Monday, August 22, 2011

Mountain Biking 100 Miles Across the Sky

With a wild look in their eyes and an unbending determination to conquer the extreme, Garver's Steve Jones and Kyle Kruger recently pushed themselves to the limit across brutal mountainous terrain.

Nicknamed the Race Across the Sky, Steve and Kyle tackled the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race in Colorado on August 13, a 100-mile course in the Rocky Mountains.

With 15,000 feet of total climbing and an ultimate high at Columbine Pass (12,424 feet above sea level), the race features forest trails and mountain roads, steep climbs and narrow descents, sharp turns and switchbacks, creek crossings, and panoramic views. With an entry field of over 2,000, less than 1,300 finished.

With arms raised high as he crossed the finish line, Steve completed the race in 11 hours and 39 minutes. Steve started near the back of the pack but passed nearly 1,000 riders to finish.

Pushing hard to the finish, Kyle completed the course in 11 hours and 58 minutes. Kyle overcame several challenges during the race to finish ahead of the 12-hour cutoff. This was his second time to complete the race; in 2008, he finished in 10 hours and 17 minutes. 

This wasn't Kyle and Steve's first experience together with long-distance mountain biking. Last year they rode with a Garver group (including President Brock Johnson, Chief Operating Officer Dan Williams, and Chief Marketing Officer Chad Clinehens) on a challenging seven-day, 215-mile hut-to-hut adventure from Durango, Colorado to Moab, Utah.

Question
Have you ever biked in a 100-mile race?

Would you try?

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