Local mountain bike racers continue to represent Montezuma County and Southwest Colorado well.
A handful of Cortez area residents loaded bikes onto their sport utility vehicles and headed south of the border to New Mexico.
On Oct. 1, at Farmingtons Road Apple Rally race, three from Cortez won their respective category age groups, while an 11-year-old won his overall category.
Jake Yackle, 11, furthered his chances for a 2011 New Mexico Off Road Series championship, winning the Cat 3, 15-mile Road Apple Rally race. Yackle won in a time of 57.11, ahead of John Dukeminier, 41, of Cortez, in 58.25.
It was Yackles seventh-consecutive category win. He won the week before on Sept. 24, at the Gallup High Desert Screamer, Squash Blossom Classic. Yackles Cat 3 time of 10:38.10 was a category course record for the 7-mile race.
It was a fun course, Yackle said about Gallup. At the start, I was just trying to keep up with the kid I wanted to beat the whole way. There was a gradual long climb. He was going kind of slow, so I just yelled, Pass! Can I Pass! He pulled over and the kid behind me got stuck behind him the whole way.
Yackle passed 16-year-old Ryan Doeren of Albuquerque on the climb. Dorean finished second in 10:39.29. Jakes younger brother, Nye Yackle, 9, was fifth at 10:41.39.
I felt OK. I was in the top-five the whole way, Nye Yackle said. It makes me feel good, because when I get in my (age) class, Ill smoke the kids in there.
Nye backed up his talk in Farmington. He took first in the Cat 3, 10-under age group with a time of 1:04.41, which was good for 14th overall in the category.
Not to be outdone, mom showed she can race a little, too. Donna Yackle, 51, won the womens Cat 2, 19-mile trek at Gallup in 11:54.59.
Its a lot of fun. Its something I can do, said Donna Yackle, who won the womens Cat 3 race last year. It was a fun course. Its fast, lot of up and downs. Not too much technical (riding).
Kevin Yackle was able sit back as a dad and husband, and cheer on his family at the High Desert Screamer.
Another Cortez racer in Gallup was Paul Adams, 38, competing for Kokopelli Bike & Board. Adams finished first in the male solo singlespeed 0-39 class, and was a hair out of first place overall in 12:30.43. Albuquerques Todd Bauer, 40, won the singlespeed division in 12:30.15. The singlespeed race was 31 miles.
I went into that race with not-to-high expectations, Adams said. Actually, Jake and Nye Yackle sort of talked me into it. I was able to sign up last minute. I managed to get a really good start to the race and was able to hold that pretty much the entire race.
Adams typically races the 12- to 24-hour endurance singlespeed races. He will head back to New Mexico next Saturday for the Zuni Mountain 100 near McGaffey Lake, which is Southeast of Gallup.
Dukeminier placed third in the Cat 2, 40-49 age class at the High Desert Screamer in 11:44.34. But he was first in the 40-44 age class, Cat 3 race in Farmington. Only Jake Yackle was better overall.
It was really good. It was a fun, fast track, Dukeminier said about the Road Apple Rally course. When I finished, it really felt good. When I started the race, I had real good confidence that I should have been able to place in the front, and I ended up being in the back to start. It definitely gives me a good lookout for the races coming up next year.
Of the races both Dukeminier and Adams plan to compete in 2012 will be the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde Race at Phils World east of Cortez.
Fans can also follow Jake and Nye Yackle on www.facebook.com/Yackle-Brothers-Racing.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.
