The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory/Devo Sweet Elite mountain bike team had quite the jam-packed month of June, with races throughout Colorado and some as far flung as Europe.
The female Sweet Elite riders got things started at the Beti Bash in Denver. Lauren Catlin finished seventh in the all-women’s race, one that team manager Chad Cheeney said had two former Olympians in the field. Sarah Sturm was riding in the top 10 when she ran into a bit of misfortune when her derailleur was struck by another rider.
The Sweet Elite squad next hit the starting line at the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail. Sturm was 10th, Catlin 15th and Kaylee Blevins 17th in the pro women’s race, with Stephan Davoust taking 19th in a race dominated by Sweet Elite alumni and Fort Lewis College cyclist Howard Grotts.
Sepp Kuss and Payson McElveen were selected to participate with USA Cycling’s under-23 team at the Swiss Cup. Kuss rode to a 35th-place finish in a strong pro field. McElveen was sick and had to retire from the race.
The state championships in Colorado Springs came next, with Davoust taking the title in Cat 1 16-18 boys. Catlin and Sturm were third and fifth, respectively, in the pro women’s field, while Blevins was second in Cat 1 16-18 girls.
“Stephan really put a stamp on it, winning by several minutes, with Devo teammate Levi (Kurlander) in second,” Cheeney said in an email.
Kuss then took his talents to Italy, finishing 25th in the U-23 field at the Val di Sole World Cup. McElveen joined him in the field, finishing 84th.
“We watched the live lap times on the UCI Web page and had (more than 10) Devos and Sweet Elites huddled around a laptop at our campground,” Cheeney said. “Sepp just kept plucking off racers, lap after lap.”
Blevins and India Waller have been in a series of races in Europe as part of USA Cycling’s junior European camp. Blevins was third and Waller eighth in their first race in the Netherlands.
Cheeney hopped on the bike for his first Enduro action of the year, finishing 10th at the Crested Butte Enduro.
The Sweet Elite squad will wrap up the season with the USA Cycling Cross Country Mountain Bike National Championships this weekend at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, Pa.
“This is what we have been training for all season, and (nationals), of course, is our A race of the season,” Cheeney said.
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