Locals battle nation’s best at mountain bike championships

“I was psyched for sure”

Members of local bike teams the Brick Oven/Crested Butte Builders (BO/CBB) and the Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team (CBMST) posted impressive results in a variety of disciplines at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships in Granby, Colo., July 16-19.
The championships attract the top riders from around the country, who compete on the international circuit as well.
As a result, when the pro riders lined up for the cross-country race, start position was determined by their UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) points rankings, leaving BO/CBB rider Travis Scheefer, who has little to no UCI points in back of the pack at the start.
“I think I was 60 or 65, pretty far in the back,” says Scheefer. “It’s hard to pass.”
Nevertheless, Scheefer made quick work of his competition on the first of five laps in the race. After a brief double track climb, the course turned onto a wide single track climbing for two miles. It was there Scheefer made his move.
“When we hit that single track I was able to start picking off guys,” says Scheefer.
By the top of the first lap, Scheefer had moved into 20th place. But all of the work passing on the first lap had Scheefer ease off for lap two, staying in his place and refueling for a second burst through the field on the third lap.
“I rode harder and passed some more guys and was in about 12th place,” says Scheefer.
Over the course of the final two laps Scheefer dropped a couple of spots, finishing the race in 16th place, right where he had hoped.
“I was just shooting for top 20,” says Scheefer. “I was psyched for sure.”
BO/CBB rider Jeff Irwin carried the team colors strong in the single speed division with a sixth-place finish, and Laura Anderson took 25th place among pro women in the cross-country.
Gravity riders were treated to a serious course in the downhill as organizers built two tracks, one designed specifically for the pro riders that included nine gap jumps, three of which were measured at 50 feet.
“It was a really challenging track,” says CBMST coach and rider Kain Leonard. “Maybe a little more than most people wanted to see, but I enjoyed it. If you came up short you were in a bad way.”
The course scared off some of the women pro riders, but CBMST member Stephanie Leonard stuck in there, cleared one of the huge gap jumps and had the top result in the gravity events among CBMST riders with a 10th-place finish in the women’s pro downhill.
Kain finished in 17th place out of a field of 120 riders.
“It was good but not great,” says Kain. “I didn’t have a spectacular run. I didn’t have the glide I was looking for in the rough sections.”
Unaffiliated Ryan Sutton finished in 19th place and CBMST rider Matt Russell took 36th in the pro division.
Team coach Christian Robertson proved that not even a newborn can slow him down. Despite riding less than he usually does, Robertson laid down a solid run to take third place the Category I division 35-39 age class. CBMST rider Ethan Evans finished 16th in the Cat II class age group 15-18 years old.
Leonard and the team will continue to compete in the Mountain States Cup series, as will Scheefer. The next race will be the Blast the Mass in Snowmass, August 7-9.