Roughly 100 cyclists flocked to Dolores on Saturday for one of Colorados many mountain bike races.
The race is a featured event in Dolores annual Escalante Days celebration, which commemorates the Old Spanish Trail Dominguez-Escalante expedition of 1776.
Dolores Escalante Days has been a city tradition for 35 years, and the Boggy Draw mountain bike race has welcomed professional and amateur cyclists for 13 years.
A lot of racers are yearly returners who enjoy the trail through the San Juan National Forest and the quaint setting of Dolores.
Ive done it every single year since they started it, said Shawn Gregory, a USA Cycling pro singlespeed racer and Dolores resident. Its in my backyard. I just cant miss it. The weather was nice. I cant complain.
Gregory, 40, finished in a time of 2:20.21 in the 35-mile expert division, riding a singlespeed for Kokopelli Bike & Board of Cortez. Fellow Kokopelli Bike & Board members Jeff Hemperley (2:15.59) and Terry Gorsuch (2:17.20) placed top-five in singlespeed riding in the expert division. Eric McAlister won the expert division in 2:01.07 in the 19-34 age class. Hemperley had the fastest time of the 45-59 age class.
I definitely like to come down and support the local Rotary club, and its my backyard. So thats nice, said Hemperley, a Rico resident since 2005. It was a great race today. Its good to see the (large) outcome of racers.
There were mens and womens divisions for expert, sport (21-miles) and beginner (13-miles). The race began and ended on Central Avenue in front of the Dolores Medical Center.
The event is sponsored by the Dolores Rotary Club and Dolores Chamber of Commerce, and proceeds go toward Rotary Club Projects. Cash prizes were awarded for the top finishers in the expert class.
Stephen Doroost had the best time in the mens sport division at 1:12.39. He was in the 0-18 age class. Cortez youth mountain bike racer Jake Yackle, 11, placed second behind Doroost in the sport, 0-18 class at 1:19.53 and was fourth overall in the sport division.
I was sticking with experts all the way up the hill, said Yackle, a former beginner class champion. I think later I can beat all these guys.
Going downhill, some of the older guys used their strength and speed to pass Yackle.
Younger brother Nye Yackle, 8, won the beginner class in a time of 59.16.
On the hill, I was ahead of all the beginners and in front of all the sports, except for Jake, Nye Yackle said. It was fun.
Womens winners were Shannon Gibson (2:23.07) in the expert division of the 45-59 age class, Crasandra Boss (1:01.09) in the sport division of the 35-44 age class, and Jill Jackson (1:06.39) in the beginner division of the 35-44 age class.
For information about future Escalante Days Bike Races, contact Dolores Rotary Club Treasurer Ed Merritt at 882-1061 or log on to www.doloresrotary.org.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.