Grant and Bonniface win stage 1 of Breck Epic

Day one of the Breck Epic dawned chilly as usual, with a slight fog hanging on the tops of the mountains. Mother nature seems to have a sense of humor on day one, initiating competitors from lower elevations into Breckenridge weather in August.

The start line was bigger than ever and the air was dully charged. After a couple of words from race promoter Mike McCormack, the police escort sirens started rolling and the countdown was on. Dogs began barking in encouragement and spectators started yelling. The racers rolled out to Boreas Pass road for a smooth climb before the first descent.

Steamboat local Kelly Boniface and Breckenridge local Marlee Dixon crested the hill in first and second, but Dixon soon fell victim to a flat tire and blown-out tube. After a volunteer helped her out with a tube, she was off to chase the field down. She ended the day nearly 30 minutes off Boniface, who won the stage, but Dixon is still within a flat or mechanical of the other girls.

On the men's side, Joan Lllordella from the Buff Pro team led the race down Aspen Alley, with pro road racer and long-time Summit county local, Taylor Sheldon (5 Hour Energy p/b Kenda) close on his wheel. The men came down in quick succession, racing wheel to wheel down Blue River trail before heading up a climb that successfully strung the field out. Coming in to aid station one, Sho-Air/Cannondale's Alex Grant had taken over the lead. As he rolled through, all eyes eagerly looked up the road for the rest of the field. They didn't appear for over two more minutes, when Kyosuke Takei, Japan's reigning national champion rolled in. Soon after, Stan's NoTubes' Ben Sonntag grabbed a bottle feed and was off. Coming through aid two, Grant extended his lead to five minutes and by the finish he was six minutes and 44 seconds ahead of Takei and Sonntag.

In the three-day race, Breck locals Zeke Hersh and Kerri Willis won the men's 40+ and women's open races by a fair margin. The race behind them is a bit closer and day two will probably see a couple of change-ups. In the men's three-day open race, Ciro Zarate beat out Summit local and business owner Thomas Messerschmidt.

Day one was a rocky, steep day, while day two visits the Colorado trail for fast, flowing descents with fun climbs that is sure to keep the excitement high.

Stage 1 and General classification after stage 1 results