The 2nd annual Breckenridge 100 Mountain Bike Challenge was held on July 15th under shimmering blue skies and Colorado sunshine.  It was the first western stop on the inaugural National Ultra MTB Series and the third race in the Rocky Mountain Ultra Regional Endurance Series.  The field was right around 100 participants and was comprised of every caliber of rider from elite pro’s to aspiring novice endurance racers.  This year a new and exciting dynamic was the amount of riders from outside of Colorado, specifically from the East coast, Midwest and the South.  This cross section of geographical ridership was due in large part to the National Ultra Series.

The race was considered an epic as you would probably get no debate from those that raced.  The scenery was incredible and the course chewed up and spit out almost 60 percent of the field after the second lap.  Even with that said, the battle cry by all those that participated was that it was a must ride for next year.  Altitude (such as 13,426′) seemed to take its toll on a few, but surprisingly the riders from outside the state did very well,  In fact being top finishers in almost every category.  One highlight was the performance turned in by Wendy Skean.  It was truly inspiring for all who watched as she chipped away at the 100 mile course in the backcountry and doing it at the young age of 62.

The race champion though, and defending his title from last year, was once again Breckenridge local endurance pro Josh Tostado riding for Giant Bicycles.  He once again stamped his name all over this event by beating the course record he set last year by thirteen minutes.  He finished in 9:03:08, once again taking the top spot with force in the men’s solo category.  Not to be forgotten was the relentless pursuit Harlan Price put on the heels of Tostado most of the day, finishing in second with a time of 9:38:15.  In third was Summit County local Tim Graczyk turning in a trail crunching time of 9:56:24 on a Singlespeed!.  These three were clearly the pack out front early and that never changed.

As for the women’s leaders,  altitude was not a factor for the Asheville, North Carolina girls.  They rode into the county and took no prisoners.  Karen Masson came in at 10:27:16 for first and Trisha Stevenson in second rode in at 11:01:23.  Coming in third, aspiring local endurance racer Cat Morrison rode convincingly with the time of 12:25:37.

The race was deemed remarkable and “best of class” by most who competed and like many of the participants, is only going to get better with age.  As we look to next year to make the event even better, we welcome everyone who think they are up for the test the humbled the rest.

~getcha some ride~

Warriors Cycling