Writing and Photos by: Shannon Boffeli
Precisely at 3:00 PM this afternoon the inaugural Breck-Epic kicked off. Unfortunately for the racers, it was also pouring rain. Breckenridge has been unseasonable wet this summer and while the rain made the course and the riders very wet it wasn't muddy.
Riders hit the wet course
The rain did nothing to dampen Jeremiah Bishop's spirits. "This is beautiful" the Monavie-Cannondale rider exclaimed as he finished off the 5-mile prologue. "My lungs were so tight yesterday with all the allergens in the air... the rain was just what I needed to help me breathe again."
And it showed as the polished off the prologue climb, which featured almost 2,000 vertical feet of climbing in just 35 minutes and 24 seconds. His prologue win puts him 19 seconds infront of mountain bike racing legend and Colorado favotire son, Travis Brown (Trek). Third place went to Brandon Dwight at 37.44.
In the solo women's race Colorado resident and experienced endurance racers Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) flexed her muscles today to win the stage by over 2 minutes. The rain seemed to have little effect on Gersbach who has logged many hours riding the Colorado backcountry.
Jen Hanks on the podium
Second place went to Jen Hanks (Revolution/Powerbar/MTBracenews.com). An experienced stage racer in her own right, Hanks has completed Transalp and Transrockies but will be competing solo for the first time in Breck. The final podium went to another Dale's Pale Ale rider, Christina Begay who finished just 28 seconds behind third.
The rain was coming down so hard nobody was brave enough to get a warm-up in just minutes before the Pro Women's start
Stage 1:
The first full stage of the Breck-Epic starts tomorrow at 9AM. Riders will attack a 43-mile course, which includes over 5,000 vertical feet of climbing. Currently the forecast calls for highs in the low 60s and sunny skies.
Check back with MTBracenews.com for photos, results, and reports for the Breck-Epic.
Braden Kappius is racing the Duo category with his dad
Solo Men:
1) Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 35:24
2) Travis Brown (Trek) 35:43
3) Brandon Dwight 37:44
4) Colby Pearce 37:57
5) Jorge Espinoza 38:27
Solo Women:
1) Jen Gersbach (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) 50:02
2) Jen Hanks (MTBRaceNews.com) 52:20
3) Christina Begay (Dale's Pale Ale/Spot) 52:48
4) Amy Robillard (Tough Girls/Scott) 59:11
5) Kim Bear (1:05:07)
