Grant and Bonniface win stage 1 of Breck Epic
Race gets under way in Colorado





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
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alex Grant | 2:37:17 |
2 | Kyosuke Takei | 0:06:44 |
3 | Ben Sonntag | 0:06:44 |
4 | Nick Gould | 0:13:29 |
5 | Joan Llordella | 0:13:30 |
6 | Justin Lindine | 0:15:30 |
7 | Brad Bingham | 0:16:09 |
8 | Nick Truitt | 0:17:52 |
9 | Bryan Dillon | 0:18:02 |
10 | Carl Decker | 0:18:55 |
11 | John Klish | 0:22:47 |
12 | Justin Piontek | 0:24:04 |
13 | Sean Gilligan | 0:32:21 |
14 | Jason Kiefer | 0:33:55 |
15 | Taylor Shelden | 0:37:09 |
16 | Ryan Chambers | 0:51:26 |
17 | Galen Omoore | 0:56:51 |
18 | Andres Verdugo | 0:57:26 |
19 | Brandon Barber | 1:01:43 |
20 | Enrique Uribe | 1:07:09 |
21 | Angel Hinojosa Urrutia | 1:21:42 |
22 | Eric Wen | 1:30:37 |
23 | Josh Patterson | 1:32:41 |
24 | Rocky Gingg | 1:50:57 |
25 | Mariano Montero | 2:36:26 |
26 | Enrique Valverde | 3:07:21 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Kelly Boniface | 3:18:29 |
2 | Kate Aardal | 0:06:00 |
3 | Catherine Williamson | 0:08:34 |
4 | Elizabeth Sampey | 0:17:12 |
5 | Laura Omeara | 0:17:46 |
6 | Kate Zander | 0:22:16 |
7 | Amy Chiuchiolo | 0:27:42 |
8 | Marlee Dixon | 0:30:59 |
9 | Ivy Pedersen | 0:37:31 |
10 | Katie Carmichael | 0:44:24 |
11 | Karen Martins | 0:55:22 |
12 | Brooke Connell | 1:04:33 |
13 | Liz Lee | 1:07:56 |
14 | Katy Curtis | 1:12:08 |
15 | Karen Armstrong | 1:17:40 |
16 | Kelly Neville | 1:36:05 |
17 | Shantel Koenig | 2:04:07 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Dax Massey | 3:06:25 |
2 | Vince Anderson | 0:05:26 |
3 | Dan Durland | 0:06:49 |
4 | Jason Hilgers | 0:10:50 |
5 | Carlos Vulgamott | 0:11:45 |
6 | Henry Fischer | 0:18:55 |
7 | Dean Cahow | 0:21:07 |
8 | James Prentice | 0:21:08 |
9 | Rob Lockey | 0:23:00 |
10 | Wael Amara | 1:09:56 |
11 | Hans Hjelde | 1:12:55 |
12 | David Kilmoyer | 1:15:09 |
13 | Michael Beck | 1:15:47 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Maaike Everts | 4:43:14 |
2 | Sundra Hines | 0:03:22 |
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'It's a day for Van der Poel, Van Aert and of course Tadej' – Will Pogačar be in yellow by the end of Tour de France stage 2?
Punchy final in Boulogne-sur-Mer brings GC battle with Vingegaard back in play for a second day -
Giro d'Italia Women - stage 1 time trial start times
Elisa Longo Borghini last of 153 riders in opening stage -
'I'm really sorry' - Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier disappointed to miss out in Tour de France sprint on stage 1
Big-name sprinters left to fight for 39th place after missing decisive split in the peloton -
'The guys were asleep' – Primož Roglič among GC losers in crosswinds on Tour de France stage 1
Yates twins out of contention, late crash no issue for Ben O'Connor - a rundown of the hopefuls who lost time in Lille, with many caught out in Visma-Lease a Bike-led crosswind assault