In a field dominated by a talented international contingent, Todd Wells’ 14th-place effort was the top Durango finish and the fourth-best U.S. placing Saturday at a men’s pro mountain bike race at Bonelli Park, California.
Wells placed second in the short track cross country race Sunday – the only American in the top five. Australian Dan McConnell was first and Kohei Yamamoto was third.
The U.S. Cup race was the third in a series of nine cross-country races on the season. The next is this weekend at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterrey, California. Because of the valuable UCI points available and the upcoming Sea Otter, which draws a huge contingent of manufacturers and sponsors, the weekend event at Bonelli Park was well-attended by athletes from around the world.
On Saturday, Wells, a three-time Olympian riding for Specialized, finished 5 minutes, 4 seconds behind winner Nino Schurter of Switzerland, a former world champion and 2012 Olympic silver medalist. Canadian Raphael Gagne was second, 4.5 seconds behind Schurter.
Several other Durangoans competed. Ben Sonntag was 25th, Howard Grotts was 27th, Troy Wells was 28th and Sepp Kuss was 58th.
Stephen Ettinger of Bozeman, Montana, was the top American on the course in San Dimas, outside Los Angeles. The 2.6-mile loop featured 362 feet of elevation gain each of the seven laps. Russell Finsterwald of Colorado Springs was 10th and Kerry Werner of Banner Elk, North Carolina, was 13th.
Wells said in an email that he punctured his front wheel on the first rocky downhill but made it to the tech zone for a wheel change. That put him somewhere around 40th place, but he made his way back up through the pack and felt better overall than he did in March, when the first in the U.S. Cup series also was held at Bonelli Park. Temperatures were in the 70s this time, compared with the 90s in March, Wells said.
In Sunday’s short track, McConnell, who rides for Trek, jumped into the lead with three laps to go and no one wanted to chase, Wells said. Wells assumed second place, Schurter went down behind him, and Wells outsprinted Yamamoto to the finish.
“For such a short race it seemed like there was constantly something going on,” Wells said. “Trek was sending guys up the road constantly and everyone else was busy trying to jump across.”
Two Canadians battled it out for the women’s cross country title Saturday. Emily Batty of Ontario edged Catharine Pendrel of New Brunswick in a sprint.
Kaylee Blevins of Durango, a freshman at Stanford University, placed 25th in the six-lap women’s event. She was one of only two women age 20 or under to crack the top 25.
johnp@durangoherald.com
