Gunnison mountain bike team opens season with podium finish In Leadville

Cool temperatures and cloudy skies made for nearly perfect racing conditions as Gunnison MTB kicked off its Colorado High School Cycling League season at the Cloud City Challenge in Leadville with an outstanding third place team finish. Riders took on a fast and twisty 6.2-mile course, climbing nearly 700 feet per lap on a mix of flowing singletrack and punchy climbs. Always a favorite stop on the Colorado League circuit, the Timberline Trail System provided a beautiful high-country backdrop for a fun and fiercely competitive day of racing.

After weeks of summer practices, long rides, intervals, and plenty of miles on Gunnison’s local trails, the team was ready to see how all that work would translate on race day. The answer: really well.

Senior captain Owen Frazier helped lead the way with a solid result in a highly competitive varsity boys field, completing three laps of the challenging course in a zippy 1 hour and 28 minutes — an encouraging start after working hard to battle back from lingering back injuries. Fellow seniors Kyle Mason and Zeke New also put together strong races. Mason tackled the course with his usual positive attitude and ever-present smile, while New, always one of the more stylish riders on the trail, found his groove and put together a great first race of the season.

Juniors Adrian Hanacek and Judit Hausdoerffer added strong finishes in the JV categories, clocking valuable points towards the team’s overall result.

Walker Sovik and Topher Lamar provided one of the more exciting Gunnison finishes of the day. The two sophomores traded places throughout the race before charging into the finish together, with Sovik taking eighth and Lamar on his heels in ninth against a highly competitive field of more than 80 sophomore riders. Both will be pushing hard this season with their sights set on breaking onto the podium.

Sophomore Sol Hausdoerffer delivered one of Gunnison’s top results of the weekend, racing to an impressive second-place finish in the sophomore girls category. A fierce competitor who isn’t afraid to push the pace, Hausdoerffer hopes to build on the strong start as the season progresses. Following the race, she was quick to highlight the team atmosphere that made the weekend special. “It was a really fun race weekend. The vibes were great, and everyone did awesome!”, adding “I'm excited to keep trying my best for the team.”

The team’s strong crop of freshmen wasted no time making an impact in their Colorado League debuts. The first race of the season is unique for freshmen, using a time-trial format with staggered starts and riders racing against the clock rather than head-to-head. The results determine call-up order for the traditional mass start at race No. 2, adding a little extra importance to their first trip between the tape. Zoe Lee handled the challenge beautifully, racing to a third-place podium finish.  Luka Olmstead powered to sixth in a huge field of 71 freshman boys, putting down the team’s best two-lap time of the day.  Penny Owens, new to mountain bike racing, also put together a strong debut with a solid mid-pack finish.

All those results added up to an exciting third-place team finish and a strong start to the season for the Gunnison MTB squad.  The team finished third out of 15 Division 3 teams, earning a spot on the team podium in the first of four regular-season races. This season Gunnison MTB riders will compete at races around the state against teams from across Colorado, with the season leading to the State Championships in Glenwood Springs in late October for those riders who qualify.

Next up is race No. 2 in Eagle, where Gunnison MTB will look to move even higher on the Division 3 podium. The team is also hopeful for the return of junior captain Delaney Olmstead, who has been sidelined for months with a knee injury.