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Big Bear Grizzly 100 Race Report

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Nic Beechan and Brenda Simril Roar to the Finish at Big Bear

By Ryan O’Dell

On yet another calm cool morning in the San Bernardino mountains of Southern California, nearly twice as many racers lined up for the second annual NUE Big Bear Grizzly 100. The course received its inspiration from the infamous Terrible 10,000, a ride the local endurance hammerheads have been doing for years. This year’s race featured several shorter distances and some non-competitive rides in addition to the NUE Grizzly 100.

The race kicked off a week-long cycling festival organized by Bear Valley Bikes. Located at 7000 feet above sea level, the charming tourist town of Big Bear has long had a solid reputation as a cycling destination, attracting visitors from the LA Valley and hosting some of the largest national events over many years. Nearby ski resorts offer lifts for cyclists during the summer months accessing the newly developed Skyliner Trail. This year’s race doubled in size with participants coming from 11 different states and several countries including Mexico, Brazil, Hong Kong, Slovenia, Canada, and France.

Specialized Bikes and Lauf Forks offered demo’s throughout the day with live music on the main stage that drew downtown visitors to the race and into an expo area where they could view racers as they finished along a fast paved decent. New Belgium Brewing offered several variety’s of draft brews throughout the day in the beer garden welcoming weary racers and fans with malty, hoppy goodness.

Grizzly 100 start

Grizzly 100 start

Women’s Open

Simril Wins Again!

Defending NUE Race Series Champion, Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, won again this year in her childhood hometown of Big Bear, cheered on by family and friends. Her 6:04:56 finish was nearly a half hour faster than last year. With three straight wins, including the Bailey Hundo and Tatanka, Simril leads the NUE Race Series, needing only one more win to achieve a perfect score and control her destiny in this best four of fourteen race series. Simril also placed third at the season opener True Grit and second at Mohican MTB100.

The only possible hurdle in route to her first NUE Series title will be if another racer can get four wins. If that occurs, The Fool’s Gold 100 in September would serve as a tie breaker to determine the 2015 NUE Series Champion.

Just three minutes behind the defending champion, Marlee Dixon, MTBRaceNews.com/Pivot Bikes, claimed second in 6:07:50. Dixon is currently ranked second overall in the NUE point standings.

Amanda Nauman, SDG-Bellwether/PB Krema Peanut Butter, took third in 6:41:03. In a close race for fourth and fifth, Nikki Peterson, Bear Valley Bikes, edged out Chase Edwards, Flagstaff Bike Revolution, by just thirty three seconds. Peterson finished 6:44:13. “The Grizzly 100 was a fun, epic, incredibly challenging race. I just started racing mountain bikes in January and have been focusing on cross country so my races are typically 20-25 miles long. In fact, last week I competed in Cat 1 Short Track and Cross Country races in Mammoth, CA where I placed sixth and second, respectively!

I did a few 30-40 mile training rides throughout the season but had not done a ride that long. Knowing this, I made sure to go out conservatively so that I could maintain my pace throughout the race. I had issues with my bike the first thirty miles so I used quite a bit more energy than planned. Luckily, I was able to fix my bike with a minor adjustment at the top of Radford and started catching up immediately.

By the time we looped back around to the aid station I had caught Chase. At the time I didn’t realize it and I thought that the sixth place woman had caught me. I led her until mile forty where I started bonking. She passed me and was quickly out of my view! The next five miles I did my best to eat and drink so that I could come back to life.

After making it down Cabin 89 safely I made the U-turn to head up Pineknot and realized that I actually was feeling good! I passed three riders going up and started turning it over as soon as I got to the fire road. On the finally descent I was out of the saddle. I came around a corner and saw the woman I had been with ten miles earlier! I went by her and kept charging as hard as I could. I went by one more rider before crossing the finish line and learned that I ended up fourth!

All in all, the Grizzly 100 was a great time! I had the pleasure of helping behind the scenes in the weeks before AND competing in the race. I am a very lucky girl! The aid stations were great, the riders were encouraging, and the stuffed animal bears are the cutest. I am very thankful that I was able to be a part of such a wonderful event and am already looking forward to next year!”

Edwards finished fifth in 6:44:46 “The Grizzly 100 was an awesome race for three BIG reasons: the flowy, fun single track, the long climbs, and the number of ladies–fast ladies–who showed up to race! My favorite part was racing a fast lady through the stellar Skyline trail.

This trail is so good! It’s a fantastic reward for pushing through the grueling nine-mile Radford hill climb, and it brought a giant smile to my face. In the longer races I do in Arizona, sometimes, I will go the entire race without seeing another woman, so racing this fun descent against another lady made it even more memorable. The finish, which is several miles of fast descending, was also pretty exciting for me. I thought I had pulled far away from Nikki, and then she came out of nowhere, and with the finish line in site, she left me in the dust. It was humbling and awesome!”

At the age of fifteen, she was the final finisher last year, and not long after becoming the 2014 NICA California State Champion. This year, the now 16 year-old Madeline Beamis, Bear Valley Bikes, moved up to sixth place, finishing in 6:57:47 to join the sub-seven hour women. The future of women’s racing is rising fast.

Men's winner Nic Beechan

Men’s winner Nic Beechan

Men’s Open

Beechan gets the win by less than three minutes!

In his first NUE Ultra Endurance race, 24 year old Nic Beechan, Z Racing, from Idyllwild, CA achieved victory in just 5:03:24. “The race began with 10-15 racers bunched at the front. When we hit the first single track descent, the lead pack whittled down to six through various crashes or mechanical problems. Josh Tostado gained a small lead. At the bottom we began the Front Line fire road climb and I closed in on Tostado having five guys at the lead while riding along the Santa Ana River trail.

We played cat and mouse up a small pavement climb section heading into the converse feed station. At the feed station the group stopped, and I saw the opportunity to take the lead on the Radford Road climb. I pulled away and felt strong for the next ten miles, but with fifteen miles yet to go, I began regretting my decision to skip the converse feed station as I began to bonk. I reached the last feed station, filled my bottles, forced down some nutrition, and slowly began feeling better. I continued pushing forward, feeling my competitors closing in. It wasn’t till the top of the Pineknot Trail that I began seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, figuratively, and felt I could retain my lead on the final descent into the finish line.

Racing an ultra-endurance event is something I wanted to try. The Grizzly 100, though a last minute decision, was a must, as it was only a couple hours from my house. I enjoyed the long race, but I would still like to focus on Olympic duration mountain bike races. I have been riding my bike on weekends for the last year and a half, but really only focused on mountain biking during the last couple months. Before then, my focus was running NCAA D1 cross country and track, as a walk-on athlete, while attending University of California Riverside. At this time I have no sponsors, but I really enjoy riding my mountain bike and would love the opportunity to not only get on a supportive team but ultimately work less and ride more.”

The strongman from Colorado, Josh Tostado, Santa Cruz//Swiftwick, lead early in the race until the Radford Climb, finishing just three minutes behind Beechan to place second in 5:06:14. Heading into the race, Tostado was ranked second overall in the NUE point standings with second place finishes at both the High Cascades 100 and the Bailey Hundo. His next appearance at the Pierre’s Hole 100 on August 15 will be critical toward his effort to become the NUE Race Series leader.

Seconds behind Tostado, 28 year-old Brian Scarbrough, Spy/Baghouse, from Lakeside, CA claimed third in 5:06:37. Eric Bostrom, Ridebiker/Cannondale, was in the pack of five throughout much of the race finishing four minutes behind Scarbrough in 5:10:03 to place fourth. Three minutes later, Dana Weber, Stage 21, placed fifth in 5:13:38.

Last year’s race winner, Julien Bourdevaire, Team Black Star Racing, a native of France, finished in 15th place this year at 5:43:32, well off last year’s winning time of 5:00:43 where he edged out two-time US Olympian and Hall of Fame racer, Tinker Juarez, Ridebiker Alliance, by seconds in the Grizzly 100 NUE debut.

 

Single Speed Open

LaFramboise crushes the SS Again!

Allan “The Rasberry” LaFramboise, Don’s Bikes/Bike for Bender, crushed the SS field once again with a commanding victory in 5:33:58, twenty minutes faster than last year! “Once again, the Big Bear Grizzly 100 did not disappoint! This year’s course stacked up some of the best riders and single track trails in all of SoCal. It included two full sections of the SART (Santa Ana River Trail) and the entire length of the freshly built Skyline Trail. These trails are packed with flowing single track love, twisty turns and incredible 7000+ft views.

Right out of the gates the Seven Oaks trail took some riders out of the equation. This was a steep, single track descent that you had to be on your game for. And yes, once again we had to climb the dreaded Radford Jeep Trail to get out of the valley – a 9%, 45 minute incline that left some riders on their knees. Thankfully the aid stations were packed with goodies to help us all keep our hydration and electrolyte levels high.

In the end, I actually had a pretty good race. I battled with the leaders for as long as I could and managed to land the SS win. And just in case you were wondering, I ran a fully rigid Intense Hard Eddie with the easiest gearing I’ve ever used, 34:22, so I was hating life on the fire roads but cruising with ease up the climbs. If you ride SS, then you know what I’m talking about. If I had to do it again however, I would probably choose the same setup, minus the rigid fork. Don’t miss out next year as this event is growing fast and the trails in SoCal are to just getting better!”

Driz Cook, Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation, was next finishing 5:57:41 for second place. Eighteen minutes behind Cook, Chas Beam, Team Ninja, from San Diego took third in 6:15:58.

Lee and Brenda Simril

Lee and Brenda Simril

Masters 50+ Open

Andrews is BACK to BACK at Grizzly!

54-year-old Doug “The Hulk” Andrews, Rock N’ Road Cyclery, coming off a second place finish at the Tatanka 100, made a triumphant return at the Grizzly to capture his first victory in the NUE Series this season. Andrews, the 2011 NUE Series Masters Champion, nicknamed the Hulk for a habit of crushing the field by as much as two hours, held a full twenty-one minute lead over second place to finish 5:44:10. Last year, Andrews won following successful surgery and weeks of recovery after suffering from a twisted small intestine earlier in the season that threatened his life.

The former champion indicated that he is still considering a run at the NUE title but faces next to impossible odds against NUE Defending Champion, Roger Masse, Rare Disease Cycling, who just earned a perfect score by claiming his fourth straight win at the Wilderness 101 in PA. Andrews indicated that his path to victory may include a trip to compete at the Rincon Challenge in Costa Rica where he will face Masse, then two straight weeks of racing at Shenandoah and Fool’s Gold 100. “It’s great to see an NUE event in Southern California. For those of you wondering, this course is on par with many of the other great NUE courses and worth the trip out.”

Following his first ever NUE win at Tatanka, 50 year-old Coach Lee Simril, Motor Mile Racing, placed second finishing 6:05:04, further improving his standing in the NUE Point Series. “Big Bear CA is an amazing place with amazing people. Dede, Derek, Tom, and the rest of the staff and volunteers do a professional job of putting on the Grizzly races.

During last year’s race Brenda dropped me going up the Radford Road climb and I finished the rest of the race with my sad face on. This year would be a different story, right? I would be super fit and Radford would be no problem, right? Well, this year I hung in on Radford, but it was a problem!

For me the best part of the course is the 7 Oaks descent, because it is so unique. It is steep, narrow, loose and always close to the edge. I love this descent. Last year we got caught in traffic and inched our way to the bottom; this year we agreed on riding a little harder to the top in order to have a cleaner run on the downhill. Our plan worked well until about two thirds of the way down when I caught up to Brenda who was slowed by a couple of riders in front of her. This plan of a faster start may or may not have helped our overall race, but it sure made 7 Oaks more fun and is that not what this mountain bike crap is all about?

I gave away years of my life to hang onto B during this year’s race, but I knew we were riding fast and this would help me in my placing in the 50 plus category. As it turns out it did help, but there was no dealing with Doug Andrews on this day. I said hello to Doug at the start and at the finish and that was it. He was on fire like that girl with the bow and arrow.

The Race Director, Derek, changed the 100k course this year and I believe he nailed it. The new course moved the Radford climb from the end of the course to the middle and added miles of amazing singletrack to the end.

Being in Big Bear is good for me. I am not sure what it is about this place but I always want to extend our rides in Big Bear. The weather always seems to be nice and the trails are so convenient to town. We leave B’s parent’s cabin and are on sweet trails within fifteen minutes of neighborhood road riding.

This is a family trip for B as her family lives in SoCal. The day after the race we were able to go for a nice hike with B’s two sisters and her niece and even got to SUP on Big Bear Lake as the sun set. Big Bear is a special place and in my opinion a great place for an NUE race. Come out next year and bring the sunscreen.”

One minute behind Simril, 56 year-old Ken Winston, UC Cyclery/JW Floors, from San Diego claimed the third podium spot finishing 6:06:41.

Twenty minutes behind Winston, 51 year-old David Strauch, Team Chill Mountain, took fourth in 6:26:51. Six minutes later, 56 year-old David Jolin, Stark Velo, from Belleville, Ohio claimed the fifth and final spot on the podium to finish 6:32:23.

NEXT:

NUE Race Series #10, Pierre’s Hole 100 in Alta, Wyoming on August 15

NUE Race Series #11, Hampshire 100 in Greenfield, New Hampshire on August 16

 

Results

Open Men

1, Nic Beechan Z-Racing 5.03.24
2, Josh Tostado Santa Cruz/Swiftwick 5.06.14
3, Brian Scarbrough Spy/Baghouse 5.06.37
4, Eric Bostrom Ridebiker Alliance 5.10.03
5, Dana Weber Stage 21 5.13.38
6, Tim Eaton Nations Interbanc 5.17.27
7, John Nobil Bear Valley Bikes 5.22.18
8, Ryan Steers Pedalers Fork 5.23.09
9, Daniel Munoz Baghouse/Rock n Road 5.25.27
10, Ryan Clark Stage 21 5.26.14
11, Greg Gibson TruckerCo/Bear Valley Bikes 5.32.23
12, Jesse Kelly Toasted Head 5.38.47
13, Romolo Forcino Chains Required 5.38.47
14, Phil Kelly All Pro Bicycles 5.38.55
15, Stuart Gonzalez Bear Valley Bikes 5.39.51
16, Julien Bourdevaire Team Blackstar Racing 5.43.32
17, Alfred Pacheco Novatec 5.47.53
18, Chad Barlett Monster Media Racing 5.51.06

Open Women

1, Brenda Simril Motor Mile Racing 6.04.56
2, Marlee Dixon Pivot/Epic Brewing 6.07.50
3, Amanda Nauman SDG/Bellweather 6.41.03
4, Nikki Peterson Bear Valley Bikes 6.44.13
5, Chase Edwards Flagstaff Bike Revolution 6.44.46
6, Madeline Bemis Bear Valley Bikes 6.57.47
7, Holly Breck Incycle 7.15.14
8, Erin Machan Wattie Ink 7.44.38
9, Timari Pruis Kenda/Pivot Cycles 7.58.43
10, Catherine Wolff Full Circle 8.47.13
11, Debra McCurdy Rokform 8.47.41
12, Catherine Hinton 9.08.55

 

High Cascades 100 – Full Results & Report

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Barry Wicks Sprints for the Win at High Cascades as Serena Gordon Rules the Women’s Field

By Ryan O’Dell

 The Seventh Annual High Cascades 100 marked the midway point of the 14 race National Ultra Endurance MTB Race Series with yet another sold out NUE event. The HC100 begins at Bachelor Village, near Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon. Bend has become a well-known mountain bike destination with hundreds of miles of singletrack trails connecting nearby towns.

Deschutes Brewery, one of the top rated micro brewerys in the US, was onsite at the finish line serving up draft brews including Twilight Ale and newly developed Pinedrops IPA. Sagebrush Cycles of Bend, in addition to offering mechanical services on the race course, also offered racers a place to ship their bikes that included getting the bike race ready and inspected before the race.

Serena Gordon stays focused while out front - Photo by Alan Brandt Photography

Serena Gordon stays focused while out front – Photo by Alan Brandt Photography

Women’s Open

Gordon Crushes HC100!

Serena Bishop Gordon, LIV/Giant Co-Factory Team, crushed the field by nearly an hour to finish 8:32:42. “Mike Ripley and the Mudslinger Events out-did themselves once again with great course design, amazing volunteers, and an after-party that made racers and their families want to hang out for hours.

Recent rains made for ideal trail conditions and I was excited for a long day of racing when we rolled out of the Athletic Club of Bend at 5:35am on Saturday. I tucked into the large group and drafted until we turned onto the dirt and started to climb. My goal was to ride within myself all day, keep to my fueling and hydration plan and to arrive at each aid station before any of my female competitors. Once we started climbing, I never saw another woman, and I never looked over my shoulder. Instead, I looked forward and tried to pick off the men in front of me, working to catch them one at a time.

I felt really strong on the climbs and tried to relax and recover on the descents. Breaking the race up into sections made all the difference; looking at the race as a whole would have been too overwhelming. It wasn’t until the Edison aid station (mile 80) that I started to feel the fatigue of a long day in the saddle. At this point, I just stayed focused and position – and set mini-goals.

I had told my coach, Brig Brandt, I wanted to finish in a time of 8:30. When I crossed the finish line and stopped my Garmin, it read 8:29. The official clock was at 8:32 – pretty darn close!”

Coming off a third place finish at the Mohican MTB100 in Ohio and fourth place at the Bailey Hundo in Colorado, Marlee Dixon, Pivot/Epic Brewing, took second to finish 9:21:33. Dixon is currently ranked fourth in the NUE point standings.

Julie Browning, CyclePath Racing, of Portland placed third at 9:31:45, winning the HC100 Vet 40+ Women’s Cat in the process. “This was my second 100 mile mountain bike race, my first one being HC100 the previous year. That first race was more about seeing whether I could finish in one piece. I finished just a hair under 10 hours and missed the Masters podium by a few seconds and thought, OK, I can do this again.

This year, I knew what I was getting myself into and was ready both mentally and physically to race, not just finish and made a few changes to my training and to my bike: dropper seat post, Racing Ralph Tires with snakeskin sidewalls (2.35 on the front and 2.25 on the rear) along with a Garmin to better gauge the time to the aid stations and the length of the climbs.

I started off conservatively, making the most of the flats and the downhills, but riding steady on any up hills. By aid station 3 (56 miles), I was feeling great and knew that there was a downhill section to look forward to. I was descending well (thanks to the dropper post and tires) and pushed it for over an hour on the swooping fun descent that took you right up to the next aid station at mile 70 before a tough climb.

My teammates had warned me about the Lava Lakes climb and I had built it up in my head as something that was totally un-rideable so I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t a sustained climb, but rather a stair stepped climb. It was still tough and required some walking though! I hit a few of the lava rocks a little hard and was so thankful my tires held up. Afterwards I heard that a bunch of riders weren’t so lucky and hobbled into aid station 5 with shredded tires.

After that final aid station at mile 80, I didn’t see anyone for quite some time which made me wonder if I was still on course! Then I caught up to another rider who told me he thought I was in third place overall. I had no idea! From there it was a race to the finish to hold onto that third place, which I did, crossing the finish line in 9:31:45. I loved the course and it suited me well. I’m amazed at how fast time flies when you are so focused (and having fun).

What made the race even more special was to have my family there supporting me in the aid stations and also a bunch of my Cyclepath team mates there racing and supporting. Everyone on the team had some personal victories that day. Good times and huge thanks to Mike and his crew for putting on such a great event and big thanks to the awesome mechanics at Cyclepath for keeping my bike running.”

Rebecca Rusch, Niner/Red Bull, placed fourth in 9:38:10. Rusch, known as “The Queen of Pain” among many recently published a book titled “Rusch to Glory” that features her exploits in the world of endurance racing. Her book is now available for just $20 at www.rebeccarusch.com.

The youngest woman to ever finish an NUE race at the age of 16, Susannah Hart, Hapi-Go, now 18, completed the race in11:26:09. “Susannah emerged from the race saying once again that her favorite part was the climb out of Lava Lake. According to her father, Brian Hart, “Favorite” was strangely absent from the choice words I heard from many of the other racers when we served them at the Edison aid station.”

Overall in the NUE Race Series point standings, Defending NUE Champion, Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, leads the Women’s Open with back to back wins at Tatanka 100 and Bailey Hundo plus second place at the Mohican MTB100 and a third place at True Grit Epic.

Barry Wicks is shadowed by Josh Tostado - Photo by Alan Brandt Photography

Barry Wicks is shadowed by Josh Tostado – Photo by Alan Brandt Photography

 

Men’s Open

Wick’s wins in a sprint finish

Barry Wicks, Kona, finished first in a close race that came down to a sprint finish with the strong man from Colorado. Wick’s finished in 7:50:50, just seconds ahead of NUE contender Josh Tostado, Santa Cruz/Swiftwick, who rolled in six seconds back with dust flying at 7:50:56.

According to Tostado, “I just had a great race and enough at the end to catch Barry and ride strong for the last hour. It was fun to sprint it out at the end.” Next for Tostado are the Big Bear Grizzly 100 and the Pierrie’s Hole 100. Josh Oppenheimer, TruWhip Cycling, came in just five minutes behind Tostado for third place at 7:55:55.

Fifteen minutes later, Brent Pontius, Roosters/Biker’s Edge, took fourth at 8:10:54. Two minutes separated fourth and fifth place with Christopher Jones, United Healthcare Pro Cycling, finishing 8:17:11 ahead of Matt Woodruff, Kuhl/Salsa Cycles, at 8:19:50.

The youngest NUE race finisher ever at the age of just thirteen, Brian Hart Jr., Hapi-Go, now 15 years old improved his finish time by more than three hours in the Men’s open at 9:54:35. The future of NUE has arrived! Hart says he may also enter the Mohican MTB100 in 2016.

Overall in the NUE Race Series point standings, Keck Baker, Champsys/Cannondale P/b Battley, leads the Men’s Open Division with four completed races, including a win at True Grit Epic and second place at the Mohican MTB100.

 

Single Speed Open

Shaklee gets a decisive win at High Cascades!

Ben Shaklee, Jack’s Bicycle Center/Homegrown Racing, stepped up his game and had sixteen minutes to spare when it was all said and done finishing the race in 8:18:21, good enough for seventh overall. Last year, Shaklee finished third behind NUE’s top contender AJ Linnell, Fitzgerald’s Bicycle, and Jace Ives.

31 year old Jace Ives, Bear Creek Bicycle/Syntace/SQ Lab, from Ashland, OR who earned his first win at the HC100 last year with six minutes to spare finished 8:34:18. “I knew coming into this year’s race I was lacking fitness. Even though I crammed pretty well during June, taking April and May mostly off would no doubt slow my pace. Early on, before racers turned onto the first dirt road, I position myself in the front (planning to avoid the dust, which there was little to none this year). I maintained in a front group of ten for a bit, then began to slip off the back. Soon, Ben Shaklee said hello while passing, then bridged up to the front group. Two other SS riders came by. I came through Aid 1 shortly after the three SS riders, but could not catch up to them. At this point my legs began to feel like they would at mile eighty, sore and tense.

I continued on slowly, frustrated at slight inclines, and happy when I could coast. I thought it strange to feel this level of fatigue early on; I thought I was in a bit better shape. From Swampy to the top of Swede Ridge I was pretty much by myself. After riding through the masticated, debris strewn dirt road climb, I tuned onto the trail and felt my legs slowly release themselves of the icky heavy feeling. I caught up to two other SS riders and several geared riders while climbing to Dutchman. I passed a few more on Metolius Windigo before the aid near Lava Lake. My legs where feeling crazy better, but by that time I was already beginning to become overall quite tired.

Climbing up Edison Lava trail, after passing a couple guys, I pulled over for a whizz, and to my surprise I saw another rider pushing a hard pace up the steep loose terrain. It was Serena Bishop Gordon! I got going again and caught up, but I could hardly keep up with her on the climbs and descents. She is one helluva good descender. I made it through the lava rocks without injury or shredding a tire. While negotiating the loose rocky terrain, I remembered back to last year’s race, when, after finishing, I suggested to Race Director Mike Ripley to bring the loop back around Mt. Bachelor, the lava section. Well here it is back in the race, the lava. Fun, yes? What the hell was I thinking?!

I overcame Serena and another rider before Tiddlywinks trail. I proceeded down the more Funner than Funner trail at an efficient pace, floating some of the tables and doubles. I came out on the road by myself and continued for a few miles spinning alone. I saw Serena and a male rider were coming up fast. Great, I thought, I can jump in with them. I hear them coming, so I increase my pace, and check back, but before I could react I see the guy passing me, standing up and sprinting, dropping Serena and not even giving me a chance to catch on. That was selfish I thought (even though, I selfishly wanted a pull). Somehow, after ninety three miles of dusty, twisty, rocky, and rooty trail, these final miles on a nearly flat road seemed the most annoying and difficult for me. I work hard to pass peeps up and down the trail, then get dropped on a long flat road. Suck it up ya dope, I told myself, you chose this archaic bike.

I finished a couple minutes after the racers who passed on the road, but a long time after Ben Shaklee. He hammered. Even if I did not miss two months of training in the spring, I think keeping up with his pace would be uncomfortable and difficult. Overall, I was surprised how horrible my legs felt for the first third of the track and surprised that I caught back up to finish in second place. Once again, I was just stoked to play bikes in Bend for a hundred miles!”

Twenty minutes behind Ives, Tom Flynn, Pro Leisure, finished 8:54:07. Four minutes behind Flynn, Cole Anderson took the fifth spot at 8:58:00.

Overall in the NUE Race Series point standings, Peat Henry, Team Noah Foundation, leads the SS Class with 21 points over five completed races.

 

Masters 50+ Open

Tonning refuses to settle for second place in 2015!

Following a second place finish at the HC100 last year, Wayne Tonning, Multnomah Athletic Club, from Lake Oswego, OR managed to outlast last year’s winner to settle the score at 8:38:50.

Just four minutes behind Tonning, last year’s race winner and NUE Race Series Contender, 52-year-old Greg Golet, Team Chico, from Chico, CA finished in 8:42:30. After the race, Golet commented that he felt he really needed this win to contend for the NUE title and is now re-evaluating whether it is still possible for him to win the series. Golet gained his first victory this year at the Bailey Hundo but also has a second place finish at True Grit Epic.

2013 NUE Master’s Champion, Marland Whaley, Hammer Nutrition/Red Barn Bicycles, rolled in six minutes behind Golet to take third on the day at 8:48:58. “I’ve been somewhat scarce due to an injury to my left arm that forced me to pull from True Grit and Cohutta 100.  I went to Bailey and really enjoyed the race, but the last minute course change caused me to miscalculate my aid station support and left me running on fumes and getting my second camelback with only seven miles to go.

The HC 100 went somewhat better after dealing with some mechanical issues in the first thirty miles and a really big crash at speed just before Lava Lake that I thought, at first, was ending my day. After pulling branches out of my front wheel, I got back in pursuit moving up twenty places from Swampy to Lava. Coming into Lava, I made my last final mistake thinking I had enough in my camelback to get to Edison. There was a small crowd at the aid station so I decided to go for it. Much to my dismay, I took my last suck of fuel and hydration just 200 yards past the aid station.

Half way up the Lava Lakes climb, Greg Golet passed me back for second place when I was just trying to hang on and make it to Edison. After Edison, it took about two miles to get revived again and I was able to make a fast trip back to Bend.

This is the only other NUE race I will be doing this year because I’m off to Leadville next month. On a whim, I used a chance to visit my Dad and show my wife the Grand Canyon as an excuse to go to do the Barn Burner 104 qualifier. I didn’t expect much since it would be my third ultra-distance race in as many weeks but thought it would be fun. To my surprise, it was a day winning my class and earning a gold tier starting position with my finishing time. With this possibly being a once in a lifetime starting position for me, I decided to go for it.

So far, Bailey Hundo and the HC 100 have been training races without taper for me to prepare for Leadville. I’ve come into both races very fit but not really fast from building fatigue. I will taper for Leadville in two weeks and hopefully it will all come together as planned. Regardless of the outcome, it’s hard to watch some of my favorite races go by and I will be back soon.”

It was a close race for the four and five spots but Robert Wilson took fourth place by just six seconds at 9:38:05 ahead of David Caplan, Webcyclery, who finished in 9:38:11.

 

Next up for the NUE Race Series: Two unique races east and west.

EAST: Rock Solid-The rocky goodness of the Wilderness 101 in State College, PA.

WEST: The Big Bear Grizzly 100 in Big Bear, CA.

Click Here for full results from all categories

 

Tatanka 100 – NUE #6

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Jamie Lamb and Brenda Simril Take the Open Titles in South Dakota

By Ryan O’Dell

On Saturday, July 11, The Kenda NUE Series headed to Sturgis, South Dakota, home of the world’s largest motorcycle rally. This year, Tatanka also became the first point to point race in the NUE Series with the start line located within the shadow of USA National Landmark Mount Rushmore.

Beneath the magnificence of mammoth rock sculptures representing four of our nation’s greatest presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, NUE racer’s made their way down the Centennial Trail along a mix of gnarly single track and fast, smooth cruising trail all the way to Sturgis, nestled at the base of the northern Black Hills in extreme western South Dakota. Due to the added difficulty of this year’s race course, Race Director Kevin Forrester opted to shorten the race distance from 100 miles to 80 miles.

Due to an unusual amount of rainfall leading up to race day, some small portions of the trail were rerouted. Temperatures this year reached an unseasonable high of 93 degrees but were tempered by low humidity and strong breezes throughout the day.

Riders line up for the start with open men's winner Jamie Bush (#73) on the front - photo by John Bush

Riders line up for the start with open men’s winner Jamie Bush (#73) on the front – photo by John Bush

Women’s Open

Simril makes it two straight at Tatanka, and leads the NUE Series!

Following her most recent win at the Bailey Hundo in Colorado, defending NUE Race Series Champion, Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, notched her second straight win at Tatanka by a large margin to finish 8:53:19. Simril now leads the NUE Series this year with back to back wins plus a second place finish at the Mohican 100 in Ohio and a third place finish at True Grit Epic in Utah.

Following her third place finish at the Lumberjack 100 in Michigan, Jill Martindale, Grand Rapids Bicycle Co., finished second at Tatanka in 10:47:36. Martindale has also moved into second place overall in the NUE Race Series. “I knew going into the race that the course was going to be hilly, a lot rockier than I had ever experienced, and really hot. Since there were a lot of unknowns during this race, my top priority was to just finish!

I knew if I crashed in the beginning it would hurt me for the long haul, so I rode within my limits and safely through the rocks at the start of the race. I entered the single track a decent ways back from Brenda and didn’t actually think I’d see her again, knowing she was used to the heat and the terrain. Before the first aid station, on a rocky downhill, I was passed by Beverly from Hammer Nutrition. It looked like the rocks were giving her as hard of a time as they were giving me, and I tried to stick close behind her, but also paid attention to my body and let back on the gas when I felt like the heat was getting too intense. The last thing I wanted was to overheat and to burn all my matches!

Once I hit the midpoint of the race, I knew I had a decent amount of energy left and was able to pass some racers who had burned out at the beginning of the race. When I passed a friend who had gone out too hard at the start of the race, he tried to shout that I was in second place, but I didn’t hear him. So I actually kept chasing Beverly, hoping to catch her! It probably lucked out in my favor, having a rabbit to chase, because it kept me focused. Beverly had taken a wrong turn and wound up coming through the finish a little while after me. The heat didn’t get to me as bad as some other racers I passed. I made sure to stay extra hydrated and drank a lot. If I started feeling exhausted, I just took it back a notch until I felt better. I paced myself really well for this race.

The highlights of the race for me were the shuttled start to Mount Rushmore, the free-roaming cattle (riding over the cattle guards was so much fun!), and all of the incredible views! The course was absolutely beautiful and the downhills made the climbing entirely worth it. I’m pretty sure every race should have river crossings. On the second crossing I dunked my entire head, helmet and all, into the river. IT WAS AWESOME! I had a really great attitude the entire race, thoroughly enjoyed every part of it, and will definitely be back!

I saw a lot of people out there with flats and was so happy to be riding with my Velocity Blunt SS wheels and tires with a durable sidewall.”

Beverly Enslow, Team Hammer Nutrition, took the third spot on the podium at 11:48:30. Former NUE Race Series Champion, Amanda Carey, Luna Sunscreen, was registered to race but an unresolved bike issue reportedly prevented her from being ready for Tatanka. Carey, who won the Cohutta 100 and placed second at True Grit Epic earlier this season, is expected to defend last years win at the High Cascades 100 in Bend, OR next weekend.

Riders stop to take in a truly unique experience at the base of Mount Rushmore - Photo by John Bush

Riders stop to take in a truly unique experience at the base of Mount Rushmore – Photo by John Bush

 

Men’s Open

Lamb gets his first NUE win at Tatanka!

Jamie Lamb, Bicisport Calgary, started strong and finished strong gaining his first win in the NUE Series at 7:11:13. Early in the race, Lamb stuck to the wheel of Kelly Magelky, Honey Stinger, breaking away from the pack to build a significant lead. Late in the race, the heat would take its toll on Magelky who dropped out at Aid four.

Jesse Kelly, Toasted Head Racing, moved up to place second at 7:51:53. Six minutes later, Nathan Collier, Pedal Pushers Racing, worked hard to take the three spot in 7:57:56.

The next several racers jockeyed for position throughout the race but in the end it was Rob Batey, Feedback Sports, claiming fourth at 8:22:55. Just five seconds separated fifth and sixth place with Kevin Campbell, Spokes-n-Skis, arriving at 8:26:20 and Tim Lutz, 92Fifty Cyclery, finishing sixth at 8:26:25. Two minutes later, Brian Roggeveen, Momentum Racing, took the seventh and final spot in 8:28:51.

Two-time Tatanka winner and local favorite, James Meyer, Quark/SRAM, from nearby Spearfish, SD placed thirteenth at 9:02:21. Two-time US Olympian and Hall of Fame racer Tinker Juarez, who placed second overall in the NUE Series last year, was on the start list but sidelined following a bad crash at a recent race in Mexico suffering a cracked pelvis. Juarez is improving now but expected to be out for at least five weeks. He was scheduled to compete at the upcoming High Cascades 100 and Big Bear Grizzly 100.

 

Single-Speed

Trent earns his first NUE win at Tatanka!

Richie Trent took a decisive victory in the SS, finishing in 8:01:45, placing fourth overall! “After leaving Mt. Rushmore, the short “climb” that was more of a false flat, that led into the first section of trail almost immediately, did little to spread the field out. Almost immediately there would be deep mud pits which had most riders getting off of their bikes. This would be the theme of the day, an adventure mountain bike race at its best. No watered down flow trail here.

I worked my way up in the first 5-10 miles to try and get some clear air. The first hour was mostly heinous, rocky, hike-a-bikes. On and off the bike constantly, I rode into aid one with Jesse Kelly. We had no idea what position we were in. After aid one I was caught by a few others on the flats that had the benefit of gears! Once the climbing started back up, I was quickly back and onto Jesse Kelly’s wheel again. We rode together for some number of miles, at one point blowing past a turn in the trail, which led us into a meadow and up a big hike-a-bike. At the top the trail fizzled out and we saw no course markings, so were forced to double back, losing around ten minutes.

Once we were back on the trail, I passed Kelly and spent the next hour regaining a few lost positions. At aid two, I was told the next guy was only a minute or so ahead. It was Nathan Collier, and I would find and pass him within a few miles. Reaching aid three I was really beginning to feel the heat. Water was a hot commodity at this point, and I was depleting my reserves much quicker than usual. I was told Magelky was only a few minutes ahead, which really surprised me.

Collier caught me at aid three and took off before me, but I was back on his wheel and passed within a mile or so. I could tell that he was focused and intent on making this a race. The middle 30-40 miles of the course involved a lot of fast double track and mud! With so many mud-pits and water, I was really enjoying the adventure aspect of this race. Unfortunately, at around hour five (mile 55), I began to really feel the heat and was out of water for a solid hour. Coming into aid four there were at least four knee-deep stream crossings. Completely out of gas and overheated, I was loving walking through the cool water.  At the last stream crossing, Jesse Kelly caught me and said Collier was close behind. We reached aid four together and were told we were in 2nd and 3rd.  I had no idea we were that far up.

Jesse took off and had way more steam than me. From this point the trail mostly pointed down. Miles and miles of super fun, sometimes flowy, sometimes steep and rocky and fairly technical singletrack, the entire way back to Sturgis. I had been running on fumes and dealing with massive leg and body cramps for hours at this point, and with about three miles to the finish, Collier caught me to take back third place. After not having raced in a year, I was super excited to take 1st SS and fourth overall. The Tatanka course was one-of-a-kind and a phenomenal experience.”

Thirty-six minutes later, Pete Henry, Team Noah Foundation, claimed second place dedicating his finish to two-time Tatanka winner and NUE Race Series contender, A.J. Linnell, Fitzgerald’s Bicycles/Pivot Cycles, of Victor, ID who died tragically earlier this year in a plane crash. Henry finished the race in 8:37:25, moving into first place in the NUE Race Series point standings.

Thirteen minutes behind Henry, Tyler Huber, BCBC/Larson’s Cyclery, took third in 8:50:09. Thirty minutes later, Ernesto Marenchin, Pivot Cycles, Twin 6, WAS Labs, took fourth at 9:20:21 moving up to fourth place overall in the NUE Race Series point standings.

“Last year’s race course was nothing but spikes in elevation with very little flat spots. This year’s course had approximately 10,000 feet of vertical according to my profile. After a short transport from Sturgis, we arrived at Rushmore. It was awesome having the entire Mount Rushmore monument open just for our start as it was not open for visitors at the early time of day. There were a few rollers on the road before we hit the single track and the first and highest climb of the day was roughly around 5800 feet.

I ended up running a 35×20 based off of last year’s profile and was soon debating if I had picked the right gear. It had some hike and bike on the first climbs but the temps were cool and it was early, so I hoped the steepness would back off a little and it did. I started to pick off a few riders here and there and soon I was riding alone starting around mile 25 or so. I would ride with riders not for very long as either the descent was too fast for me to keep their pace or the steepness was too great and I had to keep the pace rolling.

The views on course were awesome and coming from the Ohio area and not getting to see these areas often, I have to admit I slowed my pace to take in the view on more than one occasion. Soon, the heat started bumping up and I slowed my pace a bit to avoid getting overheated as it rose to just over 90 degrees. Four deep and cool water crossings had me feeling awesome again coming into aid station three sitting in third place. I ended up taking a wrong turn, but got back on track right about the time the heat hit me pretty hard. I would end up fourth on the day, a tough and epic day!”

Singlespeed finisher Jason Zoll may have missed the podium by a few spots on Saturday but was fortunate to be chosen as the winner of a new Lauf Fork. Lauf is offering a fork to one lucky singlespeed winner at each NUE race this season. Weighing in at just 4.3lbs, Lauf Forks have been ridden to victory by five-time NUE SS Champion Gerry Pflug and NUE Series contender A.J. Linnell.

 

Lee Simril reaches into his back pocket in the shadows of Mount Rushmore - Photo by Jennifer Bush

Lee Simril reaches into his back pocket in the shadows of Mount Rushmore – Photo by Jennifer Bush

Master’s 50+

Simril gets his first NUE Race win!

50 year old Lee Simril, Motor Mile Racing, husband and coach of defending Women’s Champion Brenda Simril, took his turn in the spotlight by earning his first ever win in the NUE Race Series at Tatanka at 8:53:23. With his win at Tatanka, Simril has moved into third place overall in the NUE Race Series point standings.

“If you like mountain biking on rugged single track this race is for you. I have come to somewhat loath the term “flowing singletrack”. Do not concern yourself that you will OD on flowy singletrack on this course, you will not. On the other hand if you like physical, rocky, technical trails, this course is for you. The course requires you to concentrate the whole race. You will have little to no time to sit up, stretch your back and eat. Brenda and I are lucky that this is the type of riding that we love, because we accidentally “trained” for this course by going out and having fun on the weekends.

This would be our third Tatanka 100. From the comfort of my couch this year’s revised course looked amazing. The new course would have basically no pavement or gravel! Before the race I wondered about time cutoffs and whether or not it was even possible to ride 100 miles of singletrack before the sun sets. I did learn that the course would be more like 85 miles, which seemed reasonable because of the amount of singletrack.

The idea still sounded great, but I knew it would be hard. I also knew it would be hard to eat and drink. Brenda and I tend to eat “normal” food during races. Stuff like PBJs, crackers, etc. This type of food makes my stomach and brain happy, but it was a real challenge to eat on this all singletrack course.

The race start was typical; it always seems so damn fast. We all fight for seconds during the first hour but give up minutes like they are meaningless in the last hours. Before the race I knew the last few hours of the new race course could make or break your day. It is one thing to lock into survival mode on a rail / trail but it is another thing to just ride along in survival mode on singletrack. I knew that if we could charge during the last few hours of the race we would have a good day.

Brenda and I have each been participating in endurance sports for the last 30 years and the NUE series for the last 7 years. If we have not learned a thing or two we would not be very smart. We now have a pretty good idea of what we need to do during the fall, winter, and then spring to be best prepared for an NUE season. That said this season has been different. I will not bore you with the details because we all have issues of one type or another. I will just say this year has been one of starts and stops.

Before the 2015 Tatanka I felt like we were pretty well good to go. We had strung together a few good weeks of riding and combined that with a couple of hard races. This combination of riding and racing is what we feel like is the best prep for a race like Tatanka. All of this said I still honestly am scared of NUE racing and always just hope to survive the day. The races are so damn hard I never feel capable of racing the course. Maybe it is just my way of dealing with what I know will be a hard day.

As Brenda manages to get faster through the year it pushes me to get fitter. We could just strike a deal and agree to ride an hour or two slower, but she does not seem interested in such a deal. This is my first year in the 50 plus category. The new category does bring a fun element to the year, but my biggest goal is still to hang on to Brenda for the whole race. I do not yet know all of the guys in my new category, so this year has been fun meeting and trying to ride with them. The 50 plus category is fast. I still do not know what Roger Masse looks like in his race kit, he is always showered and in his loafers by the time I finish.”

Former NUE Masters Champion, 54 year old Doug “The Hulk” Andrews, Rock N’ Road Cyclery, had a commanding lead early and throughout much of the race before making a wrong turn between aid 3 and 4 that cost him precious time. Andrews, nicknamed the Hulk for repeatedly crushing the masters field at many NUE races by as much as two hours, dropped back into the three spot. It wasn’t until sometime after aid four that Andrews made a late pass on John George to move up to second place at 9:21:21. Andrews plans to compete at the upcoming Big Bear Grizzly 100 July 25.

Just two minutes behind Andrews, 60 year old John George, Mountain Wave, hung on for third place at 9:23:44. 23 minutes later, 50 year old Alan Minor, Banks Bikes-Outdoor Gear Canada, took fourth in 9:56:01 and now sits in fourth place overall in the NUE Point standings behind Simril.

NEXT: The KENDA NUE Race Series heads due west for The High Cascades 100 near Bend, Oregon on Saturday, July 18. Like most of the NUE Races this season, The HC100 is sold out but racers can get on a waiting list to enter. http://nuemtb.com/series/high-cascades-100-ultra-endurance-mountainbike-race

Click Here for full results from all categories

 

Kenda Cup East Finale – Walpole, MA

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Noah Tautfest and Crystal Anthony Take Kenda Cup East Series Finale

Written by: Karen Potter

The Kenda Cup East Series finale took place Sunday at the Barn Burner in Walpole, Massachusetts. Following up on Saturday’s Boston Rebellion ProXCT UCI 2 race, the Barn Burner used the same course with an additional mile of more rooty, twisty, New England-style singletrack to create a 5.5-mile lap.

While several of the local pros opted to race just Saturday’s Pro XCT event, many partook in a double race weekend to seal up their Kenda Cup East standings and some just for the fun of suffering.

Crystal Anthony navigates a rock garden in Walpole

Crystal Anthony navigates a rock garden in Walpole

It was another hot and humid day in New England so staying hydrated properly was important. With minimal elevation gain in the racecourse, riding steady and staying smooth through all the corners was the key to success.

In the elite/open women’s field, Saturday’s ProXCT winner Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) won handily over her competition and took the 2015 Kenda Cup East series title as well. Fifth place finisher in Saturday’s ProXCT race, Karen Potter (Pivot/MTBRacenews.com) followed up in 2nd maintaining her 2nd overall in the series. Kimberly Quinlan (Bicycle Express Racing), who also raced Saturday, was within sight of Potter through the first 3 laps of the race but could not close the gap as Potter pulled away from her on the last lap. Quinlan finished 3rd.

The elite/open men’s race saw a battle between Noah Tautfest (Bicycle Express Racing) and Tom Sampson (Vittoria/Yeti) duking it out for the win and for 3rd place overall in the Kenda Cup East Series. Billy Melone (ATA Cycles) and Dan Timmerman (Riverside Racing) had 1st and 2nd places locked up and opted to race just Saturday’s ProXCT race and then Sunday’s Pro Short Track.

In the end, Taufest bested Sampson for the win at the Barn Burner by less then 30 seconds and gave him the final podium spot for the series overall.

Full results here: http://results.bikereg.com/race/6478

Kenda Cup East Series Results:http://results.bikereg.com/kendacupeast

Boston Rebellion – Pro XCT

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Anthony, Wells Take Wins At Boston Rebellion

 

Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) and Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing) took the pro events at the Boston Rebellion, held on Saturday at Adams Farm in Walpole, Mass. The race saw the successful return of UCI mountain bike racing to the state of Massachusetts after a lengthy absence. The Adams Farm course treated racers to classic New England trails, with riders either loving or hating the rocks and roots.

Crystal Anthony crosses the line for her first Pro XCT win - Photo by Dave McElwaine

Crystal Anthony crosses the line for her first Pro XCT win – Photo by Dave McElwaine

Women’s Pro Race

Anthony was one rider who absolutely flew over the natural hazards, having ridden the course multiple times over the prior weeks. After a good start, she settled in behind Luna Pro Team’s Magdalie Rochette upon entering the woods and then attacked at the top of the power line section midway through the lap. From there, she built a large lead which she held on to take the eventual win by twenty three seconds over Ellen Noble (Competitive Cyclist). Megan Chinburg came in third over three minutes back, followed by Rochette and Karen Potter (Pivot/MTBRaceNews.com).

“I’m psyched to see the ProXCT come to my home state,” said Crystal. “It was a great course and the pre-riding I did all week helped because today was all about when to conserve energy and when to put on the gas. It also helped once I was fatigued to know the best lines and all those little gains add up.”

XC National Champion Todd Wells glides through the rocks at Boston Rebellion - Photo by Dave McElwaine

XC National Champion Todd Wells glides through the rocks at Boston Rebellion – Photo by Dave McElwaine

Men’s Pro Race 

The men’s race followed a similar format, as Todd Wells got an early lead on the first lap and rode away solo for the win.

“There were three of us initially and then I managed to get a gap and go off by myself,” said Wells. “It’s always nice to be up front and set your own pace but it can also be tricky to keep your concentration. Seeing Dan (Timmerman) coming up gave me some motivation. It’s nice to get a win coming into nat’s. Mom and Dad live not too far from here so to have them in the feed zone cheering me on was great too.”

Of note was the performance of Dan Timmerman (Riverside Racing), who started last and passed everyone except Wells to finish in a remarkable second place. “Dead last call up,” said Timmerman stoically after the race. “I passed as many as I could immediately and then in the woods it was anywhere I could, even if I ended up running out of it. It became a matter of just getting around people as fast as I could.”

Another notable result came from New Hampshire’s Tom Sampson (Vittoria/Yeti Cycles), who beat Chris Baddick in a tight sprint for third. ATA Cycles’ Billy Melone rounded out the podium in fifth place.

Racing concludes on Sunday with the final round of the Kenda Cup East series, and the Elite/Pro Short Track races.

 

Boston Rebellion Men’s Elite/Pro Results (top 10):

Rank First Name Last Name Team Time
1 Todd Wells Specialized Factory Racing 1:35.51
2 Dan Timmerman Riverside Racing 1:36.40
3 Tom Sampson Vittoria/Yeti Cycles 1:37.46
4 Chris Baddick 1:37.46
5 William Melone ATA Cycles 1:38.29
6 Cameron Dodge 1:38.53
7 Benjamin Sontag Clif Bar 1:38.53
8 Cole Oberman RareDiseaseCycling.org 1:38.59
9 Ryan Woodall Top Gear Bicycles / Felt / Industry Nine 1:39.27
10 Jeremy Powers Aspire Racing 1:40.48

 

Boston Rebellion Women’s Elite/Pro Results (top 10):

Rank First Name Last Name Team Time
1 Crystal Anthony Riverside Racing 1:20.06
2 Ellen Noble Competitive Cyclist 1:20.29
3 Megan Chinburg 1:23.48
4 Maghalie Rochette Team Luna Pro 1:24.38
5 Karen Potter Pivot/MTBracenews.com 1:25.37
6 Bryna Blanchard Windham Mountain Outfitters 1:25.54
7 Kimberly Quinlan Bicycle Express Racing 1:27.50
8 Amy Horstmeyer Twin Six/Team Green 1:46.36
9 Olivia Harkness
10 Catherina Harnden

US Cup Finals – Colorado Springs, CO

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Gagne and Pendrel win final round and overall of 2015 US Cup in Colorado Springs

Canadians Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) and Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) won the final round of the USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Cannondale in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The wins gave both the overall 2015 US Cup titles as well.

Elite women

A 40-strong field of the top women in North America toed the line for the 2015 US Cup finale, including six National Champions from six different countries:  Canada, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Columbia, Ecuador. Chloe Woodruff (Team Stans NoTubes) took hole-shot and set the early pace on the first lap. Later on that same lap, Catherine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) moved past Woodruff and only teammate Katerina Nash could follow. These two would stay off the front for the majority of the race.

Chloe Woodruff (Team Stans NoTubes) and Erin Huck (Scott 3 Rox) led the chase group, which ballooned and shrunk over and over again with Larissa Connors (Ridebiker Alliance), Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team), and Rose Grant (Team Stans NoTubes) all coming back to them before being dropped.

In the end, things were all decided on the final quarter lap when the lead group split in half and the chasing group was shattered. Pendrel attacked Nash within the final mile to win solo by just 15 seconds. The rest of the field staggered in one at a time, evidence of just how hard the racing had been.

Further evidence of the difficulty was that as the temps rose from the high 70’s to the low 90’s, the womens’ lap times slowed from 15 to over 17 minutes throughout the day. The wind also picked up and made for a tough headwind on the long climb.

Series leader Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) started and rode in the main chase group for the first ten minutes, but pulled out and was a DNF on the first lap, apparently with difficulty breathing.

 

Elite men

The Elite men started in the high heat and Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing) took the lead shortly after the first corner and didn’t let off the gas all day. After one lap, only Russell Finsterwald (SRAM / Troy Lee Designs) and Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) were left on his wheel.

Gagne sat 3rd wheel and rarely took a pull, while Finsterwald moved to the front on a few descents but never was able to create any separation. By lap two a four-man chase group had formed consisting of Geoff Kabush and Derek Zandstra (both Scott 3 Rox Racing) and Keegan Swenson and Stephen Ettinger (both Team Sho-Air / Cannondale). It was Kabush who did the lion’s share of the work in this group for most of the six-lap race, while the Sho-Air / Cannondale duo looked under pressure in the group and were eventually dropped.

With one lap to go, the lead three slowed as Wells sat up and the gap came down to just fifteen seconds. Kabush took off in pursuit of the leaders but Gagne attacked hard with just one kilometer to go and took Wells and Finsterwald with him, eventually taking the win by just a few seconds.

Wells and Finsterwald had a tight sprint for second place that the officials gave to Finsterwald. Wells was clearly upset after the race and filed an official complaint with the UCI. They did not change their ruling and the result stood.

Click Here for full pro women’s results

Click Here for full pro men’s results

Colorado Springs cross country brief results

Elite women

1 Catharine Pendrel (Canada) Luna Pro Team 1:34:48
2 Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) Luna Pro Team 1:35:02
3 Erin Huck (United States) Scott 3 Rox 1:36:35
4 Chloe Woodruff (United States) Team Stans NoTubes 1:37:18
5 Georgia Gould (United States) Luna Pro Team 1:37:41

Elite men

1 Raphael Gagne (Canada) Rocky Mountain Bicycles; 1:36:28
2 Russell Finsterwald (United States) SRAM / TLD Race Team; 1:36:29
3 Todd Wells (United States) Specialized Factory Racing; 1:36:29
4 Geoff Kabush (Canada) Scott 3 Rox Racing; 1:36:30
5 Derek Zandstra (Canada) Scott 3 Rox Racing 1:36:44

USA Cycling US Cup Series Final Standings

Elite women

1 Catharine Pendrel (Canada) Luna Pro Team; 175 points
2 Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) Luna Pro Team; 144 points
3 Emily Batty (Canada) Trek Factory Racing; 140 points
4 Georgia Gould (United States) Luna Pro Team; 138 points
5 Erin Huck (United States) Scott 3 Rox Racing; 130 points

Elite men

1 Raphael Gagne (Canada) Rocky Mountain Bicycles; 175 points
2 Derek Zandstra (Canada) Scott 3 Rox Racing; 94 points
3 Todd Wells (United States) Specialized Factory Racing; 91 points
4 Stephen Ettinger (United States) Sho-Air/Cannondale; 91 points
5 Sergio Mantecon (Spain) Trek Factory Racing; 91 points

Trans-Sylvania Epic Stage 4

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Timmerman and Barclay win stage 4 at the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic

McElveen and Barclay defend their leads in overall classification

 

Today’s stage 4 is considered the “road” stage of the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic, but in the wilds of central Pennsylvania, that means surfaces ranging from gravel to chunky doubletrack bracketed by sections of twisty, rocky singletrack. Nevertheless, there was plenty of roadie-style peloton action complete with strong attacks from the start.

Dan Timmerman (Riverside Racing) and Vicki Barclay (Stan’s NoTubes Elite Women’s Team) won the elite men’s and women’s categories while Payson McElveen (Competitive Cyclist) and Barclay successfully defended their respective leads in the overall elite classifications.

The lead breakaway early on in stage 4 at the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic. Photo by: Trans-Sylvania Epic Media Team

The lead breakaway early on in stage 4 at the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic. Photo by: Trans-Sylvania Epic Media Team

Elite men

After nearly three hours of intense effort, the men’s race came down to a photo finish: Dan Timmerman (Riverside Racing) got his first stage win, with Competitive Cyclist teammates and general classification leaders Payson McElveen and Justin Lindine plus early attacker Peter Glassford (Trek Canada) rounding out the lead group.

Glassford set a fast pace early and was pleased with the result. “I’m rarely going to win in a sprint, so I started sprinting four miles out,” he said. “I was out front for a while and that let me ride the second enduro section alone, which was good.”

“Then, it was just the lead guys, which is a little nicer not having to fight for position, since everyone is a solid rider,” said Glassford. “I just tried to drive the pace every time I could on the climbs so everyone was a little more fatigued coming into the sprint, and I think it worked. Last year, I was blown on the last climb, but this year, I was right there with the guys.”

Stage winner Timmerman enjoyed the lack of rocks on much of today’s route. “It was a much better day for me, that’s for sure,” he said. “I pretty much perpetually have back problems. The technical stuff hurts it, so today was better for me.”

Timmerman made the finish extra exciting by nearly taking out the timing table. “I didn’t know what to expect for the finish — if we had a loop or we’d go straight in — but we went straight in, so I just went for it. I didn’t really think about it. I saw the banner and I went. I wanted to be close to the timing thing, to make sure my chip read.”

After four days of racing, McElveen and Lindine remain within three minutes of one another on GC.

Lindine engaged in a bit of psychological strategy against his teammate. “Justin said it couldn’t possibly rain today, and wouldn’t it suck if it was wet — then it rained,” said McElveen. “But those dirt roads were awesome, those roads were beautiful.”

Lindine admitted he liked the wet conditions, too. “The rain was awesome!”

Dan Timmerman (Riverside Racing) leads a group through an enduro segment at the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic. Photo by: Trans-Sylvania Epic Media Team

Dan Timmerman (Riverside Racing) leads a group through an enduro segment at the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic. Photo by: Trans-Sylvania Epic Media Team

Elite women

Vicki Barclay (Stan’s NoTubes Elite Women’s Team) had a great day, and was the only woman to bridge up to the train of elite men, gaining 5:30 on the next female finisher in the process.

“It is so great to feel strong every day,” said Barclay. “Today, I was conscious at the start of not getting out of the saddle and trying to drill it up the hill with the guys, just trying to stay in the saddle and stay with them, not blowing five matches on the first climb. I was with them, and Mical [Dyck (Stan’s NoTubes Elite Women’s Team)] was there, and I could see her out of the saddle, but I thought I’d play it safe. And she blew up a little when I passed her, so then I put in a dig to try to catch that group of men.”

Vicki Barclay (Stan’s NoTubes Elite Women’s Team) passes Russel Henderson (Crosstown Velo) on an enduro segment at the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic. Photo by: Trans-Sylvania Epic Media Team

Vicki Barclay (Stan’s NoTubes Elite Women’s Team) passes Russel Henderson (Crosstown Velo) on an enduro segment at the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic. Photo by: Trans-Sylvania Epic Media Team

Although they are teammates, Barclay explained that she and Dyck are both gunning for the win. “Mical and I are first and second and both of us want to win, so it’s hard to have team tactics or team dynamics now — it’s every woman for herself,” she said. “But no one is that safe just now in the general classification.”

Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) kept her head despite some difficulty and earned second on the day. “The week has been up and down, but today was good. I learned on the second day that I have to ride my own race and ride where my fitness is,” she said.

“I got popped off the back today but I kept with it — it’s a long stage,” said Anthony, who dropped back to fourth for a bit, but kept Selene Yeager (Rare Disease Cycling) in sight, and by the last climb, had gotten around her. “Then Mical was visible ahead, and I got past her on the last climb and rode like hell to stay ahead on the final bit. It was a good stage!”

Dyck hung in there for third place. “My day was hard! I felt good for about 20 minutes and then my legs were empty,” she said. “It was a lot of road, and nothing super steep, but they went on forever so you had to put constant power down. There was a lot of mental battle today. You’re moving fast, but it’s still a lot of distance to cover.”

When Yeager shows up for the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic, she is typically a threat to win, but this year she’s coming off a huge effort. Yeager joined the Gu Energy Labs team to ride the entire Tour of California stage race course — 700 miles, 43,000 feet of climbing — the week before the NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic.

“I’m going to be 100 percent honest. I woke up this morning, stepped outside and burst into tears. I’m so mentally tired,” said Yeager. “But I really like this stage, so I went out, rode around, and it was a beautiful morning. I just keep head-checking myself — this isn’t the end of the world, it’s just a bike race, and if I do good, great, and if I don’t, it’s OK. It’s taking more work to put myself in a good place in the morning, but once the race is on, I find that good place. I’m enjoying the race.” Yeager’s good attitude carried her into fourth place for today’s stage.

Under 25 men and women

Besides the ever-present Payson McElveen at the top of the young rider results, Lewis Gaffney and Drew Dillman (both of Colt Training Systems) were again second and third on the day. Gaffney had an especially good result, just seconds behind the top five elite men.

Colt Training Systems young riders are clearly dominant in the women’s race as well as the men’s field. Today, it was Samantha Runnels taking the top Under 25 women’s time, with teammate Libby White not far behind. Stan’s NoTubes Elite Women’s rider Emily Shields rounded out the top three. Yesterday’s winner Ellen Noble did not have a good day, but remains in fourth in the GC for Under 25 women.

The NoTubes Trans-Sylvania Epic presented is made possible with the generous support of great partners like Pactimo, Lupine, Purple Lizard, Klean Kanteen, Dirt Rag, SRAM, Kona, BMC, ProGold, NUUN, Freeze Thaw Cycles and more!

Click Here for full results from stage 4

Click Here for GC results following stage 4

Nash and Wells race to convincing Short Track Cross Country wins at USA Cycling’s US CUP Round 2 at Fontana City

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Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) and Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing) won the short track cross country races at the USA Cycling’s US Cup Pro Series presented by Cannondale at Southridge Park in Fontana City, California, on Sunday afternoon. The race wrapped up an exciting weekend of racing and saw riders heading to all corners of the globe in preparation for World Cup events or the next US CUP round in three weeks, the Sea Otter Classic.

Katerina Nash finishes with a sweep of the weekend's events in Fontana - Photo RideBiker Alliance

Katerina Nash finishes with a sweep of the weekend’s events in Fontana – Photo RideBiker Alliance

Elite women

The 31-strong field of women’s racers lined up for fifteen minutes plus three laps of a dusty course that featured a pair of tricky bumps on the far side. Trek Factory Racing’s Emily Batty was crafty in shooting under the charging Luna Pro Team on the first turn to take the hole shot. After the first fast lap, it was all strung out with the Luna Pro Team leading the way.

Lap two saw Chloe Woodruff (Stans No-Tubes-Niner) lead through the start/finish line, with Haley Smith (NORCO Factory Team) in second. One lap later, the Luna girls reclaimed their place at the front, with Catharine Pendrel and Georgia Gould being joined by teammate Andrea Waldis, who was doing some fine teamwork for her leaders. Behind them were Smith, Batty, Woodruff and Rose Grant (Stans No-Tubes).

A general regrouping took place on lap four with one notable exception as Gould flatted and withdrew from the race. Things heated up two laps later and showed the determination of the field, as some bumping occurred at the front on that first left-hander after the start/finish line.

With just two laps to go, the front group grew to fifteen riders, all battling it out for the win. On the penultimate lap, Nash and Batty made their selection, charging hard to establish the winning break. The field exploded at that point, with riders being strung out for the remainder of the race.

In the final run to the line, Nash charged to the win over Batty in an exciting and hard-fought sprint, with Woodruff, Grant and Caroline Mani (Raleigh Clement Cycling Team) filling out the podium.

“This is such exciting racing for us, where we can all race so close together,” explained Nash. “I was in the right place at the right time, just like yesterday, so it was a good weekend for me. I knew I was in a good position when I was third at the top. There are so few places to pass here but I found my spot and was able to take the win!”

Todd Wells stands atop the pro men's STXC podium - Photo RideBiker Alliance

Todd Wells stands atop the pro men’s STXC podium – Photo RideBiker Alliance

Elite men

The men’s race was also fifteen minutes plus three laps.

Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Bicycels) showed yet another sign of his great form, taking the hole shot as the large men’s field kicked up a dust storm at the start. Unfortunately, the Canadian rider had some bad luck and went down in the first hectic lap, which created a gap and the eventual winning move.  Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing), Kohei Yamamoto (Trek Factory Racing) and Russell Finsterwald (SRAM/LTD Racing Team) were the beneficiaries of the resulting gap, and these first two remained out front for the remainder of the race.

By the third lap, the gap to the chasing group was at eight seconds. Halfway through the fifteen minutes, Wells put in a huge effort at the start/finish line and attempted the solo break. Two laps later, his lead was up to fourteen seconds, which he more or less held onto until the final lap allowed him to ease up a bit. With four laps to go, Finsterwald was replaced in the first chase duo by Yamamoto’s Trek teammate Sergio Mantecon. This group was chased by Stephen Ettinger (Sho-Air/Cannondale), Leandre Bouchard (Equite Quebec), and Estonian Martin Loo.

Wells kept the pressure on and cruised the last lap in to take a commanding win of the short track event. Trek Factory Racing’s Mantecon preceded his teammate and Japanese sensation Yamamoto, while Bouchard was followed in by Cole Oberman (Rare Disease Cycling).

“I heard a big crash on the first lap where there’s a blown out hump in a bottom corner and someone washed out there,” said Wells. “I got a separation with Kohei and Finsty and could tell I was gapping them a little bit on the downhill so I hit it. I looked up and we were only like six minutes into the race! I’m a steady rider so it was better for me to ride at my tempo. If I can get there by myself, I don’t have to follow the surges so it was better for me to ride steady by myself.”

US CUP Video Feed

A reminder that Saturday’s professional races are available for viewing at www.uscup.tv as well as on USA Cycling’s youtube channel.

Fontana City short track cross country brief results

Elite women

1 Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) Luna Pro Team 21:47.26
2 Emily Batty (Canada) Trek Factory Racing 21:47.60
3 Chloe Woodruff (United States) Team Stans NoTubes – Niner) 21:48.24
4 Rose Grant (United States) Stans NoTubes Elite 21:50.21
5 Catroline Mani (United States) Raleigh Clement Cycling Team 21:53.24

Elite men

1 Todd Wells (United States) Specialized Factory Racing; 20:14.45
2 Sergio Mantecon (Spain) Trek Factory Racing; 20:27.36
3 Kohei Yamamoto (Japan) Trek Factory Racing; 20:33.36
4 Leandre Bouchard (Equipe Quebec); 20:34.11
5 Cole Oberman (United States) Rare Disease Cycling; 20:36.83

Nash and Cooper take the wins at USA Cycling US CUP Round 2 at Fontana City

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Day’s winners take overall US CUP leads as well

Fontana City, California – March 21, 2015:  Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) and Anton Cooper (Cannondale Factory Racing) won round 2 of the USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Cannondale at Southridge Park in Fontana City, California.

Elite women

Technical problems caused in part by cellular interference from the nearby NASCAR race made for blind coverage of the women’s race early on. A fast start lap created a huge gap, which was driven by the Luna Pro Team as Pendrel, Nash and Gould, along with Round 1 winner Batty set the early pace. After the initial leveling off after the first climb, these front leaders left a large gap to Chloe Woodruff (Team Stan’s NoTubes-Niner) and Larissa Connors (Ridebiker Alliance).

Emily Batty tries to hunt down race leader Katerina Nash. Catharine Pendrel, Georgia Gould, and Erin Huck follow - Photo RideBiker Alliance

Emily Batty tries to hunt down race leader Katerina Nash. Catharine Pendrel, Georgia Gould, and Erin Huck follow – Photo RideBiker Alliance

An easing on the second lap of five allowed Connors and Woodruff to rejoin the leaders on the day’s main climb, only for Pendrel to put in a vicious attack, forcing Batty to respond.

Seemingly trying to force Batty to chase, the end of the second lap saw Pendrel continuing her attacks on Batty, with teammate Gould holding on, with Woodruff and Nash chasing further back. Just like on the first lap, the lead group eased up on the climb, allowing the front group to grow back up to eight.

Katerina Nash off the front on the last lap in Fontana - Photo RideBiker Alliance

Katerina Nash off the front on the last lap in Fontana – Photo RideBiker Alliance

The next two laps resulted in the further solidifying of the front group. Lap three featured a selection made by Gould on the main descent with Batty and Pendrel.  Nash clawed her way back to the front group at the end of the third lap only to take the lead of the race on the fourth time up the climb.  Another fierce attack by Pendrel was chased down by Batty and you got the sense that the team tactics were taking their toll on the Canadian winner of round one. At the end of the fourth lap, Batty, who was sitting second behind Nash, had some trouble on one of the dusty drops and went down. The crash wasn’t enough to cause any serious damage, but it enabled Nash to get a gap big enough to defend until the finish.

Gould would take the sprint for second ahead of Batty and Pendrel, with Erin Huck (Scott 3 Rox) rounding out the podium just behind in fifth.

“I was unaware of what was going on. I was up front and I got a gap so I assumed there was a problem,” said the day’s winner Nash. “I fully expected Emily to come back but once I got the gap I pinned it all the way until the end. I used my downhill skills and made gravity work for me.”

“It was a total battle out there, trying to sit second wheel,” said Batty. “There were three of them so it would’ve been pretty disappointing if they didn’t get it.”

Raphael Gagne was unable to shake New Zealander Anton Cooper in Fontana - Photo RideBiker Alliance

Raphael Gagne was unable to shake New Zealander Anton Cooper in Fontana – Photo RideBiker Alliance

Elite men

The men were scheduled to race six laps of the dusty and rocky course. The 120-strong field kicked up the fine dust on the trail as they strung out in a sprint for the base of the first climb. In a sign of his form, Cannondale’s Kiwi Anton Cooper took the hole shot for yet another strong start. Series leader Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) took over shortly afterward with Geoff Kabush (Scott 3 Rox) second wheel.

Hitting the pavement first was Gagne, followed by Kabush, Cooper, Fontana (both Cannondale Factory Racing), Wells (Specialized Factory Racing), Ettinger (Sho-Air/Cannondale) and Italian Andrea Tiberi (FRM Factory).

Fontana dabbed on a tricky spot, creating a gap to third place that didn’t last long enough to cause any major drama. Kabush would be the next to allow the early pace get the best of him, as he too hit the dirt. Six riders would come together toward the end of the first lap: Gagne, Cooper, Kabush, Wells, Stephen Ettinger (Sho-Air/Cannondale) and Fontana.

Tiberi, Fontana and teammate Manuel Fumic joined the lead group on the second time up the road climb, making a lead group of nine, chased by a courageous Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Cannondale), who was battling a gruesome blister on his foot.

Cooper would be the first to put in a significant attack on the third lap. Gagne bridged back up, followed by Tiberi. On lap four, Tiberi dropped from this group as Cooper and Gagne pulled away on the rolling rocky section. The leaders showed no signs of tiring, as the fourth lap was the fastest to that point! The two leaders continued to pull away, followed by teammates Fumic and Fontana, with Tiberi, Wells and Mantecon each trying to chase back on.

Cannondale duo Marco Fontana and Manuel Fumic chased the leaders most of the day - Photo RideBiker Alliance

Cannondale duo Marco Fontana and Manuel Fumic chased the leaders most of the day – Photo RideBiker Alliance

The two leaders held their ground for the remainder of the race, with Fontana and Fumic solidifying their podium spots but content to let their young teammate fight it out for the win. Cooper’s decisive attack came midway through the last lap as he distanced himself on the final time up the asphalt climb. Cooper held and then extended his lead through the rolling and twisty singletrack to win by eleven seconds over Gagne, with Fumic and Fontana preceding Mantecon.

“What a way to finish off this first part of the season,” said Cooper at the finish. “And after last week, it’s great to come away with the win. Having Manny and Marco on the podium with me makes it even better. Now, I head home and start ramping up for the World Cup.”

“Good job to Anton. He’s a super-tough guy,” said Gagne at the finish. “I felt stronger today than last week, so I’m real happy with my race. The course was great, I really liked it.”

USA Cycling US Cup presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group series standings

After round two of the USA Cycling US Cup presented by Cannondale series, Cooper takes over the lead ahead of Gagne by virtue of the higher points on offer at the HC race, while Nash leads the womens’ series ahead of Batty.

The USA Cycling US Cup presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group series will continue with round 3, a UCI Category HC race, with a return to Bonelli Park in San Dimas , California on Saturday, April 11.

True Grit Epic (NUE#1) – St. George, Utah

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Keck Baker and Sonya Looney Dominate in the Desert

Great Day for the New-Look True Grit Epic

With a new start venue and key course redesigns the 2015 True Grit Epic provided a first-rate race experience to go along with the high-powered course appropriate for the 374 racers gathered to take the start.

The field included riders from all across the U.S. including many National Ultra Endurance regulars like Keck Baker (Cannondale/Carytown Bicycle), Gordon Wadsworth (Blue Ridge Cyclery), Josh Tostado (Swiftwick), Amanda Carey (Luca Sunscreen), and 2014 series champ Brenda Simril (Motor Mile).

Ultimately it was a rider from Virginia that made the biggest impact in the desert of St. George. Keck Baker showed amazing early-season fitness despite enduring a brutal winter on the east coast. Riding smart and clean throughout the race he managed his efforts in the most difficult technical sections and gave full gas on the climbs and open desert singletrack to cut down his rivals.

Baker had never ridden in southern Utah and due to shipping problems the Cannondale rider’s bike didn’t even arrive until Friday before the race. “My plan was to follow some of the local guys in the technical stuff the first lap” the eventual race winner said, “but I got stopped once on the Zen Trail and when I got back on the guys I was with were gone.”

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Josh Tostado cooling down after the finish – photo by Shannon Boffeli

Josh Tostado and Cary Smith (The Hub), both veterans of the True Grit Epic, had gotten out front in the slickrock gardens of Zen Trail and worked hard to keep their advantage but with just over half of the first lap gone by Baker had worked his way back to the front and took control of the race.

The second pass through the Zen Trail went much better for Baker sacrificing some time on the ledges and jarring downhills but not enough to let second placed rider Cary Smith make contact.

After Zen the remainder of the race went by in a flash as Baker took his first NUE win over 5 minutes up on Smith at the finish as Tostado finished in third.

Taylor Lideen (92Fifty) turned in a strong performance at his first True Grit experience taking fourth followed by North Carolina’s Barnabas Froystad.

The women’s race was a showdown between multi-time NUE series champion Amanda Carey, ultra-endurance superstar Sonya Looney, defending NUE champ Brenda Simril, and newcomer Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing).

Having just returned from the 6-stage Andalucia Bike Race, Sonya Looney wasn’t sure how her legs would respond. It didn’t take long for her to find out as she moved to the front in the opening miles and never looked back.

After a mechanical tanked her 2014 True Grit Epic Looney was determined to improve her 2015 result. Indeed it seemed her Andalucia effort only strengthened her fitness as she was simply unstoppable throughout the 90 miles of desert riding.

Amanda Carey settled happily into second place enjoying the warm weather and opportunity to put miles under her wheels both of which have been hard to come by in her home just outside Jackson, Wyoming.

Marlee Dixon followed Carey throughout the first 45-mile lap. Halfway through lap two the 80-degree heat started to catch up with the snowbound Breckenridge racer. After suffering through a second trip around Zen Trail with an uncooperative stomach Simril overtook the Pivot rider to move into third.

Riders stayed in this order until the finish.

Sonya Looney was elated with her win and enjoyed her time riding the challenging True Grit course.

At the finish riders were treated to live music and food as they cheered in the remaining riders on course.

Results 

Open Men

1, Keck Baker Cannondal/Carytown Bicycle 6.52.57
2, Cary Smith The Hub 6.58.12
3, Josh Tostado Swiftwick/Santa Cruz 7.16.45
4, Taylor Lideen 7.23.10
5, Barnabas Froystad 7.32.11
6, Brent Pontius Rooster’s/Bikers Edge 7.33.43
7, Ryan Steers Pedalers Fork 7.34.08
8, Scott Leonard Mountain Flyer Magazine 7.37.03
9, Matt Woodruff Kuhl/Salsa Cycles 7.41.12
10, Chris Alstrin 7.52.10
11, Kelly Phil AllProBicycles 7.59.56
12, Clifford Clermont Trek San Diego 8.34.23
13, Tom Kavanaugh Cascade Bicycles 8.57.25
14, Shawn Mitchell Team Rhino Rush 9.12.51
15, Eric Zubick Crank Benders 9.48.00

Open Women

1, Sonya Looney Freak Show/Defeet 8.12.36
2, Amanda Carey Luca Sunscreen 8.24.22
3, Brenda Simril Motor Mile Racing 9.16.42

Singlespeed

1, Gordon Wadsworth Blue Ridge Cyclery 7.14.07
2, AJ Linnell Fitzgerald’s Bicycles/Pivot 7.29.59
3, Mike Montalbano Toasted Head Racing 7.34.16
4, Daniel Rapp Team Noah Foundation 8.14.21
5, Cole Anderson 8.37.52

Open Men – 50 Mile

1, Justin Lindine Competitive Cyclist 3.15.25
2, Jason Sager Competitive Cyclist 3.20.20
3, Nick Fisher Destination Homes/Togs 3.25.08
4, Drew Free Revolution 3.27.02
5, John Osguthorpe Team Endurance 360 3.28.57

Open Women – 50 Mile

1, Joey Lythgoe Kuhl 3.52.17
2, Karen Jarchow BH/Castelli 4.01.02
3, KC Holley Kuhl 4.07.33
4, Wendy Lyall YetiBeti 4.14.37
5, Tracy Thelen ProCycling 4.26.16

Singlespeed – 50 Mile

1, Quin Bingham Rooster’s/Bikers Edge 3.49.35
2, Shannon Boffeli Pivot/Epic Brewing 3.59.09
3, Danny Christensen Red Rock Bicycle 4.12.03
4, Kenny Jones Flying Monkeys 4.17.24
5, Shane Horton UMB 4.19.47

US CUP #1 Bonelli Park, California – XC

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Batty and Gagne make a Canadian sweep of USA Cycling US CUP Round 1 at Bonelli Park

Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) and Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) won round 1 of the USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Cannondale at Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas, California, on Saturday afternoon. The opening round was greeted with clear sunny skies and temperatures in the 90’s, making for a hot, dry and dusty day of racing at the highest level.

Elite women

The women got things underway after a series of amateur events and the action heated up quickly. A fifty-plus size field took off from under the Kenda arch and it was Catharine Pendrel of the Luna Pro Team who took the whole shot and the early lead after the short start loop.

The Luna-led front group of five slowly peeled away and separated from the pack, only to be joined by the day’s revelation, Larissa Connors on lap one.

The Southern-California based high school math teacher soon found herself racing with World Champions, World Cup winners and Olympic medalists. Connors (Ridebiker Alliance) would at times prove to be the strongest climber of the front bunch, but would occasionally drop back from the leaders only to fight back over and over to bring them back after falling off the pace.

Luna’s Georgia Gould put in a hard effort towards the top of the first major climb of the day, which settled the formation of the front group of six as: Pendrel, Gould and Nash (Luna Pro Team); Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing); Chloe Woodruff (Team Stan’s NoTubes-Niner) and Connors (Ridebiker Alliance). Behind them, the chase was led by Evelyn Dong (Sho-Air/Cannondale), Lesley Patterson (Scott Bikes) and Lea Davison (Specialized Factory Racing).

On lap three of the seven-lap race, Nash and Woodruff would drop off the front group after pressure from Gould and Pendrel, with Batty calmly sitting in and Connors continuing to battle back to the leaders.

The race settled into this rhythm with little change until the final lap, when Batty finally made her move on the first ascent after the line. Putting in a strong attack, Batty got the gap needed and continued to put pressure on Pendrel for the remainder of the race to finish with a 39 second win over the current World Champion Pendrel, with Gould in third, Connors in fourth and Woodruff in fifth.

“What an awesome start to the season,” said Batty. “I worked really hard over the winter and spring. My confidence is there, my Trek equipment is dialed in, so it’s really motivating knowing that the hard work paid off. The Luna girls are always ‘on’ so it’s always a challenge and it defines that level of competition!”

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Raphael Gagne leads Max Plaxton in Bonelli – photo courtesy of RideBiker Alliance

 

 

Elite men

The men’s race was shortened by a lap due to the heat and would also be seven laps of the tough Bonelli Park course. With temperatures already topped out, the men set off, with Italy’s Andrea Tiberi getting the wholeshot and fellow Italian Marco Aurelio Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing) taking over the lead on the first full lap.

Fontana’s teammate Manuel Fumic then took the lead and for a brief moment it was Cannondale Factory Racing in first, second and third, as Anton Cooper (New Zealand) benefitted from a strong start to claim his spot near the front. 2014 overall US CUP champion Geoff Kabush (Canada) slotted into fourth with Kerry Werner (Raleigh Clement Cycling Team) ensuring an American spot in the top five.

Just into the second lap, Fumic put in a hard effort to get the gap he wanted, with Gagne trailing at fifteen seconds. Behind, Sergio Mantecon (Trek Factory Racing), Cooper and Fontana, Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing), Kabush and Werner formed the chase group.

On the second lap, the chase group slowly reeled in Fumic, who was caught first by Gagne and then by the remainder of the chasers.

With just two laps remaining, Max Plaxton (Team Sho-Air/Cannondale) put in an attack that only Gagne could bridge up to. The two would remain at the front for the remainder of the race to duel it out for the victory. Behind, U23 Cooper and James Reid (Trek RECM) joined up to defend their impressive positions against this top-flight field.

Gagne’s repeated attacks finally snapped the elastic when Plaxton was unable to bridge back on the short steep climbs of the final lap. Gagne pushed his lead out further on the final descent back into the park and had time to celebrate his twenty-second victory over fellow Canadian Plaxton. Cooper, Reid and Mantecon rounded out the international podium.

“This is my first ever cross country US CUP win, so I’m super happy with that,“ said Gagne at the finish. “I am here with Rocky Mountain and the Quebec Province so thanks to them for the support. I found that little extra energy to catch back up to Max. He always has a lot of watts so it was good to be up there with him.”

“I felt comfortable in the big group and it was really dusty out there so I decided to take my own lines,” said Plaxton. “My hat’s off to Raphael, it’s great to have a Canadian one-two. Thanks to America for putting on the race, but… sorry! Thanks everyone for coming out and cheering today. It was hot… but it was great!”

USA Cycling US Cup presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group series standings

After round one of five in the USA Cycling US Cup presented by Cannondale series, Gagne leads the series ahead of Plaxton and Cooper while Batty leads the womens’ series ahead of Pendrel and Gould.

The USA Cycling US Cup presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group series will continue with round 2, a UCI Category HC race in Fontana, California on Saturday, March 21.

Bonelli Park cross country brief results

Elite women

1 Emily Batty (Canada) Trek Factory Racing 1:49:55
2 Catharine Pendrel (Canada) Luna Pro Team 1:50:34
3 Georgia Gould (United States) Luna Pro Team 1:51:00
4 Larissa Connors (United States) Ridebiker Alliance 1:51:42
5 Chloe Woodruff (United States) Team Stan’s NoTubes-Niner 1:52:17

Elite men

1 Raphael Gagne (Canada) Rocky Mountain Bicycles; 1:29:35
2 Max Plaxton (Canada) Team Sho-Air/Cannondale; 1:29:55
3 Anton Cooper (New Zealand) Cannondale Factory Racing; 1:30:08
4 James Reid (South Africa) Trek RECM; 1:30:21
5 Sergio Mantecon (Spain) Trek Factory Racing 1:30:49