Alyeska Resort holds first cross-country mountain bike race: Next up, the Blueberry Pancake Open
By Karen Garcia
Turnagain Times Correspondent
Alyeska Resort enjoyed a fair turnout of 29 riders on Saturday, July 18 when it hosted its first mountain bike cross-country criterium race.
All genders, ages, and skill levels were welcome at the event, composed of three divisions: Expert, Sport and Masters, and Novice and Juniors. No Masters competed on Saturday.
A criterium race is generally held on a short course and typically involves several laps. The riders completed either one, two, or three laps on the 2.25-mile long route depending on which division they registered for.
Darren Mattingly, 39, seized first place in the Expert Division with a time of 41 minutes and 18 seconds. A Girdwood resident, Mattingly has been racing bikes since 1991, yet the course still proved to be quite a challenge.
“There’s not much time to recover,” Mattingly said. “The downhill is pretty technical and bumpy, so you’re breathing pretty heavy there, and then you turn around and go back uphill. There’s not much time to rest.”
The fast-paced, technical race started at the base of the tram and looped up and back down Homestretch road. From there, it continued up the Bear Cub Climb trail to the top of Chair 7, down the Christmas in July trail, over the Chair 3 work road, and then descended down the Blueberry Pancake trail. A light post near the Bear Cub Uphill trail sign marked the finish line.
The race commenced a bit later than anticipated, with the Expert and Sport divisions starting at 10:20 a.m. and the Novice & Juniors about an hour later. 24 men and five women competed.
Aside from a bloody knee and a broken derailleur, the race seemed to go off without a hitch. Volunteer national Ski Patrol members were present to provide on-site medical assistance, while Jim Jansen of Girdwood Ski and Cyclery was in attendance to help fix any minor bicycle malfunctions.
Once all divisions had finished racing, the riders stood around animatedly discussing their opinions of the course, which all seemed to be generally positive.
“With the conditions being as dry as they’ve been, there’s a little bit of unconsolidated material in some parts of the course, but otherwise the tread is pretty darn firm,” said race coordinator Brian Burnett.
John Lackey, 31, achieved second place in the Expert division, and only had nice things to say about the route.
“Fun trails, for sure,” the Anchorage resident related. “Lots of climbing and then descending, and the descents were fun; they were twisty and banked. It’s a fun area to ride.”
This encouraging response is exactly the kind of feedback that Burnett wanted to hear, seeing as he hopes to make the race an annual event.
“I guarantee you we’re going to be hosting more and more bike races here as time goes on,” he said.
At a bit past noon, the results were announced and awards were distributed to the first, second, and third place riders for each division. The prizes included summer tram rides and winter lift tickets.
A raffle was held shortly thereafter, using the riders’ bib numbers as tickets. Tools, helmets, lift/tram tickets, and gift certificates to Girdwood Ski and Cyclery were among the prizes.
The next major mountain bike race that Alyeska will host is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22 during the resort’s Blueberry Festival. The trail will consist of one downhill sprint on the Blueberry Pancake trail.
Registration will be from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., during which time riders will be allowed to take as many practice runs as they wish, said Alyeska’s Mountain Administrator Karen Lane. The timed race will begin around noon.
Complete results for the criterium race are available online at alyeskaresort.com.
Karen Garcia/Turnagain Times
Cross-country bikers crowd-up on the along the course at Alyeska Resort’s first-ever mountain bike race held July 18. |
