Blue Sky Velo Cup

Race report by Shawn Lortie

Jake Wells and Amanda Miller take top honors.

The always anticipated, much loved, and well-attended Blue Sky Velo Cup rolled into town at the Legendary Xilinx Campus in Longmont this past Saturday. With nearly five hundred racers tackling a fast and flowing course, there was lots of great racing, plenty of Belgiun waffles, the Niwot HS Marching Band, and even a thrash metal band out in the parking lot on the back side of the course, to pump up the racers as they ripped by.

The weather was uncooperative, with just a slight tease of moisture the night before the race. I’m sure many racers had thoughts of last year’s deep snow and mud, but it just wasn’t to be this year.  The moisture from the night before did create fast, hard-packed conditions, which suited the course well. 

The start climb up the pavement deposited racers onto a gravel path that led down into no less than five fast and flowing turns through the field.  From there it was a power climb up to the top of the course, across a fairly rough field with two barriers, then into a couple of tight turns by the pits.  A few more swoopy turns led into a quick half pipe ditch then out across the backside parking lot for a quick dose of the metal band playing such hits as “I Got a Booger on my Finger”. 

From there, more fast turns in the field led to another double barrier section, across the pavement, into a tight loose corner with a short quick up onto a skinny section, then into a stair run up that eventually dropped racers through the woods and back onto the pavement at the bottom of the start hill.  “This course was all about hammering the two hills and then recovering in the turny parts if possible.” Said Margell Abel after her race.

In the women’s Open race it was Amanda Miller (Hudz/Subaru) from the start, as she quickly made her escape. “She went from the gun and mixed in with the men so quickly she was out of sight, then it became a race for second place,” Said Abel.  As Miller worked her way through the Men’s 45+ riders, Abel and Krystal Boni (Blue Sky Velo), battled it out for the 2^nd and 3^rd spots on the podium.  Lap after lap, Abel held Boni off, with a mere 10 second gap separating the two. 

In the end, Abel held off Boni for 2^nd place, with Julianne Boylan (GS Boulder Trek) and Karen Hogan (Louisville Cyclery) taking the 4^th and 5^th spots only seconds behind Boni. It’s amazing the ladies kept their race so tight when having to deal with a hundred middle aged men scattered around the course.  Great job ladies!

In the Men’s Open, Jake Wells (Hudz/Subaru) battled an I-70 snowstorm in the morning, arriving at the venue with time for only one warm up lap, then having to switch out rear wheels 5 minutes before the race.  All the little battles before the big battle on the course paid off as Wells took the top spot on the podium.  While sitting in about 5^th position with Pete Webber (Boulder Cycle Sport), and Jonathan Baker (Hudz/Subaru), Wells went down in a loose off camber section.  “I guess that was the Crux, I could have easily thrown in the towel at that point and just said "it isn't my day" but I took it as the wake up call I needed. I got my composure and got back up to Webber pretty quickly.” 

With Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle sport) off the front, Wells worked his way by Tim Allen (unattached), Baker, Christopher Hurst (unattached), and Webber, to finally latch on to Dwight at the front with a lap and a half to go.  Eventually Wells got around Dwight and held him off until the end.  With Wells in 1^st, Dwight in 2^nd,  Jonathan Baker finished a strong 3^rd, and seems to be coming into form just in time for some big races to come.

As always The Blue Sky Velo Cup is a high quality event all around, with a great course, a double sided pit, great announcing, and an all around fun atmosphere for the whole family. 

Men's 45+ racers hammer up the backside climb.	Round and round we go.	Amanda Miller wasting no time in getting to the front of the pack, with Margell Abell on her wheel.
Michelle Bliss leading a group in the women's Open race.	Margell Abel working hard to hold off Krystal Boni.	A Justins Peanut Butter rider flowing through a turn in the Women's Open race.
Amanda Miller off the front.	Tim Allen grabs the hole shot in the Men's Open.	The Men's Open field dancing through the fall colors.
Webber in full attack mode, head down, tongue out.	Brandon Dwight in the lead and fighting hard to hold off the attackers.	Tim allen with Jonathan Baker on his wheel.
Jake Wells pulling away from Pete Webber in the Men's Open.	Wells celebrates a hard fought victory.