Emmett McManus wins MTB season opener

Three Durango bikers win Leadville while 10 finish in top-five

Tuesday, Aug 29, 2023 12:39 PM Updated Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023 1:31 PM

Three Durango Devo mountain bikers, representing both Durango High School and Animas High School, scored victories on Sunday in the Colorado High School Cycling League’s opening weekend in Leadville.

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Three Durango bikers win Leadville while 10 finish in top-five

Emmett McManus pedals his way to a win on Saturday in Leadville. McManus won the high school varsity boys race in Durango's season opener. (Courtesy Anand McManus)

Emmett McManus won the varsity boys Cloud City Challenge for the Piedra League, besting teammate Kai Lokey for the title.

The two DHS cyclists were right next to each other after one lap, but McManus created separation on the second lap and pulled ahead during the final lap. McManus’ third lap of 24 minutes and 53 seconds was the fastest of the day, helping him win the race comfortably in 1:15:25.

Lokey, who also rides for Team Durango Segment 28 with McManus, finished second in 1:17:06. Chase Connors wasn’t far behind and finished fourth in 1:23:08.

Max Portier of Animas, meanwhile, won the sophomore boys race in 59:08. And Johan Souders won the one-lap freshman boys race for Durango in 27:56.

Two Demons also finished in the top-four of the girls varsity race. Tilia Clausen finished second in 1:39:02 and Riley Huston crossed fourth in 1:40:45. Rose Horning of Leadville took the win in 1:33:21. Betty Holcomb, last year’s freshman league champ, did not finish for Durango.

Other Durango riders also scored some big team points.

Also scoring in the varsity boys race, Cedar Bremner finished seventh, Quentin DeLuca crossed 12th, Dylan Timmerman placed 13th and Chase Grom finished 23rd.

Ellie Shaw finished third in the shortened JV girls race, while Lilly Glidden placed 10th.

Dillon Burns finished seventh in the JV boys race, while Ryder Seitz placed fifth in the freshman boys feature. Aliyah Anderson placed 11th in the freshman girls race.

Jake Sandau also had a strong outing for Animas, finishing second in the JV boys race.

Durango is back in Division 1 this season, reserved for the largest teams. DHS bested Salida, Chatfield, Montrose and Conifer for the team title.

Animas finished eighth out of 19 teams in Division 3, which Leadville won, while Grand Junction took the Division 2 title.

Durango, and the Piedra League, will next race Sept. 9 in Glenwood Springs.

colivas@durangoherald.com