Todd Wells, Gersbach win cyclocross series

Cooper Wells wins all five races to take junior title

Tuesday, Nov 30, 2021 5:46 PM Updated Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021 5:46 PM

Cooper Wells wins all five races to take junior title

Jennifer Gersbach places third in the women’s open class at the Zia Taqueria 4 Corners Cyclocross series race at Durango Mesa Park. Gersbach would go on to win the division’s overall series title. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

Jerry McBride

After the points were tabulated from the five races in the Zia Taqueria 4 Corners Cyclocross series, Todd Wells and Jennifer Gersbach emerged as the open champions for the series.

Wells scored one win, at race No. 4 at Fort Lewis College, and had three runner-up performances to score 343 points and finish first among the 48 men who competed in the men’s open division this season.

Todd Wells makes a tight turn in the Nov. 20 cyclocross race at Fort Lewis College. Wells won the race and the overall series title. (Cody Olivas/Durango Herald file)

Kolben Preble, who won the race in Cortez and finished in the top six at every race, finished second in the final standings with 312 points. Troy Wells, who had a first-, a second- and a third-place finish, was third with 250 points.

Riders compete in the Zia Taqueria cyclocross men’s open class race at Durango Mesa Park. More than 140 cyclists competed in the series this year. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

Ivan Sippy finished fourth with 240 points, followed by George Piepgras (231), Keiran Eagen (210), Rotem Ishay (185), Guy Leshem (183), James Hiyler (136) and Cobe Freeburn (126) in 10th.

A first-place finish is worth 94 points. Second is worth 83; third, 73; fourth, 64, fifth, 56; and 30th, one point.

In five races, five cyclists scored first-place finishes in the men’s open division, including Todd and Troy Wells, Preble, Henry Nadell and Cody Cupp.

Jennifer Gersbach, meanwhile, won one race, finished second once and placed third twice to win the open women’s overall title with 323 points. Natalie Quinn won two races and placed third once to finish second overall with 261 points. Ruth Holcomb finished third overall with 177 points, scoring one victory and a second-place finish. Martha Iverson placed fourth overall with 164 points. She was followed by Tristen Musselman (156), Elizabeth Wallentine (155), Madelyn Roberson (147), Kim Bear (143), Kathy Waage (137) and Sabrina Hayes (120) in 10th place. Sarah Sturm also won the opening race in Dolores, but didn’t race in the series after that.

Seventy-six competitors also raced in the series’ four other divisions this season.

Cooper Wells, 7, won all five of the races in the junior 14-and-under division to win the category with a perfect 470 points. Fielder LeCompte placed second with 318 points, crossing second once, third once, fourth twice and ninth once. Benjamin Andrea, meanwhile, finished second in Cortez and fourth and second at the two races at Fort Lewis to finish third in the series. Sean Fleege (146) finished fourth in the junior division and was followed by Ian Barton (139), Ethan Hilton (116), Myles Bowman (105), Ellis Bates (99), Hunter Ross (98) and Patrick Matlock (83) in 10th.

In the men 35-plus division, Caleb Thompson finished first in the four races he competed in to win the series with 376 points. Miles Venzara placed in the top five in every race, highlighted by two third-place finishes, to finish second overall with 314. Heath Garvey placed fourth three times to help him place third overall with 286. Mike Wilk (249), Ryan Travelstead (177), Chad Cheeney (137), Frank Mapel (137), Casey Roberts (129)m Michael Hurst (115) and Michael Carroll (113) rounded out the top 10. Travelstead won the final race and placed second in his other outing.

In the Men’s B division, Emmett McManus placed third three times and fourth twice to win the series’ overall title with 347 points. Tony Cady won two races, placed second once and fifth once to score 327 points and finish second overall. Jacob Huber, meanwhile, won one race, placed second once, third once and seventh once to finish third with 293 points.

Eric Hjermstad (205), Ryan Simonovich (196), Grant Bradow (105), Gene Hilton (94) and Maxwell Jordan (94) rounded out the top eight while Sam Riess, Cannon Hilton, Orrin Bleth and Casey Roberts all scored 83 points.

Joseph Shults, meanwhile, won all four of the races he competed in to win the men’s 50-plus division. The series’ race director Dave Hagen finished second once, third twice, fourth once and sixth once to finish second overall with 342 points. Andy Fox placed second twice and fourth once to finish third overall with 230 points.

David Strobel (218), Jack McManus (209), Field Blevins (148), Ries Robinson (139), Richard Bagienski (133), Jonathon Delacey (132) and Jon Suzuki (130) rounded out the top 10 in the division.

The top three finishers in each category will be awarded prizes.

“Thanks again for the great CX season,” Hagen said. “We had over 140 people race some CX this year!”