Crusher in the Tushar 2012: Results

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Neil Shirley collects a wad of bills for being the first man across the Competitive Cyclist K.O.M. line.(Image credit: Catherine Kim)

With a solo attack in the closing miles of the race, Tyler Wren of Jamis-Sutter Home won the second edition of the Beaver County Travel Crusher in the Tushar. It was Wren's second-straight victory at the race. Held in Beaver, Utah, on July 14, the race followed a 69-mile course over dirt and paved roads in Utah's Tushar mountains. In the women's race, Gretchen Reeves of Tokyo Joe's won in commanding style and broke the course record set last year by Olympic medalist Clara Hughes.

The race set out from Beaver under cloudy skies and light rain fell intermittently throughout the day. The course runs through remote wilderness areas of Utah's Tushar Mountains and the Fishlake National Forest. The riders face washboarded dirt roads and steep, unrelenting climbs on their way to the finish at Eagle Point ski resort. The finishing elevation is a dizzying 10,500 feet and comes after a relentless series of rolling climbs.

In the elite men's race, a select group escaped on the first Competitive Cycling KOM climb of the day. Chris MacKay of Backcountry.com, Ryan Trebon of Cannondale-Clement Cycling, Jamie Driscoll and Tyler Wren of Jamis-Sutter Home, Neil Shirley of Road Bike Action, and Jay Henry of Tokyo Joe's made the split. Approaching the summit, Shirley and Henry were gapped, but the two riders soon rejoined the front group of six.

On the final climb, the game of attrition began. MacKay, Henry, and Driscoll all soon went out the back. Then Trebon, who later said he was overgeared in his 39x26, stalled on the rutted dirt road, and eventually had to walk the upper slopes of the climb. Soon only Shirley and Wren remained together and the leading two riders reached the Competitive Cycling KOM together. "I felt like we were crawling, everyone was suffering," said Shirley.

Wren's winning move came in the rolling plateau the follows the final climb. In fact, Wren attacked in exact same spot as he did when he won the Crusher in 2011. Wren finished in 4:28:58, just under two minutes slower than his winning time from last year. Shirley could not match Wren's acceleration, but he held on for second and crossed the line around four minutes later in 4:32:45. Jay Henry finished third at 4:41:26 with Cannondale rider Alex Grant and local Cyclo Cross rider Reed Wycoff of Contender Bicycles rounded out the 5-man podium.

Behind her, Jacques dueled with Anna Jo Dingman of Team Rockford-Cliff for second. In the relentless rollers of the final 10 miles, Jacques struggled against a bonk and Dingman overtook her. "She passed me, and I was like no way," said Jacques. "I really had to rally back my head." Jacques attacked on the final climb and just barely held off Dingman to finish second in 5:32:28. Dingman crossed the line in 5:32:35. "I was so blown by the finish, I almost fell over," said Jacques.

The unique combination of dirt and paved roads makes bike selection a crucial element of preparing for the Crusher, which is the brainchild of ex-professional Burke Swindlehurst. "Most people settled on the mentality that cross bikes are the way to go, but the third and fourth placed riders on the men's podium were on mountain bikes," said Swindlehurst. "Which bike is best is still an unanswered question!"

Men's winner Wren rode a prototype Jamis cyclo-cross set-up with Di2 and hydraulic brakes. "Even after four hours in the mud, the shifting was still dialed," Wren said of the Di2. Second-placed finisher Neil Shirley also rode a cross-style bike with hydraulic brakes. Shirley spent six months assembling his Calfee Designs project bike. "Most races you don't have to think about equipment, but at the Crusher it really adds a whole different dynamic," Shirley said.

Women's winner Reeves, meanwhile, was among the riders to opt for a 29er mountain bike. Reeves rode a Gary Fisher Superfly 29er. "I can't imagine riding another bike - it was perfect," said Reeves. The mountain bike served her well on her gutsy attack on the washboarded descent off the first climb. Fourth-placed Duke rode her Cannondale Super X cross bike, but struggled with her gear choice. "A 36x27 was far too hard!" Duke plans to ride mountain bike gearing or a slim-tired 29er if she returns to the Crusher next year.