Master men contest four more championships

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In the Master men's 30-34 division, Grant Berry (Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory), Matt Pacocha (Hudz-Subaru) and Jake Wells (Mafia Racing) quickly established themselves at the head of the race. One of the leading trio, Wells, was dropped halfway through the race, leaving Pacocha and Berry to fight it out for the next few laps until Berry was able to open a 20-second gap.

"I was trying to race clean and see how it was going to play out," said Pacocha. "Things were cooling off so late in the day and the grass was really freezing up making it really slippery. I had a little crash and he was able to get away."

The three early leaders were not the story, however, in the Master men's 35-39 event as Jonathan Baker (Vitamin Cottage) surged from the fourth row to catch the leaders late in the race.

"After getting through the pack I was riding by myself most of the time," said Baker. "I wasn't sure if I would catch them, but I just wanted to keep racing hard. I was 20 seconds back at one point, but I think they started looking at each other a bit late in the race and I was able to close it."

Baker passed Justin Robinson (California Giant Berry Farms), Ali Goulet (Church of the Big Ring) and 2008 national champion Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport) on the final lap to move up to the top step of the podium.

Former pro mountain bikers Peter Webber and Don Myrah squared off in a re-match of the 1993 elite national title race in the Master men's 40-44 division. Sixteen years later the pair exchanged podium places with Webber grabbing the gold and Myrah settling for silver. Douglas Reid (Second Ascent) outsprinted Ward Baker (Rockymounts/Izze Racing) to claim the bronze medal.

Kevin Hines (Corner Cycles) dominated the early-morning 50-54 race, winning the stars-and-stripes jersey by nearly a minute. Bobby Langin (Platinum Performance) out-dueled Rich Cramer to grab the silver.

Results