As the mornings start to turn brisk and tree leaves slowly turn yellow, the competitive mountain biking season has quickly come to an end. Race Breck hosted its final Summit Mountain Challenge race on Saturday, Aug. 24 — the Breckenridge Classic.
Taking place on a beautiful day in the High Country, competitors lined up their tires near the entrance of the Country Boy Mine before climbing deep into wooded hills that make up the surrounding area. Athletes racing in the long-course race (24.3 miles) were the first to sprint off from the start line before making the climb up French Gulch Road and turning left onto the Humbug Hill Trail.
After cresting the hill, athletes did a big loop around the Prospect Hill area before crossing French Gulch Road and steering towards the finish line at Carter Park. Lakewood’s Liam Gvg was the first athlete to cross the finish line of the long-course race, taking first overall in the pro open men’s race in a time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 1 second. Gvg was followed by Longmont’s Thomas Spannring in second (2:01:54) and Logan Niebur of Golden in third (2:02:46).
Tokyo’s Yuki Ikeda finished in fourth (2:03:00), and Breckenridge’s Jeffrey Kepler took sixth (2:06:07). Leadville’s Clare Hanson was crowned the champion of the pro open women’s race, completing the race in 2:27:40. Hanson was followed by Golden-based rider Maddie Miller in second (2:30:01) and Usha Khanal in third (2:44:51).
Summit County was well represented in the sport women 16-plus race. Dillon’s Katie Jakubowski and Frisco’s Mikki Grebetz finished at the top of the podium. Jakubowski won the race in a time of 2:50:42, and Grebetz took second in 3:01:14 while Chloe Lewis finished in third in 3:11:34.
Summit County earned another race title when Julie Granshaw of Breckenridge handily won the open women 45-plus race in a time of 2:48.13. Denver’s Susan Bertelsen took second in 2:59:22, and Leadville’s Renee Lockey finished in third (3:08:37).
In the men’s sport divisions, Breckenridge’s Mateo Bonta won the 16-34 age division in 2:19:11, Frisco’s Sam Burack followed in second (2:24:56) and Colorado Springs’ Michael Mehall finished in third (2:31:13). Golden’s Billy Edwards topped the sport men race for the 34 to 49 age division in a time of 2:16:03, Matt Hudson of Colorado Springs followed in second in 2:18:30, and Sergei Volkov finished in third in 2:19:07. The short-course race (17.
68 miles) featured four different age divisions including the junior 13-15 boys and girls and the beginner men and women. Breckenridge’s Monty Whatley spearheaded the beginner men’s 16-plus race, crossing over the finish line in a time of 2:12:25. Steve Stowell followed a little over a minute later in 2:13:27, and Breckenridge’s Glenn Brady took third in 2:28:51.
Breckenridge’s Rosey Stuurmans and Annie Kerns were the first two riders across the finish line in the beginner women’s 16-plus race. Stuurmans completed the race in 2:21:29, Kerns followed in second in 2:42:57, and Leadville’s Rebecca Nooft rounded out the podium in third in 3:24:47. Emmett Frozley of Colorado Springs won the junior boys 13-15 race in a time of 1:32:35, Breckenridge’s Cooper Osborn took second in 1:45:00, Rhys Teller finished in third (1:50:52), and Silverthorne’s Ryan Levi placed fourth (2:23:52).
Competing uncontested in the junior girls 13-15 age division, Breckenridge’s Lucy Greenwood braved the course and completed the race in a time of 1:58:43. The Breckenridge Classic concluded with the kid’s races, which consisted of a 6.8-mile course that finished at Carter Park.
In a tightly contested battle, Breckenridge’s Sadie Vawter and Madelyn Letson fought to the finish line in the junior girls 8 and under race. After challenging one another for much of the course, the two bikers could not find an extra gear to break past the other to the finish line. Vawter and Letson crossed the finish line in identical times of 56:21 to tie for first place with Breckenridge’s Penny LaRochelle taking second (1:06:53) and Reagan Flickinger finishing in third (1:07:32).
Camden Barlow of Breckenridge won the junior boys eight and under race (57:23) with Leadville’s James Duncan taking first in the junior boys 9-10 race in 46:40. Duncan was followed by Tucker Gallup (46:54) and Brodie Cirks in (48:41). Matching the finish of her older sister in the junior girls 13-15 race, Breckenridge’s Nellie Greenwood won the junior girls 9-10 race in a time of 44:41.
Denver’s Lucy Inglis took second in 45:50, Iris Ryan finished in third (55:17) and Breckenridge’s Fiammetta Niemkiewicz took fourth (55:34). Racing hard all the way through the finish line, Breckenridge’s Max Swenson triumphantly won the junior boys 11-12 race by over 90 seconds in a time of 38:38. Swenson was followed by Niall Slavin in second (40:14) and Breckenridge’s Miles Drumwright in third (40:49.
) Rounding out the final results, Summit’s Tessa Jacobs won the junior girls 11-12 race in 41:11 while Leadville’s Evie Nooft took second (43:38) and Lakewood’s Annika Krum took third (47:11). To view a full list of results from the Breckenridge Classic or to access the final overall race series standings, visit RaceBreck.com.
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