5:30 p.m.: The athlete who crashed and injured himself while participating in the Breck Epic mountain bike race on Friday, August 16, has been identified as Howard Grotts, 31, of Durango.

According to Breck Epic founder Mike McCormack, Grotts received the best care possible from first responders who arrived at the scene. McCormack was able to confirm that Grotts was taken to a hospital for further treatment and is currently in stable condition but has several serious injuries.

Grotts is a well-known cross-country mountain biker who was a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Cross-Country Mountain Bike Team..

Grotts, who rides for Specialized Off-Road, won Stages 4 and 5 of the Breck Epic earlier this week and was battling for a spot on the podium before crashing in the final mile of the course.

Because the Breck Epic is a large-scale, six-day stage race, McCormack said he and the rest of the Breck Epic staff plan for emergencies and had all four levels of their emergency response plan in place Friday morning.

“We put a lot of effort into our medical planning,” McCormack said. “We have four levels of medical planning, from our medical team on the ground to the helicopter. All four levels were activated, that’s how it’s supposed to work. What we saw was a first-class field rescue by people who are the best at what they do.”

10:30 am: An athlete participating in the Breck Epic mountain bike race was injured in a fall on Friday, August 16, event organizers said.

Mike McCormack, founder of Breck Epic, said the accident occurred on the final mile of the course on Friday morning.

“Someone was injured on the track and the driver is being cared for by Red, White & Blue, the local emergency services and our medical staff,” McCormack said. “He is getting the care he needs right now.”