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Lifetime Avalanche
Sunday morning was the first time my wife had been to Afton Alps. As we pulled into the parking lot the Taos, New Mexico native stated “we can pretend like we are in the mountains.” I thought that was a pretty good idea until I was half way up Shady Lane during the first lap of the Sports race. At that point, there was no more pretending!
Special thanks to the folks responsible for making sure the course was ready for the Lifetime Avalanche at Afton Alps. The trail was simply phenomenal. With temps in the mid 70s and plenty of sunshine I can safely say Sunday’s race had to be darn close to ‘as good as it gets.’
Add more than 450 slightly abnormal individuals who choose to interrupt a peaceful Sunday with lung burning climbs and bone jarring descents and you have yourself a perfect day in the world of mountain biking. Don’t get me wrong when I say perfect. Afton Alps hurt……a lot. Just ask the 40+ riders with DNFs. As always, the Lifetime Avalanche at Afton Alps proved to be a formidable course in which regional mountain bikers can test their physical and mental strength not to mention their equipment! The course and the people running the race showed once again why Afton Alps is widely considered a ‘can’t miss event’ for Midwestern mountain bikers.
In the Pro Open Men’s Category, Brendan Moore (1:46:14) took top honors for the second straight race with Doug Swanson (1:47:46) taking second. Jenna Rinehart was the lone finisher in the Pro Open Women’s Category with a time of 1:33:25.
The Expert Women Category saw Corey Coogan Cisek (1:51:17) Lisa Humphrey (1:51:48), and Anne Grabowski (1:53:10) take top honors. Michael McBurney (1:53:10), Garrott Kuzzy (1:54:42), and Sam Oftedahl (1:57:21) took top honors for the Men’s Category.
The Men’s First place in the Kid’s Comp Boys Category went to Thomas Todd (22:14) followed by Cole Herrman (25:23) and Jonathan Busse (25:44). In the Girls Category, Sydney Carlson (28:42) took top honors followed by Kaitlyn Bakke (36:09) and Josie Amo (42:45).
The top Sports Men racers included Mark Foslein (54:56), Ryan Marsel (55:22), and Scott Lund (55:28). Great racing guys as the top three spots were separated by just over 30 seconds! Sophia Marchiando (1:06:37) won the Women’s Category for the second consecutive race followed by Kris Brazil (1:07:34) and Emily Goltz (1:07:45). As many of you know, Emily was a Citizen rider last year and it is clear she is making a strong impression on the Sport Category this year.
In the Citizen Category, Beth Shedd (43:46), Amy Ochs (47:45), and Sarah Williams (47:58) made the podium on the Women’s side while Paul Jacobs (36:16), John Holst (37:13), and Jason Donlan (37:37) did so for the Men.
Rest well my friends as the MNMBS picks right up this Sunday (June 13) with the Dirt Spanker Classic. Live tunes, bike polo, and good food will be available to those camping on site the night before. See you there!
