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Jefe Branham finishes Colorado Trail Race first

Mountain bike race is still in process
Jefe Branham finished the Colorado Trail Race for the seventh time late Thursday night. He was the first to complete the more than 500-mile journey from Denver to Durango.

For the fourth time in Jefe Branham’s career, he crossed the Colorado Trail Race finish line first.

Branham, a native of Connecticut who lives in Gunnison, finished the race in 4 days, 16 hours, 25 minutes. It was the seventh time the ultra mountain biker has finished the race on the 486-mile trail. Branham’s GPS tracker said he rode 538.6 miles.

“I have to say that it never gets any easier,” Branham said in an interview with the MTBCast podcast. “It really is a beast of a trail. Anybody who completes it is a hero in my mind.”

Following Branham was Fort Collins’ Ben Parman, who finished second in 4 days, 21 hours, 47 minutes. Boulder’s Ryan Franz was third in 5 days, 4 hours, 41 minutes.

To begin the race, riders started in Denver and traveled the nearly 500 miles with 70,000 feet in elevation gain through the Rocky Mountains. There are 28 segments, or checkpoints, throughout the race.

This unique mountain bike trail race has no entry fee, no outside support, no registration and no prize money. It is a self-timed individual time trial without a set start time, but rather a suggested start time.

Branham said he started the race slower than he wanted to, which was closer to a touring pace. Leg cramps made the beginning of the race a tough one for him. He rode at an average pace of 4.7 mph.

“I just kept pedaling, and eventually it turned out okay,” Branham said. “For the most part, though, I never felt alive or that strong out there. I just kept plugging away. Thankfully, on Blackhawk Pass on the last day, I ingested massive amounts of caffeine and felt awesome. I got to finish on a high note, so that was great.”

The race began in 2007 with Branham winning the first race in 5 days, 5 hours, 30 minutes.

Branham previously set the course record in 2013 in 4 days, 4 hours, 17 minutes. That record was broken the following year by Neil Beltchenko in 4 days, 9 hours, 55 minutes. But a new record was set in 2015 when Colorado Springs’ Jesse Jakomait completed the trail in a mind-blowing 3 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes.

This year, there were 70 riders who started the race, but as of 8 p.m. Friday only six riders and teams had finished. There are still 40 active riders competing with 24 riders who have dropped out. The CTR saw its most finishers in 2013, when 48 riders completed the trail.

“Good luck to everyone who is still out there and congratulations to everyone who finished,” Branham said.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com



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