Alexis Skarda and Keegan Swenson seal their Breck Epic 2021 wins on the final stage.
Alexis Skarda sums up her week. Photo by Devin BaletKeegan Swenson with the early lead on stage 6. Photo by Devin Balet
Often times in stage racing when the leader has a commanding lead, the final stage is more like a victory lap than a hard-fought battle for the stage win. This was not the case on the final day of the 2021 Breck Epic. Both the women’s and men’s race leaders ended the final stage in a sprint finish. Alexis Skarda took her sixth of six stage wins in a sprint over Rose Grant. Grant seemed to get stronger each day, or at least more recovered from her Leadville 100 win the day before the Breck Epic started.
Alexis Skarda takes an early lead on the final stage. Photo by Devin BaletRose Grant riding strong on day 6 just missing out on a stage win. Photo by Eddie ClarkAlexis Skarda leading Evelyn Dong on the final stage. Photo by Eddie ClarkAlexis Skarda takes the final stage win just in front of Rose Grant. Photo by Devin BaletRebecca Gross enjoying her final day on course. Photo by Eddie Clark
Keegan Swenson sprinted to the finish against race runner-up Luis Mejia. Mejia edged out Swenson in a photo finish. Full results here.
Riders start fast on the final stage of Breck Epic. Photo by Devin BaletKeegan Swenson and Luis Mejia have a small gap on the chasers coming up Boreas Pass road. Photo by Eddie ClarkJohn Rauen on the final day of Breck Epic. Photo by Devin BaletAmazing scenery welcomes riders each day of the Breck Epic. Photo by Devin BaletLuis Mejia and Keegan Swenson open a lead on the chase group. Photo by Devin BaletA flat right at the finish line! Photo by Devin BaletGood times at the finish line. Photo by Devin BaletSinglespeed race winner Macky Franklin on the final climb of the 6-day Breck Epic. Photo by Eddie ClarkRiders crest Boreas Pass road before a final descent back to town. Photo by Eddie ClarkPhoto by Eddie ClarkAmy Chandos putting the finishing touches on a podium finish at the 2021 Breck Epic. Photo by Eddie ClarkMike McCormack at the final podium ceremony. Photo by Eddie ClarkMike McCormack sits in front of his race team. Photo by Eddie ClarkThe pro men’s podium. Photo by Eddie ClarkThe pro women’s podium. Photo by Eddie Clark???. Photo by Eddie ClarkSnow covers the peaks where riders were just yesterday. Photo by Eddie Clarkrace director Mike McCormack at the end of a week of racing. Photo by Eddie Clark
Gnarly storm unleashes high on Wheeler, testing racers at 12,000 feet
Anne Gonzales still smiling as she reaches the top. Photo by Eddie Clark
Swenson, Skarda stay perfect and inch closer to GC victories as bike racing’s essence shows through
Alexis Skarda rocking out on a gnarly Wheeler stage. Photo by Eddie ClarkKeegan Swenson navigates Wheeler summit and another stage win. Photo by Eddie Clark
By Devon O’Neil
BRECKENRIDGE — On a Wheeler stage that will live in Breck Epic lore, it paid to be fast Thursday. Rain, sleet, biting wind and all the earthbound challenges that such weather brings to alpine terrain pushed racers to the brink, breaking some, steeling others, yet seemingly having little effect on the sharp end of the field.
Keegan Swenson stayed perfect this week with another convincing victory. He broke from the pack about six miles into the 24-mile stage and rode alone to the finish, crossing in 2 hours 46 minutes 23 seconds—2:18 ahead of Luis Mejia, who finished second for the fifth straight day. Lachlan Morton was another 13 seconds back in third, after sprinting to the line ahead of Diyer Rincon.
Swenson’s GC lead stands at almost 12 minutes going into the final stage, the flattest and fastest of the race, with finish times typically under two hours.
Riders cross rock gardens as the cross Wheeler Summit. Photo by Devon BaletMike Hurst making the wet, cold descent. Photo by Devon BaletRace leader Keegan Swenson came prepared for a wet day. Photo by Devon Balet
The women’s GC is in a similar state of non-flux after Alexis Skarda won again to extend her overall lead to 22 minutes. Skarda dropped Evelyn Dong on the Peaks Trail climb from Frisco to Breckenridge after Dong caught her on the 3,200-foot descent from the Tenmile Range crest. Skarda’s time of 3:31 was three minutes faster than Dong and 19 quicker than third-place finisher Rose Grant. Afterward the three women hung around the finish replaying their adventure.
Rain clouds blow over Wheeler Summit as the riders arrive. Photo by Devon BaletA lone rider makes the approach to Wheeler Summit as rain clouds blow over. Photo by Devon BaletAlexis Skarda powers through the rain clouds on a way to another stage win. Photo by Devon BaletAlexis Skarda begins the descent off Wheeler summit. Photo by Devon BaletEvelyn Dong summits. Photo by Eddie ClarkAdriana Rojas crests Wheeler summit. Photo by Eddie Clark
Grant: “Wow, that was so hard.”
Skarda: “I definitely ate a lot of mud and water.”
Dong: “I loved it.”
Skarda: “I tried to eat a piece of bacon [from the swine handup at mile 7], and I just chewed it and chewed it, and 10 minutes later I still had the whole thing in my mouth and was like, OK, this is not happening, so I spit it out.”
Dong: “There’s probably a marmot that was super psyched about that.”
RANDOM ACTS OF RADNESS
When Mother Nature decided to twist her knife, timing dictated that certain segments of the field endured a greater wrath than others. That’s when humanity stepped in. Not everyone who started the stage finished—more than 140 racers abandoned or were cut off due to time or safety—but those who did told stories of bike racing’s essence. One of them came from Mike Thompson, an Epic rookie from Louisville, Kentucky.
Thompson’s partner in the Duo 80-plus category dropped from the field early on, unbeknownst to Thompson. So Thompson continued riding, eventually coming upon a distraught competitor on the Tenmile crest at 12,400 feet. “He was sitting off the trail, crying and shivering,” Thompson said. “I was like, ‘Dude, you gotta get up and get off this mountain.’ The wind kicked up, sleet was coming in sideways. He just started shaking his head. I was like, ‘No, dude, you gotta get the fuck up.’” Thompson helped the man continue to a lower, safer place. He also gave some of his food to additional stragglers later. “Doing what people do,” he said.
Meanwhile, farther downhill on Miners Creek Road, another racer stopped to eat a gel when he noticed a lady sitting beside the road, “shaking, in rough shape,” he recalled. “She was like, ‘Don’t leave me!’ and asked if we could ride together because she hadn’t seen anyone else. So we rode for a while before mountain rescue showed up. We got in their ATV and they drove us down the mountain. I hugged her for 20 minutes to keep her warm. I also saw a guy with a flat on top of the range and gave him my pump. So I have no idea where my pump is.” The good Samaritan only wanted to be identified by his first name, Ben. “Anybody would’ve done it,” he said.
Diyer Rincon having a good day despite the rough weather. Photo by Devon BaletNash Dory approaches the summit. Photo by Devon BaletLasse Konecny emerges from the clouds on top of Wheeler Summit. Photo by Devon BaletChris Mehlman navigates wet boulders at 12,500 vertical feet. Photo by Devon BaletJohn Rauen pushes through on the Wheeler stage. Photo by Devon BaletThe infamous goat trail leading to Wheeler summit. Photo by Eddie ClarkLachlan Morton still smiling on an epic Wheeler stage. Photo by Eddie ClarkLuis Mejia leads Nash Dory on stage 5. Photo by Eddie ClarkRain clouds blow through. Photo by Eddie ClarkPete Karinen has himself a little push on the way to Wheeler summit. Photo by Eddie ClarkEven the best riders are forced to hike some section of Wheeler. Here Lasse Konecny battles the mountain. Photo by Eddie ClarkRain clouds shrouded Wheeler summit throughout the day. Photo by Eddie ClarkKenneth O’Donnell signals as he reaches the summit. Photo by Eddie ClarkRiders brace the elements on a truly epic day of the Breck Epic. Photo by Eddie ClarkNo smiles for Jacob Richardson as he approaches the summit. Photo by Eddie ClarkLead coed duo team of Blanco & Espinosa happy to survive an epic day. Photo by Eddie Clark
HOW’D IT GO TODAY? / HOW DO YOU FEEL?
After climbing 5,500 feet and cresting elevations of 12,300 feet three times—much of it while pushing their bikes—racers had plenty to reflect on.
“I feel absolutely terrible. That was the worst thing I’ve ever done.”
“Like shit. Complete shit. You’ve got hail hitting your face, so you can’t feel your friggin’ face. It was a mess. But that’s why we do this, right?”
“When it was sleeting, I almost curled up in the fetal position and sucked on my thumb.”
“Today was the coldest I’ve ever been.”
“The only thing you could do was keep going. I’m so proud of myself for getting through that.”
“The downhill was a creek. Water running down, mud splashing, people endoing right in front of me.”
“Just relieved, because that was brutal, man.”
“Today broke me.”
“Fantastic. That was the most epic stage ever. To have rain and sleet on Wheeler is, like, legendary.”
“Mother. Fucker. That was the hardest day of my life. The last little uphill crushed my soul.”
“Great. I’m not redlining, I’m out here to smile.”
“My grip got loose and I went to brake and it twisted, and I went over the bars. There was a nice click when my face hit the rock.”
“I’m glad it was raining because I couldn’t see my tears. You just had to close your eyes and ride by feel.”
Longtime World Tour pro Lachlan Morton finding beauty in Breck Epic debut
Lachlan Morton enjoying his time in the mountains. Photo by Eddie Clark
Swenson and Skarda remain unbeaten this week
Alexis Skarda extends her lead on day 4. Photo by Eddie ClarkKeegan Swenson on his way to another stage win on day 4. Photo by Eddie Clark
By Devon O’Neil
BRECKENRIDGE — When Lachlan Morton rolled through the Stage 4 finish Wednesday afternoon, word already had reached those in attendance. He’d suffered another flat deep in the backcountry, his third in two days, and was left to get out on one wheel, hemorrhaging time. Placing eighth on the stage dropped him from third to fifth overall. Suddenly he had an eight-minute gap to close in the final two stages to claw back onto the overall podium.
Morton explained that his flat on West Ridge, high on the Colorado Trail after climbing from Keystone Gulch, had left little hope of repair. Yet he spent 10 minutes trying in vain on the side of the trail, before limping down to the final aid station and bumming a replacement wheel from the Santa Cruz team. “I tried to rim it as soft as I can,” he said, “because I need to ride this wheel tomorrow.” He’d also crashed during Stage 2, shredding his forearm, and generally had not been on lady luck’s good side since Sunday’s start—which, ahem, came one day after he finished second to Breck Epic leader Keegan Swenson in the Leadville 100.
Yet to understand Morton, one of cycling’s most meditative characters, is to understand he did not come here for the number next to his name at the end. “Focusing on results is in the past for me,” he said.
Morton, 29, has become a singular professional because of his refreshing approach to a sport that gobbles up talent and often spits it out. A member of the EF Education-Nippo team and a World Tour rider since 2012, Morton started mountain biking two years ago. During his career he has ridden the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España grand tours, finished the Colorado Trail in under four days, set a fastest known time on the Kokopelli Trail, and won the Tour of Utah. Earlier this summer, he made international waves by riding the entire Tour de France course, plus transfers, faster than the peloton. He averaged 190 miles a day for 18 days, sleeping outside sans support. “I just try to be genuine to things that motivate me and inspire me in a certain way,” he said.
The Breck Epic fit that mold long before he was given bib No. 2 behind Swenson’s No. 1. “It’s just a race I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. Morton’s parents first brought Lachlan, a native of New South Wales, Australia, to Breckenridge when he was 12, then every year thereafter until he was 16. The junior team that the Mortons ran, Real Aussie Kids, trained here each summer. “Breckenridge was the first place I ever visited in America. Well, that’s a lie. I went to Disney World first,” Morton chuckled. “It’s probably my favorite place in America. I would live here, but my wife [a graphic designer] would rather be in Boulder.”
Morton has no support this week. He’s racing a two-year-old Cannondale frame with gaping chips in the paint. After Stage 1, he sipped a Modelo at the finish while his competition sucked down recovery drinks. “I’m just doing the best I can with what I’ve got,” he said. Yet he’s found the race fulfilling, as he does with any adventure. “You’re basically getting shown around the best local rides for a week, and I get to mix it up with some of the fastest racers too.”
Morton’s approach is as rare as it is intentional. “When I started mountain biking, I said I would never do it competitively because I didn’t want to ruin it,” he said after finishing in 3 hours 32 minutes. “So when I’m on course, I’m having a good time and giving it a go, but if I were really serious about results, I’d go home today really disappointed. Instead, I’m going home to have a shower and then have a nice afternoon.”
GC TAKEAWAY
Keegan Swenson won his 10th Breck Epic stage in 10 tries Wednesday, crossing the line after riding 41 miles in 3 hours 10 minutes, a minute faster than his 2019 time. As he has for the entire week, Swenson waited until late in the stage to put time into his Colombian rival, Luis Mejia, who finished in 3:12. The victory was a nice salvage for Swenson, who clipped a stump in Keystone Gulch and bent his derailleur hanger, leaving him without the use of his easiest gears. “The stump caught me on a hard right turn and lifted me up,” Swenson said. Morton witnessed what happened and was shocked Swenson didn’t go down. “That was a nice save,” he told his friend at the finish. Swenson now leads Mejia by 9 ½ minutes overall. Costa Rica’s Carlos Herrera moved into third overall Wednesday, while Nash Dory enjoyed his best finish of the week in fourth.
Nash Dory on his way to a top-5 finish in stage 4. Photo by Eddie ClarkKeegan Swenson chases Luis Mejia on Henious Hill. Photo by Devon BaletLuis Mejia leading Keegan Swenson early on stage 4. Photo by Devon BaletLuis Mejia walks the tightrope to stay on. Photo by Devon BaletSwenson and Mejia on Heinous Hill. Photo by Devon Balet
On the women’s side, Alexis Skarda won her fourth consecutive stage in 3:52. Rose Grant ended Evelyn Dong’s second-place run in 3:56, though Dong (4:02) remains comfortably second overall. Skarda leads by 19 minutes in the GC standings.
Evelyn Dong stays strong for another runner-up spot on day 4. Photo by Eddie ClarkAlexis Skarda regroups after another tough stage. Photo by Eddie ClarkRose Grant eyes up a tight corner. Photo by Devon BaletAlexis Skarda stays out front on stage 4. Photo by Devon BaletAmy Chandos is having a good week riding near the top-5 all week. Photo by Devon Balet
FIELD NOTES
For those outside the field, it’s hard to comprehend just how fast even the midpack racers cover ground at the Breck Epic. But that’s especially true of the top third. Among this week’s standouts is Macky Franklin, a 34-year-old fat-tire chameleon from Taos, New Mexico. Franklin won the Singlespeed title at the Epic in 2012 and is the current Singlespeed national champion. He’s also competed in more than 20 Enduro World Series events, and makes a living as a pro racer and YouTube personality. This week he’s swept the Singlespeed division and finished 14th, 12th, 12th, and 13th overall, crossing in 3:42 Wednesday.
Singlespeed leader Macky Franklin is forced to push on Heinous Hill. Photo by Devon Balet
Franklin keeps more meat on his bones than the father-son duo of Chris and Justin Peck, who have run away with the usually tight Duo Open Men division. Chris, a 51-year-old engineer at Apple, and Justin, an 18-year-old college freshman-to-be (and one of at least a dozen teenagers in the race), hail from Los Gatos, California. Chris weighs 140 pounds and ski bummed in Breckenridge in his early 20s; Justin weighs 115 and can sometimes be heard hooting on the trail. They finished in 3:56 Wednesday and hold the 28th fastest GC time overall.
Christopher Peck and his teammate navigate the steeps in Breckenridge. Photo by Devon BaletMatt Pike emerges from the trees. Photo by Eddie ClarkJustin Desilets starting his ride back to town on the Aqueduct stage. Photo by Eddie ClarkPhoto by Eddie ClarkEvelyn Dong grinding her way up Heinous Hill. Photo by Devon BaletChris Mehlman charges through the water. Photo by Devon BaletPhoto by Devon BaletPhoto by Devon BaletJacob Miller gets low on stage 4. Photo by Devon Balet
GC margins grow during Queen Stage around 13,370-foot Mt. Guyot
Alexis Skarda takes in some views before starting the descent on stage 3. Photo by Devon Balet
Local riders making moves as race moves into second half
By Devon O’Neil
BRECKENRIDGE — Despite a bit of late-race drama Tuesday, the Breck Epic’s Queen Stage delivered one more reminder who the fastest racers in the field are. Keegan Swenson overcame a brief, unintended detour to pad his lead in the pro men’s field, while Alexis Skarda won the pro women’s race by her biggest margin this week.
Race leader Keegan Swenson powers off the front with Luis Mejia in tow. Photo by Devon Balet
Swenson rode off course just before the finish (the exact cause was unclear, but it required him to pedal about two additional miles), yet he still won by 53 seconds ahead of perennial runner-up Luis Mejia of Colombia. Swenson’s winning time of 3 hours 18 minutes leaves him almost eight minutes up in the overall standings. Lachlan Morton remains in third overall, 20 minutes back of Swenson.
Lachlan Morton climbs up to the Colorado trail on day 3. Photo by Devon Balet
“I’m not doing any more work than I have to,” said Swenson, whose Santa Cruz team put burlier tires on his Blur CC for Tuesday’s rugged descents. “I didn’t attack [Mejia], he just fell off after Aid 3. So I was like, I’ll turn the screws just a hair and snap the elastic.”
Lachlan Morton leads the chasers after surviving the climb. Photo by Eddie Clark
Skarda, meanwhile, further separated herself in the GC standings with a time of 3:56 and a 6-minute advantage over Evelyn Dong, who remains in second overall, 8:35 back. Rose Grant took third and moved onto the GC podium heading into the week’s longest stage, Aqueduct.
Evelyn Dong sits in second just minutes behind the leader in the GC. Photo by Devon BaletRose Grant putting herself solidly in a podium spot for the GC. Photo by Eddie ClarkAdriana Rojas grinds out the last slopes before the summit. Photo by Eddie Clark
LOCAL HUSTLAS
The circumnavigation of 13,370-foot Mount Guyot takes riders over the Continental Divide twice, through two counties, and down some of the area’s sweetest singletrack for a total of 40 miles. It is typically one of two stages, along with Wheeler, in which locals improve their overall ranking. That didn’t happen with Breck’s Jarad Christianson, because he was already in first place in the men’s 30-plus category; but he tripled his winning margin from Stage 1. Christianson, 31, works 8-5 for a construction company and rides after work. He started entering local races four years ago. On Tuesday, he finished 15th overall, pros included, in the 387-rider Breck Epic (3:53—30 minutes faster than his 2019 time).
The only local ahead of Christianson, 17-year-old phenom Lasse Konecny, suffered what you might call a mining-town-only mechanical. An ancient, heavily rusted, 4-inch-long rectangular nail pierced his sidewall and exited his tread like an arrow through a banana late in the race. Konecny ran to the finish pushing his bike and losing minutes, but still finished ninth (3:39). He sits in 11th place overall, four minutes out of eighth.
Close to a dozen other locals are toeing the line this week, and not everyone is taking time off from work to compete. John Rauen, a 22-year-old who finished in 4:54, clocks in at an escape room from 3:30 to 10:30 p.m. every night between stages. The field is dotted with ski patrollers (Duke Barlow, Breck’s snow safety supervisor, finished in 4:51 on a recently replaced knee), massage therapists (Ro Mayberry took third in the Coed Duo division in 4:45), and government workers (Nicole Valentine, Summit County’s communications director, clinched the 3-day Open Women’s title in 5:27).
WHO NEEDS TWO GOOD ARMS?
One of the week’s most impressive sights was watching Robin Brown, a retired Las Vegas firefighter, navigate the high-speed technical descent from 12,000 feet with a prosthetic left arm. Brown and Mark Duncan, another Vegas firefighter, conquered the Queen in 6:07 and stand second in the Duo 100-plus class. Brown lost his forearm to a grain auger in Panhandle, Texas when he was 4, but he still played football, basketball, baseball, and golf growing up. He became a paramedic and captain in the Clark County Fire Department and has entered dozens of endurance races, but never the Breck Epic. Asked about riding the course with one hand, he said, “I don’t think anything of it.”
Robin Brown and Mark Duncan are currently in 2nd 100+ Duo
Another visiting racer, Sean Perry of Issiquah, Washington, has competed all week with a cast on his wrist. Perry suffered an intra articular fracture of his distal radius while training on the Miners Creek Trail three weeks ago—the most perilous descent in the race. It was his first ride in Colorado. “I thought there was no chance I would get to do the race,” he said. He finished the Guyot stage in 4:39.
Photo by Devon BaletKeegan Swenson takes Skittles on board on his way up Mount Guyot. Photo by Devon BaletTobin Ortenblad grinding through the meadow with Skittles on his mind. Photo by Devon BaletChris Mehlman is sitting in the top-10 after day 3 of Breck Epic. Photo by Devon BaletBenjamin Torvik feeling all the pain riding his singlespeed up the pass. Photo by Devon BaletAlexis Skarda stays focused on another win at stage 3. Photo by Devon BaletSupport crew cheering on the riders and handing our Skittles. Photo by Devon BaletRiders topping out at the Skittles feed. Photo by Devon BaletTime to refuel. Photo by Devon BaletOne got away! Photo by Devon BaletMore Skittles! Photo by Devon BaletIsaac Centeno rocking out in the thin air and Rocky Mountains. Photo by Devon BaletKeegan Swenson starts the descent from Mount Guyot with Luis Mejia behind. Photo by Eddie ClarkRiders enjoy the long single track descent back into town. Photo by Eddie Clark Nash Dory putting in a top-notch performance at the 2021 Breck Epic. Photo by Eddie ClarkStarting the descent to home. Photo by Eddie ClarkMacky Franklin gets the payoff after climbing his singlespeed up Mount Guyot. Photo by Eddie ClarkJustin Desilets starts his descent. Photo by Eddie ClarkRiders enjoying a well-deserved DH run. Photo by Eddie ClarkRebecca Gross opens it up on the DH. Photo by Eddie ClarkRiders enjoy the finish of stage 3. Photo by Eddie ClarkRiders attack the Colorado trail single track on day 3. Photo by Liam DoranPhoto by Eddie ClarkRiders have endless views every stage of the Breck Epic. Photo by Liam DoranRace director rallying the troops on stage 3. Photo by Liam DoranLasse Konecny has another top-10 performance on stage 3. Photo by Liam DoranBenjamin Torvik wraps up another second place in the singlespeed group. Photo by Liam DoranRiders can’t get enough Breckenridge single track. Photo by Liam DoranPhoto by Liam Doran
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
We posed this question just below the summit of 12,046-foot French Pass, the Queen’s high point. As usual, sentiments varied.
“Fantastic, thanks.”
“I’m not sitting in an office, so pretty damn good.”
“Can’t. Too much altitude.”
“Got a tail wind—what more can you ask for?”
“Like I look.”
“Literally could not be better.”
“I’ve got 20 pieces of metal in my elbow from Dirty Kanza. This is nothing.”
“Blessed.”
“As can be expected.”
“Fucking awesome, man.”
“Really?”
“Well, it depends. Are there Skittles up there?” Yes. “Fuck yeah. Then I feel amazeballs.”
Skarda overcomes midrace stop to win second straight stage
Alexis Skarda leaps toward another stage win on day 2. Photo by Devon Balet
Epic rookie leads Evelyn Dong by 2:30; Swenson dusts Mejia on Colorado Trail descent
Evelyn Dong giving it her all on day 2. Photo by Devon BaletRacers ready for the start of day 2 of Breck Epic. Photo by Devon Balet
By Devon O’Neil
Race director Mike McCormack oversees the start on day 2. Photo by Devon Balet
BRECKENRIDGE — Shortly after starting Monday’s second stage of the Breck Epic, Alexis Skarda felt it. A familiar fluttering in her chest. As the pro women’s leader in her Epic debut, with a scant lead over former champion Evelyn Dong, Skarda knew she didn’t have time to spare. She also knew she had no choice but to stop.
So Skarda, a 31-year-old from Grand Junction in the midst of the best season of her pro career, pulled off the trail and dismounted her bike. She drank water and breathed. She watched other racers fly past her, agonizing at the time she was losing.
For much of her cycling career, Skarda has managed a rare congenital heart defect known as supraventricular tachycardia, or SVT, an erratic heartbeat that comes from faulty electrical connections in her upper chambers. “It feels like a butterfly in your heart and lactic acid in your legs,” she said. She first felt it when she was 21. Ever since, it shows up periodically and unpredictably. It is caused by stress, but there’s no way to know exactly when or why certain moments trigger it, Skarda said. The first time it happened, her heartrate spiked to 260 beats per minute. On Monday morning, her rate rose into the 250s—an alarming number for someone who tries to stay around 170. “You have to relax to make it slow down, but it’s hard to relax when you see all these people passing you,” she said.
Since the episodes are random, Skarda often tries to build an early gap during races just in case it flares up. When asked if the condition—which is not dangerous in a mortality sense—has ever cost her a race, Skarda said, “It’s cost me a lot of races.” But she downplayed it being called a disadvantage. “I think everyone has something they deal with. This is just what I have to account for. I call it a body mechanical. It’s sort of like a flat tire.”
SVT didn’t cost her Monday’s race. Skarda got back on her bike once her heartrate slowed and rode strong to the finish, winning in 3:53:22. Dong finished second again, 56 seconds back, followed by Rose Grant in third. Skarda’s overall lead now stands at 2 minutes 30 seconds.
Evelyn Dong settles in for a long climb to start day 2. Photo by Eddie Clark
SWENSON BUILDS SIZABLE OVERALL LEAD
In Monday’s pro men’s race, reigning champion Keegan Swenson sent a message that echoed across Summit County—and perhaps down to South America. Swenson had narrowly beaten Colombia’s Luis Mejia in Sunday’s opener, winning by four seconds, and the two were tightly packed again until they began descending the Colorado Trail from West Ridge—one of the highlights of the week in terms of views and pure fun. Swenson sensed Mejia struggling to keep pace on the technical descent and rocketed away from his rival. Once out of sight, he built a seven-minute gap over the final 15 miles, winning in a time of 3:08:52. Lachlan Morton overcame a crash that bloodied his elbow to take third in 3:18:41.
Keegan Swenson sports the orange leaders jersey on stage 2. Photo by Devon BaletKeegan Swenson and Mike McCormack enjoy a little pre-race chat. Photo by Devon BaletCarlos Herrera on the hunt in stage 2. Photo by Devon BaletDiyer Rincon gets low on the Colorado trail in stage 2. Photo by Devon BaletLone rider launching some roots on the Colorado trail. Photo by Devon BaletChad Barrentsen enjoying his time on stage 2. Photo by Devon BaletStage 2 is always a racer favorite descending the Colorado Trail. Photo by Devon BaletRiders don’t have much time to take in the scenery on stage 2. Photo by Devon BaletRebecca Gross checks on her teammate Madelynn Gerritsen currently leading the duo women’s race. Photo by Devon BaletLuis Mejia and Lachlan Morton lead Keegan Swenson in the early miles. Photo by Eddie ClarkChris Mehlman gulps in air on his way up the early climbs. Photo by Eddie ClarkRiders enjoy the finish line. Photo by Eddie ClarkMacky Franklin grinds his singlespeed out front on day 2. Photo by Eddie ClarkShannon Warburg is all smiles in the Women’s 50+ leaders jersey. Photo by Eddie ClarkKeegan Swenson enjoys another day in orange after winning stage 2. Photo by Eddie ClarkLachlan Morton was all in on day 2 of Breck Epic. Photo by Eddie Clark
BAD LUCK HAS NO GOOD TIMING
The Epic has exacted its share of bodily damage over 12 editions, and this week, although young, has been no exception. Monday a pair of unlucky racers sat next to each other at the Tiger Dredge aid station, commiserating over their mutual misfortune. Rich “Dicky” Dillen, one of the Epic’s most popular characters and familiar faces, had crashed earlier in the day, breaking his carbon-rail saddle, twisting his ankle, crunching an already injured right side, and realizing he had to withdraw from the race. His shoulder was bloodied and smeared with dirt. His morale was crushed. After finishing eight prior Epics, Dillen—a professional bike messenger from Charlotte, North Carolina and nationally known singlespeed racer who competes on rigid frames—struggled to accept he won’t be going home with a BMF belt buckle. “I bought a geared bike a month ago and I think God hates me until I sell it,” he joked. To his point, he’d broken a carbon rim, bruised his ribs and cracked his helmet, all before Monday’s crash. The 52-year-old sat beside the trail and cried when he realized he couldn’t continue the race.
Then Dicky found Bob Orlikowski, a 47-year-old nuclear regulator from Illinois, and plopped down next to him. Orlikowski had trained for the Epic for a year and a half—or, as his wife put it, “his whole life”—before arriving with two buddies to toe the line this week. Twelve miles into the first stage, while pushing his bike up Little French Gulch, Orlikowski heard what he described as two rocks hitting together. “I actually turned around to see if somebody was running up on me,” he said. “But I think the noise was just my Achilles tendon rupturing.”
He made it back to an aid station and found his wife, who drove him to the hospital. Monday his leg was splinted up to his knee; a pair of crutches rested against his shoulder. And yet, as he watched racers pedal by at the dredge, Orlikowski was smiling. “It’s sad, but to me it’s nothing I had control over,” he said. “It’s just bad luck.” Dicky, resting in the dirt a few feet away, added: “It helped to sit down next to Bob. It could be way worse.”
A MOMENT FOR BEN
Riders remember Breck Epic veteran Ben Sonntag before starting stage 2. Photo by Devon Balet
Shortly before Monday’s start in downtown Breckenridge, racers and staff held a moment of silence for 2012 Epic champion Ben Sonntag. Sonntag, a longtime pro cyclist and beloved member of the fat-tire community, was hit and killed by a pickup truck traveling at 69 mph in a 35-mph zone on March 4, 2020, during a training ride outside his hometown of Durango. He was 39.
Alexia Skarda on her way to a stage 1 finish. Photo by Liam Doran
Swenson picks up where he left off in Epic’s opening stage
2019 champ shows no ill effects after winning Leadville 100 on Saturday; Skarda takes lead among women
Keegan Swenson and Rose Grant dap it up on the start line. Photo by Devon BaletRose Grant and Alexis Skarda line up for the start on day 1. Photo by Devon Balet
By Devon O’Neil
BRECKENRIDGE — Two years after the last Breck Epic was staged in Colorado’s singletrack kingdom, much of what we know about the world has changed dramatically. But a few things haven’t, foremost: Keegan Swenson is still the man to beat in Breckenridge. Swenson, the 27-year-old defending champion from Heber City, Utah, made a late pass Sunday to beat a familiar foe in Colombia’s Luis Mejia and start the six-stage Epic with a four-second victory. He completed the 36-mile course in 2 hours 44 minutes.
The duo distanced themselves early on from the rest of the field, with Mejia—still smarting from a series of flat tires that derailed his 2019 bid to challenge Swenson—turning the screws on America’s most versatile racer. Swenson had won the Leadville 100 the prior day in 6 hours 11 minutes, the eighth fastest time in that race’s history. He’d also defended his XC national title in July and narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics. He showed little weariness Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after his Leadville win, as the Epic kicked off on perfectly tack-ified dirt thanks to a brief rain shower. Content to chase Mejia’s frequent uphill surges and set the pace on the descents, Swenson found himself trailing the 36-year-old Colombian on the final downhill, until they reached the mini freeride features on Barney Flow. There, Swenson saw a window.
Riders start stage 1 of the 2021 Breck Epic. Photo by Liam Doran
“He wasn’t jumping the doubles and I started jumping the doubles and gained some time,” Swenson said. “Then I took one of the log skinnies and made the pass.”
Longtime World Tour racer Lachlan Morton of Australia held third for much of the day until a sprint for the finish with Costa Rica’s Carlos Herrera saw Herrera edge him by a few thousandths.
SKARDA’S FAST START
Swenson wasn’t the only Santa Cruz Bicycles team member who enjoyed a happy Sunday. Breck Epic rookie Alexis Skarda of Grand Junction led from start to finish ahead of Epic veteran Evelyn Dong and a host of other challengers, winning by 25 seconds. Skarda said she concentrated on staying under her target heartrate of 170bpm to preserve energy for the subsequent stages. She’d trained for the Epic by riding—and winning—the Telluride 100 last month. She also finished second at XC nationals to 2021 Olympian Erin Huck, another Epic vet. Though Skarda won on the same bike as Swenson—a Blur CC—she rode a 100mm fork while he opted for the cushier 120mm.
Skarda and Dong figure to see more challenges later this week from five-time national marathon champ Rose Grant, who won Leadville on Saturday and finished TK SUNDAY.
Evelyn Dong sending her way to the finish line. Photo by Liam Doran
“I figured if I didn’t go too crazy, I wouldn’t ruin it for the rest of the week,” Skarda said at the Carter Park finish. “But it’s tough when you’re feeling fresh to not go too hard.”
BIENVENIDO A LOS TICOS
Though the pandemic changed many racers’ plans, especially international competitors, plenty still braved the travel it took to get here. They include two dozen Costa Ricans from San José, who are riding in custom white jerseys this week. Due to a 9 p.m. curfew imposed in their country, riders couldn’t count on night miles to build their training base. Instead, they rose early—and often. Epic rookie Isaac Centeno, 26, trained six days a week for six months, starting at 5 a.m. “My friend Pablo told me to come because it’s his fourth time here,” Centeno said. “I just want to explore different landscapes and weather.”
Adriana Rojas splashes through stage 1 of the Breck Epic. Photo by Liam Doran
STATS AND STUFF
Sunday’s opening stage saw 387 riders start. More than seven hours later, all but one crossed the finish. Pro racer Kyle Trudeau crashed hard coming down the notoriously tricky Grind into Indiana Creek, telling a teammate he thought he’d broken some ribs. He abandoned the race—but not until he’d finished a grueling climb to Boreas Pass Road. In all, the stage covered 36 miles and roughly 5,000 vertical feet. Full results can be found here:
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
Each day, we ask this very simple question at some point on course, usually at the top of a merciless climb. Today it was posed near the top of Little French.
“Legs don’t feel great, but it’s the first day, they’re not supposed to.”
“Like 50 cents.”
“Meh.”
“Pretty good. Actually, great.”
“This is heinous. Wait, is this Heinous?” [Ed’s note: No. Heinous Hill will introduce itself in Stage 2.]
“Horrible.”
“Wonderful!”
“Could be worse.”
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Millard Allen won the singlespeed division at Leadville on Saturday and stayed in the Cloud City for the awards Sunday morning, which meant he arrived late to start the Epic. He hopped on course at 10 a.m. and caught the sweep halfway up Pennsylvania Gulch, eventually finishing in 3:54 on a geared bike.
Jenny Smith locked in a top-5 on day 1. Photo by Liam DoranAlexis Skarda on day 1. Photo by Liam DoranLachlan Morton leads the chase group on stage 1. Photo by Liam DoranAmy Chandos loving the altitude and wildflowers on stage 1. Photo by Liam DoranRiders take in the views around Breckenridge. Photo by Liam DoranLachlan Morton descends through the flowers. Photo by Liam DoranKeegan Swenson on his way to a stage 1 win after winning the Leadville 100 a day ago. Photo by Liam DoranLachlan Morton leads the chasers out of Pennsylvania Gulch on day 1 in Breckenridge. Photo by Devon Balet
UP NEXT
Stage 2 takes riders across multiple drainages highlighted by the locally famous West Ridge descent on the Colorado Trail. Real-time results can be found at itsyourrace.com.
Slated for August 14-19, 2022, 400 riders. In the words of race director Mike McCormack, “Sometimes bigger is better. We feel that in Epic’s case, better is better. There’s a balance we need to strike. To us, that means enough riders to create that special big race feel, but not so many that we experience crowding on course. We want our riders to experience the soulfulness of Summit County’s trail system and backcountry–that’s hard to do if you’re riding nose-to-tail all day.”
McCormack added, “Additionally, while our trail system holds up very well, fewer riders means less impact. We love our trails…we just don’t want to love them to death.”
2022 spots will be limited. Registration information for 2022 can be found HERE.
Todd Wells and Amy Krahenbuhl Take Home Breck Epic 2016 Titles
The final stage served up a much more road-heavy and singletrack-lite day, suiting stage winner Chris Jones quite well. Jones went on to win the stage by a minute and a half and placed 8th in the GC. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Photo by: Liam Doran
Racers finish along the Blue River trail solidifying 6 days of singletrack-heavy racing. Photo by: Liam Doran
The final climb of the final stage welcomed an epic hand-up of ice cold beers, capping off an epic week of racing. Photo by: Liam Doran
A rider gives one final look back at the expansive landscapes and views that were plentiful throughout the entire week of racing. Photo by: Liam Doran
The overall singlespeed winner, Vince Anderson drops into the Gold Dust trail on the final stage of the 6 day Breck Epic. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Amy Krahenbuhl solidified her six day race open women’s race with her sixth stage win. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Team Kask takes the overall coed duo win and enjoys the final stage filled with more forgiving climbs and flowing descents. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Todd Wells decided to dust off his Leadville 100 winning bike, aero bars and all, for the final stage of the Breck Epic. Todd finished 6th on the stage, but maintained his overall win for the 6 day open men’s race. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Matt Powers had a fantastic six days of racing, winning his category in the 6-day 40+ men’s race with a time that was among the top 15 6-day open men’s race. Photo by: Liam Doran
Racers finish along the Blue River trail solidifying 6 days of singletrack-heavy racing. Photo by: Liam Doran
Duo-Women’s team Juliana Bikes were 100% positive all week through rain, hail, hike-a-bikes, monster climbs and screaming descents. They were the true showmanship of grit and grace. Photo by: Liam Doran
The final climb of the final stage welcomed an epic hand-up of ice cold beers, capping off an epic week of racing. Photo by: Liam Doran
A rider gives one final look back at the expansive landscapes and views that were plentiful throughout the entire week of racing. Photo by: Liam Doran
Barry Wicks downs a bit of nutrition before focusing on the final descent on the last stage. Wicks battled a few flats throughout the week, but still finished 16th in the 6 day open men’s race. Photo by: Liam Doran
Riders who gained a comfortable lead in the GC chose to take a more leisurely approach to the final stage, where as some chose to keep charging. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Amy Krahenbuhl solidified her six day race open women’s race with her sixth stage win. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Ksenia Lepikhina racing for Tokyo Joe’s, took the third step in the overall GC after 6 hard earned days of racing. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Photo by: Eddie Clark
The overall singlespeed winner, Vince Anderson drops into the Gold Dust trail on the final stage of the 6 day Breck Epic. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Team Kask takes the overall coed duo win and enjoys the final stage filled with more forgiving climbs and flowing descents. Photo by: Eddie Clark
The final stage served up a much more road-heavy and singletrack-lite day, suiting stage winner Chris Jones quite well. Jones went on to win the stage by a minute and a half and placed 8th in the GC. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Todd Wells decided to dust off his Leadville 100 winning bike, aero bars and all, for the final stage of the Breck Epic. Todd finished 6th on the stage, but maintained his overall win for the 6 day open men’s race. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Russell Finsterwald and Amy Kranhenbuhl Coquer Mount Wheeler Stage
The grassy wet-land-esque fields at the summit of Wheeler can be technical, especially for exhausted riders. Photo by: Liam Doran
Written by: Uncommon Communications
The night before the penultimate stage, riders laid down for bed with the threat of rain looming. In typical Breckenridge- fashion, riders were greeted with clear skies and sun for the morning to get up and over Wheeler Pass. The rain still rolled in around 11am, giving most of the field a good shower.
As race director Mike McCormack says, “it’s not called the Breck Tickle Fight.”
Russell Finsterwald, Todd Wells and most of the leaders in the men’s pro/open field stayed dry throughout the day and got to enjoy the massive views from the top of Wheeler Pass.
Finsterwald took a couple of seconds back from his teammate Wells (SRAM / Troy Lee Designs) after dropping Wells on the descent off of Wheeler Pass.
“I thought yesterday was my favorite stage, but now this one is,” recounted Finsterwald. “The views were awesome and the descending was next level. I was having the time of my life on that second descent.”
KUHL-Pivot Cycles rider Drew Free is sitting in sixth after his seventh place ride on Wheeler. With a gap of seven minutes to fifth, he could be looking to move up overall, but it’s unlikely he’ll close the hour and twenty minutes to Todd Wells. Photo by: Liam Doran
Though it wasn’t all sunshine and unicorns for Finsterwald, who took a digger on that second descent he was loving so much.
“I was riding in control, but going across one of those bridges there were a couple logs parallel to one another. My front wheel got caught between, and sent me sailing. I tried to ride a good pace, just to make it into the finish. I knew Todd wouldn’t be too far behind.”
Finsterwald ended the day just 11 seconds up on Wells with Ben Sonntag in third, all but cementing his place on the podium.
“My legs felt pretty empty from the beginning, so I let the group go,” said Ben Sonntag (Clif Bar) about starting in wave one with the top-8 riders overall. “I don’t know, it was just ‘keep pushing’ today. There was no snap, explosiveness, or thoughts like, ‘I’m flying up this right now,’ it was just a grind.”
Troy Wells had a great day riding with teammate Ben Sonntag andfinished fourth on the day. Troy sits 5th in GC. Photo by: Eddie Clark
The elevation profile of day five had many riders opting for longer-travel bikes to better take advantage of the longer, more technical descents. Since the trails were so steep and often quite narrow, riders were forced to their feet.
“We had a lot of fun coming down [from Wheeler],” said Jake Wells who is leading the Duo Open category with his partner Ciro Zarate. “We rode our bigger bikes today — 5” fork, dropper post. It was a lot of fun going down, but it was a lot of pushing on the way up.”
Amy Krahenbuhl has shown a dominating performance in the Women’s race and currently has a lead of of nearly 54-minutes. Photo by: Liam Doran
In the women’s open category, Amy Krahenbuhl has a 54-minute lead over Emma Maaranen (Rolf) and Ksenia Lepikhina (Tokyo Joe’s) sits another 13-minutes back in third.
With the final stage – Gold Dust — being all that lay ahead of riders, overall leads are not likely to change hands in many categories. At under 30-miles, the Gold Dust loop packs in fast climbing and screaming singletrack descents into the shortest mileage of the week.
Today’s stage demanded the powers of a mountain goat, as they pushed to terrain not normally travelled by bike or foot. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Russell Finsterwald and Todd Wells cut to the chase on Breck Epic’s iconic climb, Wheeler Pass, distancing themselves from the group quickly and staying away. Photo by: Liam Doran
Photo by: Liam Doran
KUHL-Pivot Cycles rider Drew Free is sitting in sixth after his seventh place ride on Wheeler. With a gap of seven minutes to fifth, he could be looking to move up overall, but it’s unlikely he’ll close the hour and twenty minutes to Todd Wells. Photo by: Liam Doran
Kevin Day is just outside the top-10, in twelfth. Photo by: Liam Doran
From the summit of Wheeler, riders used to descend straight down to Copper Mountain, but a new course from 2015 takes riders about halfway down the descent, and then back up to the summit of Peak 8 before starting the real descent down toward Frisco and the Peaks Trail. Photo by: Liam Doran
Bob Saffell is currently in 9th in the Men’s 40+ category. Photo by: Liam Doran
Amy Krahenbuhl has shown a dominating performance in the Women’s race and currently has a lead of of nearly 54-minutes. Photo by: Liam Doran
Photo by: Liam Doran
The grassy wet-land-esque fields at the summit of Wheeler can be technical, especially for exhausted riders. Photo by: Liam Doran
Photo by: Liam Doran
Today’s stage demanded the powers of a mountain goat, as they pushed to terrain not normally travelled by bike or foot. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Troy Wells had a great day riding with teammate Ben Sonntag andfinished fourth on the day. Troy sits 5th in GC. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Clayton Otto maneuvers the goat trail at 12,000ft before the screaming descent back down into town.
Breaking his chain early in the stage, Fernando Riveros worked his way back up the field to finish 8th on the stage and is currently sitting 7th in the GC. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Pushing along the ridgeline at 12,000ft has a certain affect on rider’s brain capacity. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Liz Carrington drops her saddle and shines a smile on the best descent of the day, Miner’s Creek. Photo by: Eddie Clark
Todd Wells and Amy Krahenbuhl Continue to Lock Down 2016 Breck Epic
On stage four of the Breck Epic, the top 7 men were all together for the first 15 miles until the decisive climb, Vomit Hill. Photo by: Eddie Clark
After three days of racing, stage four’s Aqueduct route saw riders cross over the peaks of Summit County and pay a visit to Keystone Mountain.
Race leader Todd Wells and teammate Russell Finsterwald (SRAM / Troy Lee Designs) kept things civil, at least for a while, riding in a larger lead group through the first third of the race until they hit the exceptionally steep climb of the day.
At the base of Vomit Hill, Ben Sonntag (Clif Bar) hit the gas first with Finsterwald on his wheel. Wells had to unclip and run a bit to get back up to Finsterwald who had moved past Sonntag and the duo of Wells-Finsterwald distanced themselves for the day, once again.
“Of the four days, this one was the one where I felt best,” said Sonntag, who entered the stage in third overall. “I don’t know why, but maybe with doing Leadville on Saturday, it seems like even though these stages were super hard, it was still half the time out there [compared to Leadvile].”
Todd Wells stands up to his number one plate with a stage win with teammate Russell Finsterwald on his wheel through the finish line on stage 4. Finsterwald is just 4:24 back in the GC. Photo by: Eddie Clark
“Todd and Finsty still got the gap on us,” continued the German. “What’s it called? Vomit Hill? I was with Chris Jones for a while, but after that it was a pretty lonely day.”
“We rolled together the rest of the day,” said Wells about riding with Finsterwald. “With the big climb out of Keystone, it is great to have someone with you because of the fast dirt road section.”
Going through aid two at Keystone Mountain, Wells and Finsterwald held a gap of 1:45 over Chris Jones (Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling) and Sonntag. Fernando Riveros and Wells’ little brother Troy were another 1:15 behind Jones and Sonntag with single riders chasing in areas.
Kevin Day rushes to the finish line after being surprised by his family, who drove through the night from Utah, at aid one. Photo by: Liam Dorian
By the finish Wells and Finsterwald had a two and a half minute over Sonntag and Fernando Riveros was over six minutes back with Chris Jones was close behind.
With Sonntag’s third place finish today on stage 4, he padded his overall third place, though he sits almost 22-minutes behind Wells. Kyle Trudeu (CZ Racing) sits in fourth, 12-minutes behind the German and Drew Free (KUHL-Pivot Cycles) is in fifth.
Showing true grit, Rebecca Gross rounds one of the final corners on a demanding fourth stage. Team KASK sits pretty in pink in the lead in the coed duo 6 day race. Photo by: Eddie Clark
WOMEN’S PRO/OPEN
Amy Krahenbuhl added to her lead once again on the Aqueduct stage, bringing her lead to over 40-minutes. Second and third-place overall riders, Emma Maaranen (Rolf) and Ksenia Lepikhina (Tokyo Joe’s) finished the stage placed consistent with their general classification.
We asked Krahenbuhl about the road (and trail) that’s brought her to the Breck Epic, one that saw her race the Trans New Zealand earlier this year.
“I’ve done random races here and there,” said Krahenbuhl. “More recently, I’ve been doing enduro racing and with that stuff, I would think ‘man, I could do really well if this whole thing was timed,’ because I’m not the fastest climber or descender, but I can go for a long time and hold it together.”
One half of the Juliana Bicycles 6 day duo women’s team, Uriel Carlson rounds one of the final corners before the finish line on stage four. Team Juliana Bicycles stays in third place on the day and the GC. Photo by: Liam Dorian
“It was really pedally,” said Krahenbuhl about the Aqueduct stage. “The big climb was a big, BIG climb. The descent down Colorado Trail was amazing. Definitely one of the more fun descents we’ve done so far.”
While it may seem as though the overall leads are all but sewn up, tomorrow’s weather forecast and the profile of the Wheeler Pass stage tomorrow, so much can happen. As Wells said just over 24-hours ago, “anything can happen in mountain bike stage racing.”
The third day of the Breck Epic saw the riders tackle the second-longest course of the week, circumventing the massive Mt. Guyot. Men’s overall race leader, Todd Wells (SRAM-Troy Lee Designs) and teammate Russell Finsterwald distanced themselves from the others on the second climb of the day —the decisive Georgia Pass—and they never looked back. “On the second climb, it’s a really steep one and it’s rideable all the way to the top,” said Wells. “It’s one of those things where you don’t attack or anything, you just push whatever gear you can sustain and we rolled off.”
By the time Wells and Finsterwald reached the rock gardens at the bottom of the descent off Georgia pass the duo had about five minutes over third place rider Chris Jones (Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling). At the finish, the lead duo had a nearly seven-minute gap.“First legit mountain bike podium ever,” said Jones at the finish. “Well, I’ve only done like six races ever, but I think if I’m on the podium with Todd and Finsterwald, that’s a pretty legit podium, right? We’ll call it dumb luck. I was okay going up Georgia Pass, but I don’t have the skills those guys do [on the steep climbs] where you’re just kind of balancing and if you unclip you have to run. That’s where those guys got away. They rode a section, I had to walk it, and I never saw them again.”
While the leaders had dry conditions for most of the day, the majority of the field dealt with driving rain on the climb and descent of Georgia Pass. Many riders dealt with flats early on, including Clif Bar teammates, Troy Wells and Ben Sontag. Sontag was able to repair his flat with a plug, but Troy Wells’ who suffered his flat early in the stage, got shuffled back in the field and lose a chunk of time.
ON RIDING WITH FINSTERWALD
“You know when you’re descending and you’re at a comfortable pace? ”Asked Wells. “You’re going fast, but it’s what you feel comfortable at. I was going just over that the entire day, so I couldn’t even enjoy those descents. I was always looking forward to the climbs so I wouldn’t have to worry about crashing into a tree. You know, we have a decent lead now, but with stage race mountain bike, anything can happen. You can lose an hour. Two hours. Break a wheel and have to walk five miles. “It’s not over until the finish,” added Finsterwald.
In the three-day Epicurio us, Bryan Dillon (Topeak-Ergon), added to his lead with a win on his third and final stage. “Today is a fun stage. It really gets into the true Breckenridge style of rocky-riding and hike-a-bikin’, but it’s super fun,” said Dillon. “Being up on Guyot that time of day and looking back down on the valley, it’s just righteous.”
WOMEN’S PRO/OPEN 6-DAY
The Women’s 6-Day Open leader, Amy Krahenbuhl, added to her lead with her elevated level of technical riding on the technical descents of stage three. Ksenia Lepikhina (Tokyo Joe’s) was in second 10-minutes back, and Emma Maaranen (Rolf) was another four and half minutes back of her. “[Lepikhina] was behind me at the start of the first climb, but after that I was hanging out with boys and using that as motivation, said Krahenbuhl of Lepikhina.
“Today I finally felt like my legs were strong. I really like the day after day cycling, so I felt like today I finally got my legs and I’m going to keep with it.” “Absolutely beautiful to go up and over the Continental Divide,” continued Krahenbuhl. “Everyone was in great spirits and having a great time. On the downhill everyone was hootin’ an’ hollarin’. There was great energy out there.” With stage four being the longest of the week and almost 8,000 feet of climbing, there will be plenty of good times for the race leaders and those just enjoying the high-mountain singletrack, alike.
Todd Wells Bounces Back For A Win in Stage Two as Amy Krahenbuhl Claims Her Second Stage
The roll-out on the road was quick and the first climb broke up the race quickly. The Colorado Trail stage of the Breck Epic is a big one in terms of both mileage and pue Colorado mountain biking. Photo by Liam Dorian
Barry Wicks came in tenth today and sits in 7th overall, just over 28-minutes back. Photo by Liam Dorian
Eva Poidevin is in fourth place in the women’s open 3-Day race, just six minutes off podium with one stage to go. Photo by Liam Dorian
Drew Free (KUHL-Pivot Cycles) moved up overall on stage two into eighth place after riding to a ninth place finish. Photo by Liam Dorian
Riders utilize stretches of iconic mining roads, linking pristine sections of Breckenridge single track. Photo by Liam Dorian
Photo by Liam Dorian
The voice of the Breck Epic, Larry Grossman, welcomes Jason Turner to Aid 1. With most of the steep pitches out of the way, riders were ready to get on to the Colorado Trail. Photo by Liam Dorian
Natalia Ptas and Rachel (Scott) Beisel of the Naked Women’s Team took another win on stage two bringing their lead to up to 24-minutes. Photo by Liam Dorian
Photo by Liam Dorian
Riders crisscrossed dirt roads on the run-in to the finish of stage two, with course designers opting for singletrack over, sometimes more direct, fire-road. Always. Photo by Liam Dorian
Fran Claes and Serena Gordon Win the Finale; Claes and Dong Take the GC Titles
Written by: Marlee Dixon
You better be ready to race hard today! If the previous days were ‘endurance’ races, today is definitely an XC race. It’s the shortest day of the week and it’s the time to secure your overall standing or make up as much time as possible on competition. Today racers lined up in waves at the Ice rink and headed up Boreas Pass road briefly before jumping on the new Aspen Alley trail. Racers climbed up Aspen Alley to Bankers Tank to High Point to Iowa Mill Rd to Mountain Pride Trail. Then it’s a fun few miles of descending down mountain pride trail to bakers tank before climbing up Boreas Pass rd to the continential divide and Aid 1 (also Aid 2).
Next it’s down the Gold Dust trail – a loose, fun singletrack that turns into a flume trail followed by some more descending. The rain/hail the previous night had made this section more technical and slick than normal. Once out of Gold Dust, racers start climbing roads back up to Aid 2. Then it’s down Boreas Pass Rd to Indiana Creek Rd and the Blue River trail to the finish. Total distance for Day 6 is 29 miles and 3,379’ elevation gain.
Frans Claes (Loving Hut) took the lead into the first singletrack of the day, aspen alley and turned up the pace. He was able to get a small gap on the chase group of Ben Swanepoel (Squirt) and Bryan Dillon (Griggs Orthpedics) who would keep him close on the nearly 1-hour climb to the summit of Boreas Pass. A second chase group of Carl Decker (Giant) and Marcel Reiser (Bikesport) with Drew Free (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) dangling off the back would hold less than a 1 min gap to Swanepoel and Dillon.
Gaps remained consistent down the gold dust trail. On the second climb of the day, Claes would open up his gap to about 2 min as he crested Boreas Pass for a 2nd time leaving the others to race for the remaining podium spots. During the second climb of the day Free and Reiser were able to get away from Decker and work on closing the gap to Swanepoel and Dillon. On the final descent Free was finally able to close the gap to Swanepoel and Dillon and go on to capture 2nd with Dillon finishing 3rd just 30 seconds back.
For the Epic 6 day Women’s open it was Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant), Evelyn Dong (Shoair/Cannondale) and Kelly Boniface (Moots) who rode together for almost the entire race with Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) about 2 minutes behind in 4th place. Kelly and Serena were only 2 minutes 43 seconds apart in the overall for 3rd place and both women were charging it.
Serena and Evelyn rode into the finish close to each other and Serena pushed ahead at the end for the stage win. She finished 1st today and will remain in 3rd overall. Evelyn Dong finished 2nd today and will remain the Breck Epic pro female winner. Kelly Boniface came in a close 3rd and will remain in 4th overall. Marlee Dixon came in 4th today and will remain in 2nd overall.
It’s been an extremely fun and challenging 6 days of racing covering 210 miles and over 30,000’ of elevation gain. It’s a race where everything in your normal life stops and racing becomes your sole focus in life. You meet new people and they become your partners in this crazy experience. Life becomes a pattern of race, recover, race, recover.
There are many highs and lows throughout the week with good days and bad days. There will probably be days you’ll wake up and feel like you’re on a death march – your body hurts everywhere, you’re utterly exhausted, you can’t remember what stage it is and now it’s time for you to pony up and race your heart out. Then you’ll summit Wheeler pass and hike your bike for hours and it will be similar to a death march. But then there are days where you’ll feel on top of the world and if you get a chance to look out at the scenery, you could almost sing like sound of music it’s so freaking beautiful. This race forces you to test yourself physically and mentally and that’s an experience that’s hard to forget. If you’re thinking about doing the Breck Epic then sign up. You’ll be glad you did.
And now on to Stage 7 as Mike McCormack wrote, “What about Stage 7?” you ask? The Gold Pan Saloon on Main Street. Bring your dancing pants. And a stunt liver. Don’t let the first review on TripAdvisor (“STAY AWAY!!!”) scare you.”
Barry Wicks and Evelyn Dong Win Queen Stage on Wheeler Summit
Written by: Marlee Dixon
Day 5 of the Breck Epic is the Wheeler trail. Or you could call it; I climbed 4000 ft of elevation in the first 10 miles of the course today and spent a lot of that time pushing my bike up the mountain!
New this year, the course changed and instead of dropping down the back side of Wheeler trail into Copper and taking the bike path back to Frisco, racers descended about a mile of the Wheeler trail over Wheeler pass then climbed again up Miners Creek Trail. As Serena Gordon said it so sweetly this morning, “not only do we get to ride our bike today.. we get to go for a hike also”.
And we all got to go for a long hike-a-bike up Wheeler trail and also Miners Creek. Today was the most technical day out on course and for a lot of categories it changed things up. This was really cool to see and I think it was a good change from the old course despite being a grueling kick in the gut climb.
Belgium National Champ Frans Claes charges where the air is thin and trail is vague. – Photo by Eddie Clark
Overall for the course today was 24 miles and gained 4600’ of elevation. The course climbs for the first 10 miles followed by a mile long descent then up again for another 2-3 miles of climbing and 1200 feet of elevation gain. At this point you are on top of the 10 mile range and it’s breathtaking. Not many people ride up there and although it’s the shortest day, it’s the burliest.
The descent down Miners Creek is technical and exposed. Once down miners creek it’s the up/down Peaks Trail back to Peak 7 then one final mile-long climb up the ski resort to the midpoint on Peak 8 before riders descend the Wanderer trail back to Beaver Run and the finish.
Highlights of the day were definitely the breathtaking beauty of being on the 10 mile range, Skittles (and bacon for some) on the top of Wheeler pass, and the technical fast descent down Miner’s Creek and Peaks Trail.
For the Epic 6 day Men’s open Barry Wicks (Kona) won the stage in a time of 2:51:28! In 2nd was Frans Claes (Loving Hut), despite a flat. Claes finished with a time of 2:54:57 keeping him 1st overall. In 3rd was Ben Swanepoel (Squirt) with a time of 2:56:22 and right with him was Bryan Dillon (Griggs Orthopedic) with a time of 2:56:24. Ben and Bryan will both remain in 2nd and 3rd overall.
Marlee Dixon opts for a handful of skittles. – Photo by Liam Doran
For the Epic 6 day Women’s open it was Evelyn Dong (Shoair/Cannondale) and Kelly Boniface (Moots) climbing and hike-a-biking in the lead up Wheeler trail with Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) and Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant) close behind.
Evelyn got a little ahead of Kelly by the time they reached the top of the Peak 9 road and not long after Marlee passed Kelly right before the top of Wheeler pass with Serena passing Kelly on the Wheeler pass descent.
Evelyn remained in the lead for the rest of the race finishing in 3:33:05. Marlee remained 2nd in a time of 3:34:37. Serena stayed in 3rd with a time of 3:38:53 and moves back in front of Boniface into 3rd place overall while Kelly came in 4th with a time of 3:43:51 and moves to 4th place overall.
A gentle smile through a hard day. – Photo by Liam Doran
Sam and Katie from Durango clear many sections on the high alpine, rocky terrain that most could not. – Photo by Liam Doran
Marlee Dixon opts for a handful of skittles. – Photo by Liam Doran
On the fifth consecutive day of racing, the top three men were happy to partake in the bacon and skittles feed atop of the first climb. – Photo by Liam Doran
Bryan Dillon was the first to crest the Wheeler Pass climb. He went on to go wheel to wheel with Ben Swanepoel fighting for 2nd. Dillon followed Swanepoel’s wheel for the majority of the last section of trail. As they approached the finish line, Swanepoel blew a corner, providing an open line for Dillon to pass and take 2nd. Instead, Dillon waited at the line allowing Swanepoel to finish first. – Photo by Liam Doran
Bryan Dillon and Ben Swanepoel go wheel to wheel as they approach the infamous Wheeler switchback climb to the summit. – Photo by Liam Doran
Seen here at the Breck Epic stage race, Barry Wicks knows how to train for multi-day events as he wins stage 5 of the 2015 race. – Photo by Eddie Clark
Belgium National Champ Frans Claes charges where the air is thin and trail is vague. – Photo by Eddie Clark
Evelyn Dong sits back and enjoys the steep, loose, high altitude descent after two major climbs above treeline. – Photo by Eddie Clark
Breck Epic Riders Power Through the Longest Stage of the Race as Claes and Dong Extend Their Leads
Written by: Marlee Dixon
This is the biggest day of the week, as one guy said at the finish, “Every stage is so hard I just can’t compare them” and today is no exception.
With 42 miles, 6000’ of vertical and some gigantic climbs, this day is the longest on the bike. Again this morning we started out in the middle of the town of Breckenridge with a pacer car to French Gulch Rd. It’s a dirt road climb for the first few miles which helps to spread racers out. Then it’s some fun single-track- Fall Classic trail, Slalom and Upper Flume trails before racers head up a new section of the course- Traylor Way to ZL Trail.
Traylor way was another dirt/rocky road climb but the new ZL trail was a great addition! It’s a beautiful singletrack with some fun downhill sections. Then it’s over to the Dredge lot for Aid 1 and up/down the Colorado trail to Vomit Hill.
Riders get the full Vomit Hill experience – Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com
For the lower section, Vomit Hill was mostly a hike a bike, then it tricks you by leveling out in a beautiful meadow only to put you back in the pain cave with more climbing- steep long sections that hurt. Once up and over it’s a fun descent on Horseshoe Gulch trail to the Aqueduct trail.
The Aqueduct trail is a flowy trail that turns pretty flat before sending racers out on Keystone Gulch Rd. This is where the longest climbing of the day starts- 1800’ of vertical over 5 miles. It’s a long road climb, followed by a singletrack climb to West Ridge. Then it’s on to one of the best parts of today’s course: flying down West Ridge. This descent is incredibly fast and fun. Once down West Ridge, racers make their way to the final climb of the day- Rock Island Gulch. This is a long, difficult road climb back up to French Gulch. Then it’s down Lincoln Park road, Side Door trail, Minnie Mine trail and B&B trail to the finish.
Barry Wicks and Drew Free digging deep – Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com
For the Epic, 6 day race, the Belgian Frans Claes (Loving Hut) quickly opened up a small gap on a chase group of Bryan Dillon (Griggs Orthopedics) and Ben Swanepoel (Squirt) with Barry Wicks (Kona), Drew Free (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) and Carl Decker (Giant) close behind them.
Time gaps between the leaders would remain at about 1 min through Aid 2. Coming out of Aid 2 Claes showed why he has won every stage thus far at the Breck Epic. Despite their best efforts working together Dillon and Swanepoel were unable to close the gap and Claes would go on to open his overall lead by another 4 minutes. Dillon would best Swanepoel at the line for second.
Rounding out the top 5 were Free and Decker who were never separated by more than 30 seconds from Aid 3 to the finish
Kelly Boniface was back in the battle on stage 4 – Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com
In today’s pro women race things changed around a little. Evelyn Dong (Shoair/Cannondale), Kelly Boniface (Moots), Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant), and Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) all were relatively close for the first few miles then Evelyn started to pull away and Kelly was riding strong in 2nd.
Serena was in 3rd until the descent down Summit Gulch Rd. where Marlee passed her.
Marlee caught Kelly on the Aqueduct trail where they rode together for a little while until the Pivot/Epic Brewing rider pulled away.
By Aid 2, Evelyn was 2 minutes in the lead, and Marlee and Kelly were separated by less than a minute.
At Aid 3, Evelyn was still in the lead by a minute, Marlee was in 2nd, Kelly in 3rd and Serena in 4th. Evelyn finished 1st ; 30 seconds ahead of Marlee who now holds 2nd place overall. Kelly Kim Boniface finished a few minutes back and leap frogs Serena Gordon into 3rd place.
Claes and Dong Conquer Mount Guyot Stage – Topeak/Ergon Wraps up Domination of Breck 3-Day
Written by: Marlee Dixon
Get ready to climb! Day 3 of the Breck Epic is the circumnavigation of Mount Guyot. It’s a BIG day with 6000’ of vertical and 38 miles including 2 mountain passes.
Day 3 starts in downtown Breckenridge and it’s a mile long neutral start out to the Wellington neighborhood before racers start climbing the dirt French Gulch Rd. to Minnie Mine trail. This beginning section of the race is a climb and racers head up Minnie Mine trail to Side door trail, a short breathier down Prospect hill rd. then it’s climbing up Lincoln Park road. Once up Lincoln Park rd. it’s onto the flat Little French Flume before heading down Little French trail back to French Gulch rd. again and Aid 1.
After Aid 1, racers start a mellow double track climb with some rocky and watery areas on the trail to a very steep single track and hike-a-bike (for most people) up French Gulch. This is the first mountain pass and although the hike-a-bike is brutal, if you have the time to look around, it’s absolutely stunning.
Carborocket owner Brad Keyes supplied the beer during stage 3. Photo by Liam Doran
This is also where Jonathan Davis from Elevated Legs/9250 Cyclery, his son, Tanner and Brad from Carborocket hand out Skittles.
I wish I had a chance to grab some this year but I was too busy trying to motor on through to enjoy the rainbow.
Once over French Gulch, racers get a real backcountry epic descent down Michigan Creek trail into Aid 2. Then it’s back to climbing again as we head up Glacier Ridge road to the top of Georgia Pass; another beautiful mountain pass.
Carl Decker starts the Colorado trail descent. Photo by Eddie Clark
Again after the climb, racers are rewarded with some of the best singletrack as they cruise down the Colorado trail. The top part of this trail is a little rooty, but flowy and fast while the end section is rocky and very technical. All in all it’s a great backcountry trail. Then it’s a descent down the Middle fork road and Parkville rd. to the last aid station of the day.
One more aid station before the last big slug up American Gulch Rd. A long dirt road climb that gets steeper the closer you get to the top. Once up and over American Gulch Rd. it’s a fun descent down Lincoln Park rd., Side door and Minnie Mine trail. Then there’s one more up/down techy trail called Turks trail and finally B&B trail to the finish.
This year we got super lucky with the weather (it’s hailed on racers at the top of Georgia pass before, ouch!) and had cool perfect weather. The climbing in this stage is long and HARD but as one guy said today in the race at the end of the Colorado Trail, “I never thought I would get sick of descending”. It’s all worth it for the awesome trails we get to descend on.
Marathon World Champion Alban Lakata crests the days biggest climb. Photo by Eddie Clark
For the Epic 3 day racers Pro Men, World Champion, Alban Lakata won the stage today in 3:00:18 and finished 2nd overall (total time 8:17:23) behind his Topeak-Ergon teammate Kristian Hynek. Kristian Hynek finished 2nd today less than a tenth of a second behind Alban Lakata in a time of 3:00:19. He won the overall in a total time of 8:16:54. In third today and overall was the third Topeak-Ergon racer, Jeremiah Bishop who finished in 3:05:46 (total time 8:30:25). These three racers crushed all the previous records and spectators said were incredible to watch, especially powering up French Gulch today.
For the Pro women 3 day, Sally Bigham (Topeak/Ergon) won the stage (3:41:14) and overall (10:16:59), followed in 2nd by Mayalen Noriega (Primaflor/Orbea) with a time of 4:47:17 (total time of 12:47:33) and in third was Kata Skaggs with a time of 5:12:29 (14:11:26).
For the Epic, 6 day race, for the pro men Frans Claes (Loving Hut) won again in a time of 3:12:11. He remains in the lead with a total time of 8:43:51. Ben Swanepoel (Squirt) was again in 2nd with a time of 3:14:03 and remains in 2nd overall at 8:53:17. Barry Wicks (Kona) took 3rd place today with a time of 3:13:52, but Bryan Dillon (Griggs Orthopedic) moves into the 3rd place overall with a total time of 9:00:36.
For the pro women today’s race seemed a little more spread out for the top 4 racers. Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant) started off strong and took a nice lead from the start of the race. Evelyn Dong (Shoair/Cannondale) , Kelly Boniface (Moots) and Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) rode within eyesight for the first section and up French Gulch road where we were able to catch up and pass Gordon.
Evelyn Dong takes the lead for the day solidifying her lead in the GC. Photo by Eddie Clark
At this point Dong took off and pushed up the climb ahead of us. Getting up to the top of the pass, Boniface was in 2nd, Dixon in 3rd and Gordon in 4th.
Gordon and Dixon passed Boniface on the Michigan creek descent. Then Dixon remained in 2nd for the remainder of the race, never seeing the other girls despite being within 3-6 minutes apart.
Evelyn Dong won the stage in a time of 3:49:27 increasing her overall lead with a total time of 10:30:00. Dixon finished 2nd in a time of 3:53:41 and moved up to 3rd overall with a total time of 10:44:57. Serena Gordon took 3rd today with a time of 3:56:51 and remains in 2nd place with a total time of 10:44:13. Kelly Boniface finished in 4:00:10 and is now in 4th with a total time of 10:47:40. It’s been a close race for the top 4 women and it will be awesome to see how the rest of the stages go!
Local Lady Marlee Dixon Takes Colorado Trail Stage While Belgian Frans Claes Wins it for the Men
Written by Marlee Dixon
And the riding gets more and more fun!!! Day 2 of the Breck Epic is a tough day with some monster climbs, but the pain is well-worth it for the awesome descents. Day two starts to give racers a feel for the great riding in Summit County. Today racers started at 8:30 again from the middle of Breckenridge. It’s a short mile behind the pace car to the first climb up Gold Run Road. This climb is a grunt and helps to disperse riders before getting onto the Fall Classic Single track trail.
Then it’s a quick dirt road descent to the next big climb- Heinous Hill. Aptly named – this is a hard mile long climb with some loose rocky areas that can easily push racers off their bikes. Once done with Heinous it’s a screaming descent on Summit Gulch Rd.
Barry Wicks attacks the Colorado trail DH to make up some time he lost on stage 1. Photo by Liam Doran
This road has mainly one line down it and carnage has been known to happen here. Next we got on the Galena Ditch trail, a flume trail that goes on for a few miles, mostly flat with some rolling sections. A new extension was built called the Galena Ditch Extension, and luckily we were some of the first riders on this new trail.
Once out of Galena Ditch, racers arrive at the 1st aid station and head up the road and get on the middle fork of the Colorado trail. This is a really fun section of the Colorado Trail with some short techy sections, climbing, and a fun descent at the end. Then it’s on to the Westridge climb – a ~4 mile climb up the Colorado Trail. This is one of my favorite trails in Summit County because of the awesome descent down Westridge and Red Trail. Then it’s a climb up for about a mile on the Hay Trail and down Blair Witch before racers meet aid 2.
At mile 30, this is the last aid station and it’s a few miles road ride until racers head up again on Discovery Ridge Trail. Once down Discovery Ridge it’s another dirt non-motorized road climb up Gold Run Road. This is where you start to see racers bonking as this road goes on for a few miles. Once at the top it’s on to more singletrack on the Western Sky Trail then it’s down Prospect Hill road to Side door trail, Minnie mine trail and X10U8 to the finish.
Today was 37.3 Miles and 4920’ vertical. With only a few rain drops later in the race, today’s weather and trail conditions were perfect.
Alban Lakata and Jeremiah Bishop wind through a ribbon of the Colorado Trail. Photo by – Liam Doran
For the Epic 3 day racers Pro Men Kristian Hynek (Topeak-Ergon) won the stage in 2:41:29 (total 2 day time of: 5:16:35, 2nd was Alban Lakata (Topeak-Ergon) in 2:41:58 (5:17:04) and in 3rd was Jeremiah Bishop (Topeak-Ergon) at 2:42:01 (5:24:39). For the Pro women, Sally Bigham (Topeak-Ergon) had a much better day today than yesterday (no mechanicals) and finished in a record 3:14:23 (total 2 day time of 6:35:44), followed by Mayalen Noriega (Primaflor/Orbea) with a time of 4:07:15 (8:00:16) and in third was Kata Skaggs with a time of 4:43:52 (8:58:56).
For the Epic, 6 day race, for the pro men Frans Claes won in a time of 2:48:21 (total 2 day time: 5:31:39) followed by Ben Swanepoel (Squirt Lube) in 2nd at 2:54:16 (5:40:14) and Barry Wicks in 3rd with a time of 2:57:12 (5:45:30).
Serena Gordon carried on through a rough stage suffering a couple flat tires and finishes 4th. Photo by Liam Doran
For the pro women it was an exciting race! For the first 2/3rds of the race, Evelyn Dong (Sho-Air/Cannondale), Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant), Kelly Boniface (Moots), and Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) stayed within sight of each other.
Serena was in the lead for most of the time with Kelly and Evelyn right behind her switching back and forth. Dixon hung in 2nd starting up Heinous Hill then unclipped a few times and both Kelly and Evelyn passed her.
Dixon stayed behind them rolling into aid 1 in 4th only a few seconds behind. On the road to middle fork and on the middle fork of the Colorado Trail, Evelyn, Kelly and Serena stayed close together and Dixon was a few seconds back.
Once on Westridge, Dixon passed Kelly on the climb and stayed right behind Serena and Evelyn on the descent.
Serena flatted on the Westridge descent and Dixon followed Evelyn for the rest of the downhill. Climbing up Hay trail Dixon passed Evelyn but ended up switching back and forth a few times and rallying hard together for the rest of the race.
At the finish, Dixon managed to get ahead and won in a time of 3:25:07 (Total 2 day time of: 6:51:16), followed right behind by Evelyn Dong at 3:25:15 (6:40:33), Kelly Boniface came in 3rd in 3:29:56 (6:47:29) followed closing by Serena Gordon in 3:30:29 (6:47:21).
Serena Gordon carried on through a rough stage suffering a couple flat tires and finishes 4th. Photo by Liam Doran
Barry Wicks attacks the Colorado trail DH to make up some time he lost on stage 1. Photo by Liam Doran
Sally Bigham stays glued to Chris Case’s wheel as they near the finish. Sally finished first overall of the woman and continues to have a comfortable lead in her 3 day open women’s race. Photo by Liam Doran
Photo by Liam Doran
Kelly Boniface stays consistent and out of the red on day 2. She finishes third for the day. Photo by Liam Doran
Ben Melt Swanepoel looks ahead on a high speed section of the Colorado Trail. Photo by Liam Doran
Frans Claes of Belgium stays in a comfortable lead in the 6 day men’s race. Photo by Liam Doran
Alban Lakata and Jeremiah Bishop wind through a ribbon of the Colorado Trail. Photo by – Liam Doran
The Breck Epic is a 6 day stage race held in Breckenridge Colorado that features six big backcountry loops. Each day starts and ends in Breckenridge while taking racers on 25-45 miles around Summit County. Each day is very challenging with most days averaging around ~5000 feet of elevation gain at elevations above 9600’. Hundreds of racers come from all over the world to do the Breck Epic each year covering a total of 240 miles and ~40,000 feet of elevation gain.
Day 1 of the Breck Epic is called Pennsylvania Creek: it’s 35 miles and ~5000 ft elevation gain. Day 1 is a hard day mostly because it’s the most uncertain day. What to expect? Talking to other racers; most seemed to feel the same way, get Stage 1 over with and I’ll feel better.
Racers roll out on Stage 1 of the 2015 Breck Epic
Day 1 starts at 8:30am at the icerink in town. It’s a fast “neutral” roll out up the paved road towards Boreas Pass Rd. About a mile up the road, the traffic cop leaves and the race starts. It’s another couple of miles on the road until the first descent- Aspen Alley. Last fall Aspen Alley was redone and is now a fun mellow descent with a bunch of bermy switch backs. It’s a great new trail, although I do miss the old steep, loose and a little sketchy Aspen Alley. Then it’s up the Blue River trail single track all the way to the first major climb of the day- Royal Bypass to Penn Creek Rd. This is a long double track, steep, loose climb that leads to a paved road and then back onto a double track climb for a few miles. Once at the top, it’s a loose, steep descent down a road called the “Grind”. Then it’s back up for another few miles on a jeep road climb, Indiana Gulch road, before racers get to Boreas Pass Rd. Racers descend down the dirt Boreas Pass Rd into Aid 1 at Bankers Tank. Back onto single track it’s up and down Bankers Tank Trail to Pinball Alley, True Romance and down Nightmare on Baldy. Then it’s a fast descent on the non-motorized Sally Barber road to aid 2. New this year, racers rode a short climb up humbug hill to the new Wire Patch Trail. Wire patch trail is a fun up/down trail that parallels French Gulch Road. Then it’s on to the legendary Little French Climb- a 2 mile climb that’s loose and rocky. From there racers head onto the Little French Flume and back into the French Gulch area onto some fun single track: Harum Trail and Chantilly Trail, and also climbing and descending jeep roads: Spruce Rd and Prospect hill road. I’ve been riding these trails for the past 4 years and still get lost when I’m back in French Gulch due to the high amount of jeep roads everywhere. Finally we descend Gold Run Rd to the Wellington Neighborhood and then it’s a short climb up the road and the B&B Trail to V3. V3 is the last climb of the day and from there it’s a fun descent down Barney Ford and the new Barney Flow (yo!) trail to Carter Park.
Evelyn Dong (Sho-Air Cannondale) leads the Women’s 6 Day after Stage 1.
This year for the men and women there are a lot of extremely fast racers in the first 3 day Epi-curious race. Leadville 100 falls a week later and many of the top Leadville racers are putting in 3 hard days this week as they get ready to race the Leadville 100 on Saturday. The marathon distance world champion, Alban Lakata, the women’s multiple time Leadville 100 winner, Sally Bigham, are among a few of the epic-curious racers this year. For the Pro men 3 day stage 1 results – the top three men were: Alban Lakata (02:35:06), Kristian Hynek (2:35:09), and Jeremiah Bishop (2:42:37). For the Pro Women , Sally Bigham, although busting her wheel and getting a new one at Aid 1, won by 30 minutes in a time of 03:21:20. In 2nd was Mayalen Noriega with a time of 03:53:00 and in 3rd was Kata Skaggs with a time of 4:15:04.
For the Epic, 6 day race, for the pro men Frans Claes won in a time of 2:43:18. Ben Swanepoel came in 2nd at 2:45:57 and Carl Decker was 3rd with a time of 02:48:17. For the pro women Evelyn Dong won in a time of 3:15:17. In 2nd, despite getting a flat, was Serena Bishop Gordon in a time of 3:16:52 and in 3rd was Kelly Kim Boniface with a time of 03:17:33.
