The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“I was chasing really hard the whole time”
As most of us were celebrating freedom on the Fourth of July by liberating food and shoving it in our mouths, NOTUBES/Team Griggs Orthopedics (Team GO) rider Jenny Smith was chasing down Kelly Boniface for almost the entire Firecracker 50 bike race, before pulling off the win on the final descent by a mere six seconds with a time of four hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds.
Team GO teammate Jari Kirkland joined Smith on the podium in third place. Elizabeth Sampey, also of Crested Butte, finished the day in fifth place.
The Firecracker 50 is notoriously tough, with 50 miles of riding and 8,000 feet of elevation gain spread out over two separate loops, mixing in rugged jeep road with long stretches of single track.
“It’s a super fun course but it’s got a lot of climbing,” says Smith. “It can be totally exasperating, whether you’re having a good day or bad.”
Smith came into the Firecracker 50 with several top results over the past two months, including winning the Half Growler and the women’s 50-mile race title, eighth overall, at the Bailey HUNDitO.
“The races have been going great,” says Smith. “I’ve been stoked on riding and racing.”
It was Smith’s third crack at the Firecracker 50. After having a “horrible” time on her first attempt, Smith placed second in 2011 and, given her recent spate of success, was looking to step on top of the podium this time around.
“I definitely thought I could potentially win it,” says Smith. “I went in with the intention of having a hard, fast race.”
With that in mind, Smith stepped on the gas once the parade start was over and was looking to put the wood to the competition as they started climbing up Boreas Pass.
“I pushed the pace for sure,” says Smith.
Once the course turned to dirt though, Boniface pulled up next to Smith. A couple words were exchanged as the two women agreed to trade off pulling each other through some wind but when Boniface took over in front, she took off.
As the course turned to single track, Boniface was pulling away and had a minute lead on Smith halfway through the race. That turned into a two-minute lead as the race continued, but Smith remained confident she could reel Boniface back in.
“I was chasing really hard the whole time and I know I’m good when I get past the three-hour mark,” says Smith.
With the course turning back toward the town of Breckenridge, Smith got insight into her status from the reaction of the fans along the course.
“I knew I was still close because people were cheering,” says Smith. “They don’t cheer if you’re five minutes back.”
As Smith turned onto one last short climb to the final descent, she got a glimpse of Boniface up ahead and knew the win was within her reach.
“She was just one switchback ahead,” says Smith.
Smith took over in front and bombed the final descent to take the title just six seconds ahead of Boniface.
“I was super-stoked for us both,” says Smith. “We both rode really fast, a half hour faster than we rode in 2011.”
Smith heads back to Breckenridge this weekend to race in the Breck 68, a 68-mile mountain bike race, as she puts in another grueling race, leading up to her top goal of the summer, the Leadville 100 on August 9.
