Wildflower Rush - Crested Butte MSC

Jacqui Wood half way through the first climb - Racer X & Cobalts

Crested Butte hosted the Mountain States cup this past weekend with the Wildflower Rush. Crested Butte, one of the meccas of mountain biking, still boasts the absolute best XC race course on the circuit. The course was all new this year & though it is hard to top; it was actually better than last years race.

Kay Levesque enjoying the spectacular scenery

The race began with an immediate climb all on single track. Passing was a lot of work over the 20 minute climb. The gradient was moderate with twists & rolls to keep it interesting. At the top of the mountain it opened up on a fire road but still a climb. There was a 2k section to sort out our position before the descent. Across the very top there is a section absolutely made for the Titus X. It was very rocky rolling single track. I was able to blow through this at full speed picking up 2-3 places per lap. The beautiful descent trail was cut last week. It is all very narrow twisting trail and, of course, on very new loose dirt & grass. It was easy to ride but the trick was to ride it fast. All the Cat 1 riders had to negotiate 3 laps, the 3rd in a downpour which made the new trail extremely slick.

Jamie Kilkoyn threading his way through the aspen on a typical piece of trail

Chipotle Titus started 4 riders. Kay Levesque rode on a single speed, a tough choice for this particular course as it provided no rest. She finished 2nd. Jaqui Wood broke in her brand new Racer X with a 3rd place. Jamie Kilkoyn lined up against the toughest 30-39 field of the year & rolled in at 15th spot. Drew was 17th in the 40+ field.

This is a must do race - get it on your calendar for 2010!

4 starts
2 podium finishes

next up:
short track Wednesday
Winter Park Saturday

thanks to Garrett Geer for fantastic photos

The final descent - fast, twisty, muddy & slick