Warrior News
2011 PV Cycle Derby Race Report
The final race in the Series was contested on a new course that worked its way around the beautiful rolling hills of the Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch near Elbert Colorado. The PV Cycle Derby course was a 22-mile mix of service road, old double track, and singletrack that wound its way through Black Forest and Ponderosa Pine. Lots of fast rolling terrain mixed with some great sections of technical singletrack made for super fun riding and a vertical gain of 2150 ft. per lap.
With the full marathon racers doing three laps, everybody had their work cut out for them as the starting gun sent them on their way. There was also a 2/3rds distance and a XC distance of 1 lap. With all the options, there was a race for everybody, and there were even a few junior racers out in the XC race. It was great to see these 10-year-old kids out in the middle of their 22-mile lap with ear-to-ear smiles!
In the Men’s Pro/Open race Colin Cares (Kenda/Felt) and Brady Kappius (Clif Bar) had a few minute gap on the rest of the field by 1 lap in. Taylor Sheldon (Tokyo Joe’s) and Ezekiel Hersh (Kep’s Balls) were both chasing hard throughout lap number two as Kappius and Cares rode together to grow their gap. Sheldon put a couple of the fastest lap times of the day down as he tried to bring the leaders back.
Up at the front, Cares applied the pressure, riding away from a struggling Kappius. Two thirds of the way through the last lap, Sheldon had closed the gap to Kappius to within a couple of minutes. In the end, Kappius was able to hold off Sheldon and beat him by about 3 ½ minutes. Colin Cares finished up first with a total time of 4:56:28 for the 66-mile race. With his second place finish on the day, Brady Kappius wrapped up the win for the overall series title for 2011. Great racing Brady!
Janet Ross (Determinator Pueblo) put down the fastest time for the women in the full marathon distance. Racing in the 50-59 age class, Janet rode an impressive time of 6:59:37, finishing a full 18 minutes ahead of her closest competitor Kathy Judson. Also out for the full distance were Jennifer Kumbier (TriBella Racing Team), Julie Urlaub (Taiga Company), and Minoi Hofmaster (Rocky Mountain Racing).
Schalk sets a new Breckenridge 100 record
By John Hutchinson
Riders were greeted on Saturday with clear skies and balmy temperatures as they prepared themselves for the neutral rollout ascent up Peak 9 and the infamous snowfields over Wheeler Pass heralding the beginning of the 7th Annual Breckenridge 100.
Josh Tostado, defending 6-time champion and only racer to claim the Breckenridge 100, would be challenged by the likes of Jeff Schalk (Trek), Christian Tanguy (Team CF), and Kelly Magelky (HoneyStinger/Trek/Bontrager).
Loop 1 took competitors straight up, to heights of over 12,000’, crossing the Continental Divide before descending down a treacherously steep mix of rutted gullies, wet scree, and avalanche debris to Copper Mountain Ski Resort. Many racers feared what awaited them. Having to cross three snow fields before reaching the top of Wheeler Pass, many expected slower times overall. However, Tostado’s only concern was driving the pace and identifying early on who felt good and would challenge his reign.
A lead group quickly formed consisting of Tostado, Schalk, and Magelky. They would be the first three to reach snowline and the top of Wheeler Pass. Many, including Schalk, expected Tanguy to be in the lead group, but on this day Tanguy could not match the pace set by Tostado. “The start was so fast … it felt like an XC race.” said Tanguy.
On the steep descent down Wheeler Trail, the leaders never let one another out of sight. They were neck and neck. Then it happened. On the relatively flat Peaks Trail, misfortune struck the defending champion. Tostado crashed. “It’s been years since I crashed that hard” said Tostado.
Despite Tostado’s mishap, Schalk and Magelky were not able to shed him from the group. After 2 1/2 hours, the three riders came through Carter Park all together.
Each rider rode through focused, grabbing fuel before heading out on Loop 2. Spectators were left wondering if the group would stay together. Would Tostado feel the effects of the crash? Would the three leaders work together and wait to attack on Loop 3?
During Loop 2, Tostado and Schalk showed their strength shedding Magelky from the lead group. Neither rider showed any weakness lapping through together for the final round of their championship bout on Loop 3.
As the two headed up Indiana Gulch, Schalk put in a huge effort and distanced himself from Tostado. Schalk had created the winning gap that he would hold all the way to the finish.
Crossing the line, Schalk not only proved he was the stronger of the two, but did so setting a new course record. His time of 8:08:53 bested Tostado’s record of 8:14:37 set in 2008.
“I got lucky today. I haven’t felt that great this year, but I’ve been resting and I felt good today.” said Schalk.
Tostado finished in second place, 4:56 behind Schalk. “I felt awesome today, but Jeff was just on fire.” said Tostado.
On this day, it was Jeff Schalk’s turn to step a top the podium at the Breckenridge 100.
Kirkland takes two in a row
Only two pro women would challenge themselves at this years’ Breckenridge 100. Jari Kirkland racing for Alpine Orthopaedics out of Crested Butte and Melissa Trainer for the Trek Bicycle Store in Boulder.
Kirkland, defending Breckenridge 100 champion, came not only to defend her title, but to improve upon her time from last year. Although Jari did not best her time from last year, she did capture the win with a time of 10:31:36.
Trainer, racing her first Breckenridge 100, put up a fight staying with Kirkland as they headed up Wheeler Pass, but the pace set by Kirkland was too much. "I was with Jari. I actually had my sights on her up the road to the top of Wheeler Pass then progressively I was told 'she's 15 minutes ahead of you, she's 30 minutes ahead of you, she's an hour ahead of you....' At that point I just kept pedaling on."
“I definitely did not feel too great on the first two loops and I told myself, stick it out, stick it out, Jari, stick it out. You came here to ride one hundred miles.” said Kirkland. Around mile 80, Kirkland started to feel strong and knew that she had the race won.
When asked about the Breckenridge 100, Kirkland said, "I think this is an amazing race. People talk about 100 miles and Leadville but, in my opinion, and I've ridden the Leadville course, I think this race is the best 100-mile race you could possibly do. Leadville is all road, but Breckenridge is 75 percent singletrack. It's so much more interesting, more fun, and more difficult, but I like that so much more."
Men’s Pro/Open Overall Results
- Jeff Schalk
- Josh Tostado
- Christian Tanguy
- Jesse Jakomait
- Kelly Magelky
- Ezekiel Hersh
- Amar Mannina
- Zach Guy
- Jerry Oliver
- Chad Harris
Women’s Pro/Open Overall Results
- Jari Kirkland
- Melissa Trainer
Complete 2011 Breckenridge 100 Results.
2011 Ridgeline Rampage Race Report:
The third race in the Series was held on a new course in Castle Rock. Bison Park, and its adjacent Ridgeline Open Space, is a great venue for this type of race. The course wound its way through the hills to the west of Castle rock, complete with tons of fast flowy singletrack, short punchy climbs, and lots of opportunity for spectators to witness the suffering up close. After a paved climb on the first lap to spread riders out, the course hit the dirt for 6 laps on the ten-mile circuit.
In the Men’s Pro race it was a couple of the usual suspects off the front by the middle of the first lap. Kalan Beisel (Pro Cycling) and Brady Kappius (Clif Bar) wasted no time in distancing themselves from the pack, continuing to ride together until late in the race. The two worked together until the gap to third place was nearly 15 minutes. With two laps to go, the cat and mouse game began.
“Kalan gapped me beginning the last lap and I thought that was the end for me. I had been nursing a slow leaking front flat on the last 2 laps so I had to stop a few times and air it up,” said Kappius. Beisels gap continued to grow as Kappius struggled with a deflating tire, but soon Beisel had trouble of his own. “I got the word he flatted and eventually caught him. I knew our gap was big so I stopped to help him start putting a tube in because I didn't think it was worth ruining a wheel. I guess somehow the tube exploded so he still had to ride the rim in,” Kappius related after the race.
In the end, Kappius ended up finishing first with a time of 4:07:27, with Biesel riding in on his rim 6:22 behind. “I flatted at the last series race and I felt like I could have won that one so it all evened out. It was great spending 4 hours in the saddle with one of my best buddies, so overall it was a great day!” said Kappius.
In the Women’s Pro race, the field was a bit smaller due to the Beti Bike Bash occurring on the same day, but the racing was fierce nonetheless. Stacey Moller took the win with an impressive time of 5:19:02, with Sonya Bugbee (Epic Endurance Cycling) coming in a close second only 2:23 behind Moller. Marjie Tokarski also finished with an fast time of 5:24:32 in the Women’s 40-49 class.
It was a great day with MC extraordinaire Larry Grossman on the mic and vendors area complete with Wahoo’s Fish Burritoes, Rockyard Brewing Company, Oskar Blues, and fun stuff for the kids including the ever popular free kids race. This was a great new venue with plenty of parking, lots of room to spread out, and super fun trails. Hopefully it will remain a staple in the series, and everybody will be back next year to do it again.
2011 Voodoo Fire Race Report:
Anticipation and low clouds settled over the start Saturday morning April 23rd as racers from the region gathered below the dam at Lake Pueblo to kick off the new RME Series. Some had made the 2-hour trip from Denver previously to scout the trail system they’d heard about, while others were going in blind - except for the You Tube clips that had been watched. Questions lingered in the air like the low cloud level that hung ominously above. What was this terrain like? How is my fitness? Could I finish 70 miles?
It was 43 degrees for the mass start neutral rollout up the long paved climb to the start of the rolling singletrack. A last minute declaration from the State Patrol eliminating the connection to the 12 mile Voodoo Loop meant that the course would lose its namesake and now be 3 – 22 mile loops, and a tricky 1½ loop course for the Half Marathoners. Everyone made the turns somehow and the first training race of the season for many was now in the bag.
As the race temperature warmed into the 50’s, exhausted racers gathered around the finish. Tire gashes from the shale was a common malady as was cramping. The near perfect race temps was a saving grace for the field as hot sun could have been the death knell for many who struggled with the first long effort of the season.
Brady Kappius 4:47:48 just outdistanced Zachary Vestal 4:48:46 in the Voodoo Fire Marathon race, with Kip Biese 4:54:43 rounding out the top 3. Kevin Thomas won the large men’s singlespeed division and was 7th overall with 5:04:54.
Sari Anderson 5:14:14 crushed the women’s field with Sonya Bugbee 6:01:19 and Laura Anderson 6:05:34 taking the podium. Holly Wade 6:12:21 showed a strong early season performance winning the women’s SS over Kara Durlan 6:26:13.
In the Half Marathon, Bryan Alders 2:07:03 bested a tightly contested race between himself, Mark Legg-Compton 2:07:20 and Jay Henry 2:07:34. Jesse Swift 2:07:34 and Jessica Conner 2:57:07 took the singlespeed honors.
An enchilada dinner from Burrito Betty’s, and awards ceremony compliments of Rudy Project and Oskar Blues capped the day as the sun set over the mountains to the west. Many questions were answered about the new Series, rider’s fitness and operational logistics, while some still remained. Could this be the next Fruita? Do the Rangers here have any idea of what they really have?
We all found out one thing, - that this is some really good riding…
Click here for archived news...
