Mountain States Cup #1, Cheyenne Mountain Explosion

Race report by Shawn Lortie

(April 9, 2011) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo-

The first race in the Mountain States Cup series came to Cheyenne Mountain Park last weekend under blue skies and strong winds. Racers from all over the Rocky Mountain region came to test their skills and fitness at the first race in the series. The Mountain States Cup Series is a nine event series with races in Colorado and New Mexico. Races include short track, cross-country, down hill, super D, and 4x racing. With beautiful race venues such as Angel Fire New Mexico, and Crested Butte Colorado, this series is sure to attract the regions best racers in all disciplines. 

Riding in the park consists of some loose and gravelly singletrack peppered with tricky technical sections and full on rock gardens, like the infamous Medicine Wheel trail that had many a racer off the bike. In the upper regions of the park, the trail turns to darker hardpack dirt as it rolls through the pines. The mixture of smooth flowy trail and rugged technical riding made for a challenging course all around.

The first day of racing at Cheyenne Mountain Park involved a 3.5-mile time trial course that worked it’s way through some of the parks challenging trails. The course began with a stout climb from the start/finish line. From the top of the climb, racers were sent down some fast sections of trail with plenty of loose corners to test the skills. Then it was the Medicine Wheel trail, complete with multiple rock gardens and non-stop technical riding that brought riders back down to the finish line.

Kelli Emmit (Giant), a local Colorado Springs rider took top honors in the Pro Women’s race, with Erin Huck (Tokyo Joes), takling second, and Sarah Rawley (Yeti Beti), in third. Emmit had this to say about her effort; "This is good because it's my first race of the season," she said. "I've been riding a lot of miles, but not with much intensity." With a full season of MTB racing on slate, Emmit will be riding in her first Leadville 100 this year, looking to bring home the win for her sponsor, Giant Cycles. 

In the Men’s Pro race, it was Mitch Hoke, a Colorado College senior riding for Tokyo Joes taking the top spot on the podium. Close behind was Colin Cares (Kenda/Felt), followed by Doug Johnson in third. Doug is the leader of the Bandwagon Racing Team out of Colorado Springs, and took a large part in laying out the course for the races at Cheyenne Mountain Park.  

For full results: Mountain States Cup