The 2021 Colorado Cycling League’s mountain biking state championships got underway Saturday at Durango Mesa with the freshman and junior varsity competitions.
In the freshman boys’ race, 151 riders competed on the 6.5-mile loop, which all divisions except varsity will ride twice around the mesa. Varsity will complete three laps.
Less than a minute separated the top five freshman riders, but Rocky Mountain’s Jake McDill managed to cross first and win the title in 55 minutes, 11.73 seconds. Durango’s Chase Connors placed fourth in the race in 55:49.23.
Rounding out the top five were Colorado Rocky Mountain’s Canyon Cherney (second, 55:21), Fairview’s Carter Kirkpatrick (third, 55:47) and Boulder’s Thayer Ask (fifth, 56:06).
Other Durango bikers competing in the freshman race included: Emmett McManus (ninth, 57:14), Kai Lokey (14th, 57:40), Cedar Bremner (38th, 1:01:40), James Garvey (41st, 1:01:54), Dylan Timmerman (49th, 1:02:44), Wyatt Johnson (86th, 1:06:16), Quentin DeLuca (106th, 1:08:59) and Zach Oliver (DNF).
Durango didn’t have any competitors in the freshman girls race, which Lucy Perkins of VSSA won in 1:00:55.80. Grand Junction’s Scarlett Hardie finished second in 1:04:03, followed by Golden’s Sofia Harcek (third, 1:04:23), Colorado Rocky Mountain’s Nina Villafranco (fourth, 1:05:26) and Nederland’s Laila Waldron in fifth (1:05:27).
In the junior varsity boys’ race, 156 riders blasted out of the starting gate. Nico Konecny of Summit, however, won by by over a minute in 50:21. Aidan Haack of Steamboat placed second in 51:41; Benjamin Bravman of Golden finished third in 52:15; Reiner Schmidt of VSSA crossed fourth in 52:21 and Fisk Johansson of Kelly Walsh (Wyoming) placed fifth in 52:57.
Jacob Huber of Durango finished 58th in 58:46.
The junior varsity girls were the last to race on Saturday.
Sage Hummon of Golden captured the crown in 1:00:05, Rose Horning of Leadville finished second in 1:01:36, followed by Riley Huston of Golden (third, 1:03:11), Mary Alyce Collins of Rocky Mountain (fourth, 1:03:20) and Hayden Bevington of Salida (fifth, 1:03:21).
Julia Glotfelty of Animas High School represented the local contingent with a 16th-place finish out of 101 cyclists in 1:06:18.
Complete results are available at https://my.raceresult.com/184771/#0_D4291E.
The championships will conclude Sunday with the varsity and sophomore championships.
The sophomore girls will race at 8:30 a.m., followed by the sophomore boys at 9:50 a.m., the varsity girls at 11:10 a.m. and the varsity boys at 12:45 p.m.
Many of Durango’s top riders will race on the second day.
colivas@durangoherald.com
