After nearly a month-long hiatus, the Summit Mountain Challenge mountain bike race series, hosted by Race Breck, resumed with the highly anticipated Basin Burnout race on Wednesday, July 17. This event marked the fourth race in the six-race series, bringing excitement and competitive spirit back to the trails.
Despite the break since the Tour de French Gulch race on June 19, mountain bikers stayed in peak condition by participating in the Firecracker 50 race on the Fourth of July. Eager to race again, athletes lined up at the base of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, ready to tackle the challenging course.
The evening began with the kids-course races, featuring junior boys and girls aged 10 and under. Starting from the base area, the young riders climbed 328 feet up the Argentine North Fork Trail before racing back to the finish line near Mountain Goat Plaza. Breckenridge’s Nellie Greenwood, 10, led the junior girls 9-10 race, finishing in 17 minutes and 52 seconds. Close behind were Iris Ryan, 9, and Fiammetta Niemkiewicz, 9, finishing second and third, respectively. In the junior boys 9-10 race, Tucker Gallup, 10, emerged victorious with a time of 16:38, followed by Brodie Cirks and Hudson Pratt in second and third place.
Reagan Flickinger was the lone finisher in the junior girls 8 and under race, crossing the line in 21:26.
The short-course races featured both junior and beginner men and women 16-plus categories. Athletes began on the Argentine North Fork Trail, climbing higher before descending to the finish. Summit’s Tessa Jacobs dominated the 3.5-mile short-course race, finishing first in 30:44. Lakewood’s Annika Krum and Breckenridge’s Iris Ryan followed in second and third.
In the junior boys 11-12 race, Frisco’s Max Swenson claimed victory with a time of 27:09. Miles Drumwright and Gabe Loomis completed the podium. Galen Teller won the junior girls 13-15 race, finishing in 24:29, just ahead of Lakewood’s Siri Krum. Louie Devito took first in the junior boys 13-15 race with a time of 24:49, followed by Owen Harris and Julian Crum.
The beginner women 16-plus race saw Destiny Duarte win in 31:05, with June Baniewicz close behind. In the beginner men 16-plus race, Abe Baniewicz claimed first place, followed by Judson Chase and Steve Woodcock.
The evening concluded with the long-course race, an 8.8-mile challenge with 1,800 feet of climbing. Golden’s Nate Vacura led the pro open men’s race, finishing in 53:10. Jeffrey Kepler and Taylor Shelden secured second and third places. Maddie Miller of Golden was the sole competitor in the pro open women’s race, finishing in 1:04:50.
In a thrilling finish, Fiona Florio narrowly edged out Aila Harmala in the expert and singlespeed women 16-plus race, winning by just 0.06 seconds. Taylor Lester triumphed in the sport men 16-34 race, while Julie Granshaw led the open women 45-plus race. Russell Asleson took first in the open men 60-plus race.
The next Summit Mountain Challenge race, the Peaks Trail Time Trial, is scheduled for July 31. The race will start at the Peaks Trailhead in Breckenridge and conclude on Miners Creek Road in Frisco.
