Race number four in the National Ultra Endurance Series on July 22nd was the Breckenridge 100 Mountain Bike Race.

After 5 days of thundershowers and inclement weather, race day for the 3rd Annual Breckenridge 100 and its little brother the B-63 greeted athletes with cloudless blue skies and only a hint of a breeze.  Starting at 6:00am at the Riverwalk Center in downtown Breckenridge, the racers began their quest to race three distinct cloverleaf style loops among the high alpine terrain of Summit County.  Loop 1 took riders over Wheeler Pass at 12,374′ and onto the Colorado Trail to traverse the Ten Mile range at 12,500′.  Total elevation gain for the three loops is 13,010.

Course conditions were ideal and Josh Tostado, the two-time defending champion, was on the start line to take on newcomers Tinker Juarez, Mike Janelle, and Travis Brown.  These four separated themselves from the rest of the field early and finished loop 1 tightly grouped together at about 2:55.  It was on loop 2, where the racers rode up little French Creek and descended down the infamous flume trails from an era gone by, that Josh began to distance himself from his competitors.  He rode into the Carter Park aid station after loop 2 carrying a 12 minute advantage over Travis Brown. Stopping only long enough to lube his chain and grab some food, he departed for loop 3 looking like a man on a mission.

Accomplishing his mission he did, as he set a new course record of 9:05:08, and further solidified his name in the history of this classic race, winning again for the third year in a row.  Mike Janelle and Tinker Juarez followed him in at 10:06:10, and 10:08:24 respectively.  Paul Clark and Mark Thompson were 4th and 5th.

On the women’s side, local hometown favorite Monique Merrill took top honors with a winning time of 10:49:47.  She was followed by Kelley Mattingly and Julie Minahan in 11:25:59 and 11:41:26 respectively.  Erika Tieszen and Erin Johnson rounded out the top five.

With its breathtaking terrain, plenty of Colorado singletrack and unique team format, both the Breckenridge 100 and the B-63 are sure to grow in popularity as word of this astounding racecourse spreads.