Monday, May 11, 2009

Battle the Bear / Front Range 50

The weather was perfect & the course impeccable. The organizers pulled off a fantastic race at the 2nd Front Range 50, combined with the long running Battle the Bear. Chipotle/Titus fielded 14 riders of the more than 500 racers, bringing home 2 wins & 5 podium spots.

Rain & cold weather was predicted but the morning was crystal clear & mildly brisk - shorts & short sleeve weather. The recent rains had rendered the course perfectly smooth & very fast. The course is a 10 mile loop, mostly on flat, narrow, twisty smooth single track. There are lots of tiny rollers mixed in. Four "big" climbs punctuate each lap. Climb #1 seems like the biggest but is only 1/2 mile with an average gradient of 8%, taking around 4 minutes. The second climb from the bottom of the damn is deceptively hard, though still less than 1 mile & averaging 5%. Climb 3 is the steepest peaking at 17% but is very short, followed very soon by the last climb, a .2 mile steep grunt. These are all middle chainring climbs but they eat into your legs by laps 4 & 5, adding up to over 4000 feet of climbing by days end.

The field was large & with so much fast single track it takes skill to pass. After the first 2 laps of the 50 mile race the Category 2 & 3 short course riders are mixed in, adding to the excitement. It is actually very fun to work on fast, safe & polite passing.

Karen Hogan led the ladies home with a win in the 40-49 field & a time placing her 4th overall. Stacy Moller riding her 2nd race for Chipotle/Titus was 4th in the 30-39 ladies (8th overall). Toni Geer 6th (15th overall) & Maria Perez 9th (20th overall) wrapped up our 40-49 field.

Mike Hogan climbed onto the 40-49 podium with 3rd place & was joined by John Bliss who was 3rd in the 50+ group. Lance Loehding, ripping up his home course, knew every spot to gain a second or two & finished 20th in the 30-39 men. Jamie Kilkoyn & Dan Mellish rode solid races at 41st & 53rd in this very strong field. Drew Geer was 20th in the 40+, working with teammate John Bliss throughout the race to pull in dozens of riders.

Battle the Bear is run on the same course & somewhat simultaneously as the Front Range 50. Keith Sanders scored his first win of the season over 3 laps of the course. Michelle Bliss matched John's spot, also placing 3rd in the Category 1 women 40+. Justin Green was 13th & Lester Pardoe 21st in their fields.

14 riders, 2 wins, 5 podium spots

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