Today was a big day at the Crested Butte 5 Day Ultra Enduro. Sort of a shake down day, in my opinion. Eliminate some of the people who aren’t fit enough for the win. The climbs were big, the temperatures were warm, and while the downhill stages were absolutely a blast, there wasn’t really a whole lot of technical difficulty to shake things up. Five days is a long time to race and punish your bike.
Everyone asks for big backcountry days in the United States for enduro racing. The options for riding lifts up, then going outside of the boundaries of ski areas are somewhat limited. So, that means, if you want to ride true backcountry style single track, you have to get up one way or another. And that usually means pedaling, or even worse, pushing you bike up. Yep, that’s just the way it goes. But with all of the options in Crested Butte, Colorado, if you’re willing to do that, (and 150 racers registered for this race, a sold out first year event), the down hill rewards are plentiful. Fun, fast, sometimes technical and rowdy, but always beautiful. And with the weather the way it was today, things were really a dream. When you top out at 12, 300 feet in Colorado, and the wind is calm, and the sun is shining, you really are a lucky person, and life doesn’t get a whole lot better than that.
The day started early, and the hike/bike up to 12,300 feet on Star Pass was a big climb. But wow, the views took your breath away.
Maybe the climb up to Star Pass wasn’t so hard after all. Lots of smiles, even though it was hard to catch your breath.The crowds started to gather and it was time to get this race underway. The five day Crested Butte Ultra Enduro is the first of it’s kind in America, following in the footsteps of Trans Provence and Trans Savoie.Race promoter Brandon Ontiveros was the course fore-runner. Something tells me (maybe the twinkle in his eye) that if he wasn’t running this major operation, he would love to be here racing it.Lower down in the cirque, the view upwards was massive. But the racers were looking at the view, as high speed moto whoops took down more than a couple racers. Bam!Mountain as far as you can see. And trails everywhere. Things will probably be described as “epic” after next summer’s Enduro World Series stop in CB.Back up top, the ladies weren’t about to be upstaged. Amber Naughton charging out of the gate.Even though Tim Kelton is concentrating really hard, he’s having a great time going mega high speed over this high alpine dirt.Debra Preller has raced many enduros over the last two summers. She’s calling on that experience this week.Lower down the mountain, Heather Irmiger rounds a corner. 2nd place for Irmiger on the day.It doesn’t happen very often in the top ranks of the pro riders, but passing is part of the game. Ross Schnell about to overtake Josh Carlson on Stage 1.Marco Osborne looked smooth, and smooth is usually fast. He was today.Stage 2 was the famous Teocali Ridge. Permits for Teo are as rare as winning the lottery. Just another thing to make the CB Ultra special.Krista Park has raced randomly this summer while she recovers from a badly broken collarbone and shoulder separation. She couldn’t stop giggling. It must have been the quality of the downhill stages.Jerome Clementz is happy to be back racing. Using this week as a big training block, he’s excited to be racing and doing some recon for next summer. Clementz was not on top today, but he’ll be back. Of that we are sure.Curtis Keene is another one having fun in Crested Butte. Or maybe he’s just here for the selfies and the Bud Light party.Kathy Pruitt doesn’t race a ton these days, she’s too busy, and having too much fun, as the full time demo coordinator for Juliana Bicycles. But when she does race, she lowers the boom. First for Pruitt on the day.Aspens, sunlight. Yes, you should come ride here.Joey Schusler must have drank some of the fast water while he was in Canada. He’s sitting in the top 5 after driving all night.Marco Osborne was the man of the day. 1st after two runs. Can he keep it up? Check back tomorrow to find out.
After one day of racing in Crested Butte, CO, the top five pro standings look like this.
Women
Kathy Pruitt
Heather Irmiger
Janae Pritchett
Lauren Kuennen
Alison Kinsler
Men
Marco Osborne
Ross Schnell
Mike West
Joey Schusler
Macky Franklin
Words, Photos: Daniel Dunn
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