justin Desilets Revolution/Peak Fasteners 3.32.03
7, Dan Sturm 3.33.30
8, Samuel Dolzani 3.37.08
9, Kris Ochs 3.40.25
10, Jason Hilimire FasCat 3.48.07
11, Ty Hansen Revolution/Peak Fasteners 3.50.28
12, Matthew Turner Summit Bike Club

 

Pro Women

1, Joey Lythgoe Kuhl 3.56.15
2, Jen Hanks Pivot/Epic Brewing 4.03.45
3, KC Holley Kuhl 4.07.15
4, Debbie Mortensen Diamond Peak

 

Semi-Pro Men

1, Dennis Barrett Bountiful Bicycles 3.33.40
2, Ryan Blaney Kuhl 3.37.54
3, Stewart Goodwin Kuhl 3.38.21
4, Bob Saffell Revolution/Peak Fasteners 3.53.50
5, Justin Healy 3.57.33
6, Mitt Stewart UtahMountainBiking.com 3.58.44
7, Josh Mortensen Diamond Peak 4.07.25