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Park City Point 2 Point

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Keegan Swenson Takes Sprint Victory Over Todd Wells While Larissa Connors Dominates the Women’s Field

Written by: Shannon Boffeli

Saturday morning, the backcountry mountain bike spectacle known as the Park City Point 2 Point sounded the start canon. The race that normally ushers in Utah’s colorful fall blasted off but none of the cool temps, changing foliage, or damp hero dirt that usually accompany the event were on hand. Instead, summer conditions were in full force in the Utah high country.

The forecasted temperatures in Park City were hotter than ever but so was the competition at the 9th annual Point 2 Point. With a $2,000 winners purse the Point 2 Point always draws some top talent but 2017 featured a faster-than-ever group of men vying for the top positions. Highlights of that group included former national champions Todd Wells (Scott/Troy Lee) and Geoff Kabush (Scott), defending P2P champion Keegan Swenson (Cannondale), who passed up a trip to the world championships for a shot at defending his title, as well as a host of ultra-endurance honchos like Construction Zone Racing/Scott Sports teammates Kyle Trudeau and Fernando Riveros-Paez, Ben Sonntag (Clif Bar), and Justin Lindine.

Todd Wells cuts through the early morning sunlight. Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Right from the gun it was clear this year’s P2P was going to be like no other. An hour in, despite miles of singletrack, no fewer than a dozen riders still occupied the lead group, and they were rolling fast.

Another hour of climbing only managed to dislodge two riders as a pack of 10 powered through the Deer Valley feed led by ’15 P2P champ Robbie Squire. All the top riders were represented with Geoff Kabush biding his time a few bike lengths off the back.

Around the halfway point, Swenson attacked, pushing the pace into the long enduro segment on the Corvair trail. A move that worked for him in 2016, Swenson popped more riders from the lead group but couldn’t shake Wells. By the time he entered the aspen-rooted maze known as John’s Trail, Swenson and Wells established a gap of a few seconds over the rest of the lead group.

Geoff Kabush rode to third place in his inaugural P2P. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

The two leaders stayed wheel to wheel and Kabush rejoined the affair as they climbed up and around Shadow Lake, the high-point of the race. As they descended down the 20-minute Crescent Mine Grade trail Kabush would blow a tire before they reached Park City Resort (Support Station #3), dropping him back a little more than 5 minutes.

With just over 20 miles left the lead duo now had a 2-minute gap on Kyle Trudeau and Ben Sonntag and over 5 minutes on Canadian, Geoff Kabush.

Wells and Swenson continued their two-man battle over the final mix of climbs, rocky descents, and unbroken singletrack from Park City Resort to the new finish line outside Skullcandy headquarters.

An unregistered participant spotted on course. Angie Harker/Selective Vision

After 75 miles the race came down to a sprint finish. Wells took the early lead out on the slightly downhill paved bike path that made up the final 200 meters of the Point 2 Point course. Swenson tucked in behind as both riders built up speed all along the finishing stretch. In fact, they were coming so fast that race director Jay Burke had to clear all the spectators from the finishing venue and pull up stakes on the finishing chute to make room for the elbow-to-elbow battle.

Both riders powered out of the saddle in their biggest gears, surging toward the line with Swenson popping out of the draft in perfect slingshot position to nip Wells at the line and take his second Point 2 Point title.

Eric Porter manuals his way to the finish line. Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Geoff Kabush made an impressive final surge, posting the fastest time over the final 20 miles, taking minutes out of the leaders but coming up just short only a minute and a half behind at the finish.

Ben Sonntag rolled in for fourth just in front of Kyle Trudeau.

The ladies of the 2017 Point 2 Point provided their own firepower for this ultra-endurance event.

Larissa Connors smiling her way through the 75-mile P2P course. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Past winner Evelyn Dong (Liv) made her return to Park City and the P2P. Hannah Bingham (Eriksen), winner of the Steamboat Stinger, made her debut at the race as did TransSylvania Epic winner Kaysee Armstrong (Liv). Recent Pierre’s Hole 100k champion Caedran Harvey (Fitzgerald’s) was also on hand along with Breck 100 and Lutsen 99er champion Larissa Connors (Twenty20/Felt).

From the start the pace was high as Connors and Armstrong jumped to the front opening gaps early on.

Kaysee Armstrong testing her legs out west. Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Connors quickly established herself as the early leader though, pulling away from Armstrong and the rest of the field in the winding one-track of Round Valley. The early climbs certainly didn’t slow Connors either as she steadily opened a gap to the chasers while picking off riders in the open men’s field that started in front of her.

A battle for second was brewing behind the lone leader however, Firecracker 50 winner Marlee Dixon (Pivot/DNA Cycling) was riding just in front of Caedran Harvey as both riders climbed past Deer Valley and Shadow Lake over 50 miles into the race.

Dixon held about a minute lead until both riders entered the Park City feed together. Harvey left the feed just in front of Dixon and despite having several thousand feet of climbing in front of her, Harvey started to feel her best form of the day coming on.

Harvey made the best of it, putting almost 10 minutes into Dixon in the last 20 miles. Despite Caedran’s impressive surge Connors was too far-gone to even think about bringing back.

Larissa Connors had such a good day in fact that at the finish her time would have placed her in the top-20 of a stacked open men’s field.

After just over 7 hours of riding Connors crossed the line to claim another win in her long list of ultra-endurance triumphs this summer. In a surprise move Connors donated her entire $2,000 prize purse to the Summit Bike Club, a local youth mountain bike development team.

Connors took the win by almost 30 minutes over second-placed Caedran Harvey. Marlee Dixon held on for third over past P2P winner Evelyn Dong who finished fourth. Hannah Bingham took the final podium spot in fifth.

Once all the excitement, awards, and money had been dispersed the final finisher was still on course. Although the fastest finishers cross the line in just over 6 hours most riders in the Park City Point 2 Point take much longer to cross the line.

Josh Murphree collects the red lantern award after completing his first P2P. Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Each year the P2P saves a special prize package for the Red Lantern, the final racer on course, recognizing the incredible effort of the rider who spent the longest time on their bike and persevered to the finish. This year Josh Murphree took home the Red Lantern prize who in his second attempt at the Point 2 Point finished the 75-mile course in 12 hours 52 minutes and looked surprisingly fresh doing so.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RESULTS

PHOTO GALLERY

 

 

Breck Epic Stage 6

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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

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

Photo by: Liam Doran

Racers finish along the Blue River trail solidifying 6 days of singletrack-heavy racing. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click Here for full Stage 6 Results and Final GC Standings

Breck Epic Stage 4

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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

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 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

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

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

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.”

“Hours could be lost.”

Click Here for full results from Stage 4 and GC

 

 

Breck Epic Stage 3 Report

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BRECKENRIDGE, Colorado

(Uncommon Comms.)

—

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.”

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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“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.

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Full Results from the stage here: (Stage 3 Results)

Breck Epic Stage 2

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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

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

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

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

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

Riders utilize stretches of iconic mining roads, linking pristine sections of Breckenridge single track. Photo by Liam Dorian

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

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

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

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

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

Click Here for Full Results from Stage 2

Boston Rebellion – Pro XCT

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Anthony, Wells Take Wins At Boston Rebellion

 

Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) and Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing) took the pro events at the Boston Rebellion, held on Saturday at Adams Farm in Walpole, Mass. The race saw the successful return of UCI mountain bike racing to the state of Massachusetts after a lengthy absence. The Adams Farm course treated racers to classic New England trails, with riders either loving or hating the rocks and roots.

Crystal Anthony crosses the line for her first Pro XCT win - Photo by Dave McElwaine

Crystal Anthony crosses the line for her first Pro XCT win – Photo by Dave McElwaine

Women’s Pro Race

Anthony was one rider who absolutely flew over the natural hazards, having ridden the course multiple times over the prior weeks. After a good start, she settled in behind Luna Pro Team’s Magdalie Rochette upon entering the woods and then attacked at the top of the power line section midway through the lap. From there, she built a large lead which she held on to take the eventual win by twenty three seconds over Ellen Noble (Competitive Cyclist). Megan Chinburg came in third over three minutes back, followed by Rochette and Karen Potter (Pivot/MTBRaceNews.com).

“I’m psyched to see the ProXCT come to my home state,” said Crystal. “It was a great course and the pre-riding I did all week helped because today was all about when to conserve energy and when to put on the gas. It also helped once I was fatigued to know the best lines and all those little gains add up.”

XC National Champion Todd Wells glides through the rocks at Boston Rebellion - Photo by Dave McElwaine

XC National Champion Todd Wells glides through the rocks at Boston Rebellion – Photo by Dave McElwaine

Men’s Pro Race 

The men’s race followed a similar format, as Todd Wells got an early lead on the first lap and rode away solo for the win.

“There were three of us initially and then I managed to get a gap and go off by myself,” said Wells. “It’s always nice to be up front and set your own pace but it can also be tricky to keep your concentration. Seeing Dan (Timmerman) coming up gave me some motivation. It’s nice to get a win coming into nat’s. Mom and Dad live not too far from here so to have them in the feed zone cheering me on was great too.”

Of note was the performance of Dan Timmerman (Riverside Racing), who started last and passed everyone except Wells to finish in a remarkable second place. “Dead last call up,” said Timmerman stoically after the race. “I passed as many as I could immediately and then in the woods it was anywhere I could, even if I ended up running out of it. It became a matter of just getting around people as fast as I could.”

Another notable result came from New Hampshire’s Tom Sampson (Vittoria/Yeti Cycles), who beat Chris Baddick in a tight sprint for third. ATA Cycles’ Billy Melone rounded out the podium in fifth place.

Racing concludes on Sunday with the final round of the Kenda Cup East series, and the Elite/Pro Short Track races.

 

Boston Rebellion Men’s Elite/Pro Results (top 10):

Rank First Name Last Name Team Time
1 Todd Wells Specialized Factory Racing 1:35.51
2 Dan Timmerman Riverside Racing 1:36.40
3 Tom Sampson Vittoria/Yeti Cycles 1:37.46
4 Chris Baddick 1:37.46
5 William Melone ATA Cycles 1:38.29
6 Cameron Dodge 1:38.53
7 Benjamin Sontag Clif Bar 1:38.53
8 Cole Oberman RareDiseaseCycling.org 1:38.59
9 Ryan Woodall Top Gear Bicycles / Felt / Industry Nine 1:39.27
10 Jeremy Powers Aspire Racing 1:40.48

 

Boston Rebellion Women’s Elite/Pro Results (top 10):

Rank First Name Last Name Team Time
1 Crystal Anthony Riverside Racing 1:20.06
2 Ellen Noble Competitive Cyclist 1:20.29
3 Megan Chinburg 1:23.48
4 Maghalie Rochette Team Luna Pro 1:24.38
5 Karen Potter Pivot/MTBracenews.com 1:25.37
6 Bryna Blanchard Windham Mountain Outfitters 1:25.54
7 Kimberly Quinlan Bicycle Express Racing 1:27.50
8 Amy Horstmeyer Twin Six/Team Green 1:46.36
9 Olivia Harkness
10 Catherina Harnden