Howard Grotts showed elite form in Europe, while Payson McElveen and Rotem Ishay celebrated the Fourth of July by making fireworks in Breckenridge.
Grotts, a 24-year-old professional mountain biker from Durango, rode to 13th place last week at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross country race at Vallnord, Andorra. The Specialized Racing rider tackled the Pyrenees mountains course in 1 hour, 25 minutes, 47 seconds to earn 80 UCI World Cup points. The race was won by Switzerland’s Nino Schurter of Scott-SRAM MTB Bike Racing Team. The five-time cross country world champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist won in 1:23:28. Switzerland’s Mathias Flueckiger was second in 1:23:46, and France’s Jordan Sarrou was third in 1:23:47.
Grotts, a 2016 Olympian and two-time defending national champion of cross country, was the only American in the UCI elite field. It was his first time on a new Specialized bike, the Epic FS.
“I’m amazed by the new bike, don’t think I’ve ever felt so confident on the descents (or as light on the climbs!),” Grotts posted to Instagram.
In the women’s elite race in Andorra, the U.S. received an 18th-place finish from Erin Huck of Boulder and a 26th-place result from Lea Davison of New York.
Durango’s Ellen Campbell embarked on her first UCI World Cup race in the women’s under-23 division. She finished 41st. Kate Courtney of California was the top American woman in second place with a time of 1:17:55. Sina Frei of Switzerland was first in 1:16:47. Haley Batten of Utah placed seventh. California’s Hannah Finchamp placed 26th.
Fort Lewis College cyclist Cole Paton finished 65th in the men’s under-23 race. He crossed the finish line in 1:27:07. That race was won by Denmark’s Simon Andreassen in 1:17:14.
There is another UCI World Cup events this weekend in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
Payson McElveen and Rotem Ishay have a bond that goes beyond cycling. They showed how powerful of a duo they can form on their bikes Tuesday.
The two Fort Lewis College alums traveled to Breckenridge for the Firecracker 50 mountain bike race. Wearing his national championship jersey for winning marathon nationals earlier this season, McElveen rode to first place in the two-lap, 50-mile race in 3:52:33. The Orange Seal rider was dominant from start to finish and showed he is continuing to improve in high-altitude races.
“I had no idea it was such a spectator event,” McElveen said. “One of the things the promoter has done so well is his setup with the town of Breck and making it a big event. Coming down to the finish area, people were pumped.
“Wearing that national championship jersey on the Fourth was a special moment and even more memorable with the spectators.”
Ishay and McElveen formed a strong team to build a big gap on the rest of the field. Ishay finished in second in 3:55:32. Third-place Taylor Shelden was well back in 4:03:01.
“He and I have known each other for a long time,” McElveen said of his pal from Israel. “He was one of my roommates for three years and one of the first people in Durango to take me under his wing. We definitely worked together out there. We didn’t necessarily talk about tactics. We know what the gameplan is and the strengths of each other.”
Durango’s Caleb Thompson was eighth in the race in 4:15:33 to give Durango three top-10 finishers.
The USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships are scheduled for July 18-23 in Snowshoe, West Virginia. McElveen, who is originally from Austin, Texas, won’t race again until nationals and will focus on training.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
