Mountain States Cup #1 - Rabbit Valley

The Rabbit Valley XC course

The storm that hit Denver tired to conspire to keep Chipotle Titus from making the start of the 2009 Mountain States Cup. Fortunately we were able to get 7 riders out there for a fantastic race. Drew Geer was the only rider for Saturday's time trial finishing 6th in cat 1 40+ men's field. Though the race was short - 4 miles & under 20 minutes - the intensity required was brutal. That sort of effort is harder on the lungs & burns the legs more than a 3 hour race. The course is mostly single track thus making the TT format necessary.

Sunday's XC was a single loop for all the cat 1 classes. It started with a very fast roll 10 miles down the Kokopelli trail. A "shortish" granny gear climb (spending time in the nursing home) took us up to the top of the mesa. There was a fantastic single track loop all along the mesa rim before dropping back to the Kokopelli to bring it home. The single track loop was the key to this race. It was hard to maintain a good rhythm & almost impossible to pass. It was packed with pump track style rollers, twisty turns & small drops & climbs. A good technical exercise all in all.

Mike Hogan ripped the cat 1 40+ field apart riding in 2:00:03 - a time that would be solid in the pro field. Drew Geer rolled in at 9th place - scoring a qualifying spot for the 2009 nationals. Jack Boltz was a very strong 5th place in the 50+ men.

Heidi Godsil finsished 4th in the cat 1 women 30-39 & looked as if she had hardly worked at all. A new team member, Jacqui Wood led home Sherri Boltz for 7th & 8th places in the cat 1 women 40+.

Solid finishes for everyone & national qualifying spots for every Chipotle Titus rider!