2010 Breckenridge 100 Mountain Bike Race

The tag line of the Breck 100 is “You’ve done the rest, now do the best”. With close to 14,000 feet of climbing, plenty of excellent single track, a well organized event, and perfect weather, this years race went off without a hitch. Yes, there was plenty of pain and suffering, but as racer Doug Johnson said,  “I would recommend any of the three loops in The Breck 100 as a must do for any mountain biker. The fact that we get to do all three in the race is pretty sweet!” This sentiment was backed up by more than a few of the hundreds of racers who challenged themselves on this year’s course.

The course would cross the Continental Divide three times, travel over 12,000 foot passes and of course, cover 100 miles of awesome high mountain terrain. The course is laid out in a cloverleaf fashion so that racers would start and finish each lap at Carter Park. This is a great set up as it creates a central area where family and support crews are able to hang out and help out, without chasing the racers all over three counties. 

At 6AM, hundreds of riders departed from Carter Park in Breckenridge, rolling out through town on a neutral start. Josh Tostado set the pace from the start. Halfway up the first big climb over the top of the Continental Divide, Tostado (Bach Builders), and three others created a small gap on about ten chasers. An hour later as they came off the rugged single track of the Peaks Trail, Tostado had a few minute lead on Jeff Schalk (Trek Mtn. Co-op) who was pushing with his second flat and no more spare tubes. Colby Pearce (Cannondale) was a couple minutes behind Schalk.

By the second loop, things had spread out a bit among the leaders, with most of the top ten riding by themselves.  It was one of the hotter days on record up in the high country and eating and hydration became more and more crucial as the race wore on.  Asked about his race, Doug Johnson (Bandwagon Racing) had this to say; “It was really hot out there and that put me into survival mode for the last loop. I was counting on an aid station in Como but there wasn’t any and I had to bum some water from a guy in a truck.” Doug ended up finishing 9^th overall, a great race for anyone, let alone someone as long in the tooth as Doug (He's only 40, but he's hammering with the young guns!).

Tostado ended up with his sixth consecutive win at the Breckenridge 100, with Joey Thompson (Mountain Bike Specialists/Durango) coming in less than 10 minutes behind.  Jeff Schalk, with two flats and a long walk until he found a tube and a quickfill, still finished 3^rd. Colby Pearce and Max Taam (Honey Stinger/Trek) rounded out the top 5, all finishing in under 9 hours. 

In the women’s race it was Jari Kirkland (Alpine Orthopedics) from the start. Eszter Horanyi (Waltworks/Space Cowgirl) stayed with her for most of the first lap but was unable to hang on. “On the first climb, Jari pretty much made it clear that she was riding strong, leaving me to my own devices to get up Wheeler Pass. I caught her on the descent and we rode most of the bike path together. The Peaks Trail was the last I saw of her.”  Kirkland ended up taking the win in just under 10 hours, with Horanyi about 20 minutes behind, which is a pretty small gap in a 10 hour race. Great job by all the ladies that went for the 100 miles!

For complete results, please visit: Warriors Cycling

For additional photos, please visit: Shawn Lortie Photography

Jeff Schalk pushes out of the woods after two flats.  Schalk ended up bumming a tube and still finished 3rd overall.	Jeff Schalk pushes out of the woods after two flats.  Schalk ended up bumming a tube and still finished 3rd overall.	The Peaks Trail was just one of the many sections of singletrack that tested the riders throughout the day.
Josh Tostao midway through loop number 2.  No, that's not his family following him on their quads.	These guys semed oblivious to the scenery around them.  After 5 or 6 hours of racing they can't be blamed for that.	Max Taam climbing the West Ridge section of the Colorado Trail.
Jari Kirkland, with chasers.	This guy brought out his special socks for the race.  That's the old dredge boat in the background.	As the course came back into Carter Park after each loop, riders got to rip a series of banked turns down to the finish.  It must have helped to get them fired up for another lap.
A racer making his way back towards town for lop number 3.