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Leaders solidify as 2024 Breck Epic reaches halfway point

Leaders solidify as 2024 Breck Epic reaches halfway point
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Leaders solidify as 2024 Breck Epic reaches halfway point
Kaysee Armstrong, center in purple, begins Stage 2 of the Breck Epic on Monday, August 12, 2024.
Elaine Collins/Photo courtesy

After three days of exciting racing, the 2024 Breck Epic mountain bike race has already reached the halfway point and the leaders of the race are slowly emerging.

The annual six-day race officially began on Sunday, August 11, with morning rain showers delaying the start of the 35.7-mile Pennsylvania Creek leg. After waiting out the rain, competitors left the starting line in the parking lot of the Stephen C. West Ice Arena and took an abbreviated course.

The cyclists had no aversion to covering themselves in mud and dirt and rode over the rain-soaked paths to secure an early lead in the overall standings.

Leading the women’s elite pro division were Stella Hobbs of Montana and last year’s runner-up Kaysee Armstrong of Knoxville, Tennessee. Hobbs took the stage win on the first day, completing the shortened course in 1 hour, 31 minutes and 54 seconds. Armstrong was second in 1:32:56. Haley Dumke of Minturn was third on the stage (1:35:47) and Evelyn Dong of Salt Lake City was fourth (1:36:23).

Stage 1 of the Men’s Elite race was a neck-and-neck race, with Riley Amos of Durango and Robbie Day of Evergreen challenging each other to the finish line. In the end, it was Amos of Trek Factory Racing who took the Day 1 win, posting a time of 1:13:11, beating Day, who rides for the Bear National Team, by a second.

Following his triumphant Stage 5 win over 2023 Breck Epic winner Lachlan Morton, Matt Pike of Longmont returned to the first stage of the 2024 event to finish third overall with a time of 1:13:49. Howard Grotts of Durango finished fourth overall with a time of 1:15:08.

After an afternoon of rest, participants rolled to Washington Avenue in Breckenridge, where the second leg – the Colorado Trail – began under sunnier skies than Sunday morning.

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After falling close behind Hobbs on the first day of racing, Armstrong took a clear win in the second stage on Monday. Armstrong, racing for Team Juliana Bicycles, completed the 42.5-mile course in 4:00.36. Hobbs of Great Northern Cycle and Ski was second in 4:04:12, while Ellen Campbell of Durango was third (4:06:22) and Dumke fourth (4:09:08).

Unlike the women’s professional elite race, which saw some upheaval between the first and second stages, the men’s professional elite race remained essentially unchanged.

Amos won his second race of the week by crossing the finish line in 3:11:17. In the battle for second place, Day and Grotts sprinted to the finish line, with both cyclists posting the same time of 3:11:43. While Day and Grotts tied for second place, Zach Calton of Ogden, Utah, finished third (3:11:45) and Taylor Lideen of Bella Vista, Arkansas, finished fourth (3:12:48).

Armstrong won her second consecutive stage on Tuesday, August 13, winning the circumnavigation of Mount Guyot by nearly four minutes. Armstrong clocked a time of 4:05:23, while Dong finished second overall with a time of 4:09:34.

Campbell finished third (4:10:39), Andrea Dvorak from Longmont fourth (4:11:28) and Dumke fifth (4:15:12).

In the men’s pro race, Amos continued his winning streak, taking another stage win and finishing in 3:08:56. Grotts crossed the finish line in second place in 3:09:07 and Calton was third in 3:18:34.

Halfway through the Breck Epic, frontrunners have emerged in all racing classes, including the professional ones.

Armstrong comfortably leads the women’s elite division with a total time of 9:38:53. Campbell is currently in second place (9:55:05), Dvorak in third place (10:00:03), Dumke in fourth place (10:00:05) and Hobbs is currently in fifth place (10:03:20).

Amos leads the elite male pro field with a total time of 7:33:24, with Grotts over two minutes back in second place with a time of 7:35:57. Calton is in third place (7:45:56), Day is in fourth place (7:46:21) and Chris Mehlman of Manchester, Massachusetts, is currently in fifth place (8:06:43) heading into the fourth leg of the race on Wednesday, August 14.

Stage 4 is the “Aqueduct” portion of the race and will be 42.3 miles long. The race starts at the bottom of Washington Avenue in downtown Breckenridge and ends at the B&B Trailhead on French Gulch Road.

Liz Carrington of Durango, who only competed in stages 1 through 3, won the women’s open division (11:58:52), while Jorge Carzo Madero of Torreon, Mexico, won the men’s open division (10:14:40). Sixteen-year-old Trent Granshaw of Breckenridge followed Madero in fourth place overall with a time of 12:02:37.

For a full list of results, visit BreckEpic.com.

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