Stage one of the sold out  2012 Breck Epic stage race kicked off today in Breckenridge, CO and the results were maybe not what one would have expected. 

Open Men:

Squirt Lube rider Benmelt Swanepoel of South Africa finally put it together today, taking a definitive win in the Open Men's field in front of Ben Sonntag and Josh Tostado. This season Melt's finished second at The Firecracker, fourth at Breck 100, and second at last week's NUE Series race at Pierre's Hole, Wyoming, it was only a matter of time before he nailed a race win. Melt and fellow South African Matthys Beukes gapped the field going into aid station one. Beukes would later flat, opening the door for Ben Sonntag to move up to the second spot. Josh Tostado would roll in not quite five minutes down on Swanepoel in third. 

Watch for Beukes to pull off something special later this week. Same goes for Jake Wells whose bottom bracket blew up today. He's out of the GC, but he says he was feeling good and hanging in the front group today...there might be a stage win in his near future. 

The wearer of the #1 plate, Colby Pearce had a tough day today, coming off his top twenty five at Leadville on Saturday. He won the last stage of the Breck Epic two years ago, there's a chance his legs will come around by the end of the week. 

Open Women:

Benmelt's Squirt Lube teammate and significant other Yolandi Du Toit (also of South Africa), took the women's win over Amanda Carey in a bit of an upset. Carey finished just over five minutes down and she has five days to work off that deficit. It should be an interesting week. 

Singlespeed Stage Race World Championship:

Another unexpected turn of today's stage was that TWO singlespeeders finished inside the top ten. I'm sorry, that would be THREE, three singlespeeders that finished inside the top ten...by my math, which is admittedly terrible. Brady Kappius took the early lead, hovering just outisde the top five of the Open Men after aid station one. Macky Franklin would eventually catch him and best him by around a minute. Dax Massey would finish just five minutes behind Franklin. In a crosscountry race that might seem like a big gap but in a six day stage race it's the beat of a speeded-out hummingbird's wing. 

Women's Singlespeed Stage Race World Championship:

Jennifer Wilson crushed the competition, coming in almost half an hour ahead of second place Andrea Wilson (no relation). 

Duo Open Men:

In a controversial move, singlespeeders Peter Keiller and Rich Dillen moved from the SSSRWC to the nearly vacant Duo Open Men category where they finished over an HOUR AND A HALF down on Blake Harlan and Bryan Alders who finished in the top ten overall (which probably throws off my "singlespeeders in the top ten" math come to think of it). Keiller has vowed to break a chair of Harlan's back at the awards ceremony. 

There's more to tell, but I'm getting kicked out of this Starbucks. And not for fighting for once. 


Solo Open Men

Result

1 Benmelt Swanepoel 3:11:26
2 Ben Sonntag 0:02:08
3 Josh Tostado 0:04:36
4 Nick Truitt 0:07:39
5 Rotem Ishay 0:09:41
6 Ryan Clark 0:14:06
7 Calle Friberg 0:14:14
8 Sloane Anderson 0:21:04
9 Nathan Brown 0:24:39
10 Ross Schnell 0:25:18
11 Matthys Beukes 0:26:17
12 Ezekiel Hersh 0:27:03
13 Matt Woodruff 0:28:57
14 Mike Blewitt 0:29:39
15 Shawn Bunnin 0:32:18
16 Peter Watson 0:32:20
17 Colby Pearce 0:36:25
18 Brent Steinberg 0:42:47
19 Erik Bakke 0:42:52
20 Vandendaele Thomas 0:46:52
21 Taylor Lideen 0:50:29
22 Logan Vonbokel 0:59:36
23 Jake Wells 1:02:34
24 Derek Oldfield 1:23:01
25 Warren Stephenson 1:44:38
26 Alex Tibwitta 2:27:50

Solo Open Women

Result

1 Yolandi Du Toit 3:57:53
2 Amanda Carey 0:05:29
3 Karen Jarchow 0:17:47
4 Ciara Macmanus 0:33:42
5 Stephanie Wilkinson 1:11:22
6 Cindy Bonhage 1:34:14
7 Laura Gleason 1:36:07

Solo Singlespeed Men

Result

1 Macky Franklin 3:25:31
2 Brady Kappius 0:01:22
3 Dax Massey 0:05:07
4 Michael Melley 0:15:48
5 Dan Durland 0:16:57
6 Vince Anderson 0:17:51
7 Hayes Charlie 0:25:38
8 Nate Miller 0:31:45
9 Montana Miller 0:35:26
10 Eric Davis 0:41:27
11 Donald Powers 0:44:32
12 Dean Cahow 0:50:04
13 Scott Upton 0:59:46
14 Birtch Dejay 1:02:03
15 Aaron Shelmire 1:08:51
16 Rob Lochner 1:10:18
17 John Odle 1:14:38
18 Ian Palermo 1:15:48
19 Jeremy Palermo 1:23:53

Solo Singlespeed Women

Result

1 Jennifer Wilson 4:13:47
2 Andrea Wilson 0:28:31
3 Melissa Liebling 0:41:37
4 Sarah Musick 0:41:59

Solo 30+ Men

Result

1 James Meyer 3:37:12
2 Ian Mills 0:13:41
3 Johannes Huseby 0:16:01
4 Bradley Schmalzer 0:24:15
5 Wu Jeff 0:37:31
6 Joshua Roeser 0:40:24
7 John Heffner 0:48:27
8 Amit Dutta 0:49:00
9 Andrew Jauquet 1:19:12
10 Craig Manthe 1:27:32
11 Philip Thompson 1:47:02

Solo 40+ Men

Result

1 Mike Driver 3:38:28
2 Jeff Cospolich 0:06:54
3 Ken Thorp 0:07:54
4 Stephen Ushy 0:24:56
5 Jason Sumner 0:43:21
6 Michael Quinn 0:45:28
7 Lennie Moon 0:53:14
8 Charles Gauvin 1:02:29
9 Brad Shield 1:06:13
10 Shawn Lortie 1:06:23
11 Tom Boo 1:08:38
12 Chris Castilian 1:17:10
13 Chris Mckillican 1:27:16
14 Brian Neyt 1:40:59
15 Joel Doctor 1:42:18
16 Craig Mcghee 1:48:52
17 Farhy Nolan 1:54:20
18 John Arguello 2:03:59
19 Ty Garber 2:05:42
20 Moishe Lettvin 2:12:56
21 David Mccormick 2:25:05

Solo 50+ Men

Result

1 Russell Kappius 3:39:02
2 Bruce Wilson 0:32:39
3 Mike Kane 0:37:41
4 Frost Jeffery 0:40:20
5 Rick Metzger 1:05:21
6 Carl Gable 1:15:55
7 Stan Mayer 1:47:02
8 Lindsay Gauld 1:56:33
9 Mark Halwa 1:59:14
10 Brooks Dean 2:13:01
11 Michael Bowen 2:29:28
12 Stephen Ostrander 2:32:10
13 Rick Foutch 2:42:25
14 Brendan Mcmahon 2:55:32

Solo Clydesdale

Result

1 Kreidl Ken 4:24:08
2 Richard Szecsy 2:42:21

Solo 40+ Women

Result

1 Tina Martinez 4:33:05
2 Laureen Coffelt 0:05:56
3 Julie Kelly 0:07:49
4 Lori Halwa 1:07:55
5 Mindi Hoffmaster 1:09:18
6 Julie Urlaub 1:15:33

Duo Open Men

Result

1 Blake Harlan & Bryan Alders 3:25:31
2 Rich Dillen and Peter Keiller 1:37:48

Duo Men 80+

Result

1 Mike Hogan & Thomas Dooley 3:48:30
2 Kervin Quinones & Michael Trimble 0:05:42
3 Tim Brezsnyak & Michael Piker 0:06:20
4 Jason Morgan & Russell Henderson 0:23:28
5 Scott Baca & Sean Fay 0:38:58 

Duo Men 100+

Result

1 Russ Asleson & Mark Gourge 4:17:21
2 David Reed & John Pougiales 0:45:08
3 Joso Dias Da Chunha & Jorg Damas 0:48:33

Duo Women

Result

1 Mary Davis & Rebecca Bruno 5:32:07
2 Carthy Chan & Linda Green 0:18:00

Duo Coed

Result

1 Alexa Storoniak & Alexa Storoniak
2 Karen Rishel & Alan Rishel 4:39:32
3 John Bliss & Michele Bliss 5:22:50
4 Elden Nelson & Lisa Nelson 5:25:20

Team Challenge

Result

1 1-Speed Willas Wheels 4:19:51
2 Got Gears Willas Wheels 1:40:28
3 Day Men Open

Result

1 Matt Simmons 3:29:26
2 Aaron Gulley 0:27:46
3 Cam Winn 0:48:26
4 David Buchler 1:02:55
5 Wayne Bishop 1:05:02
6 Perce Steven 1:13:50
7 Robert Burnett 1:17:14
8 Rob Hudson 1:20:50
9 Marco Amselem 1:24:19
10 Kyle Swenor 1:26:53
11 Jeff Hallman 1:37:34
12 Jean Paul Desrosiers 2:37:09

3 Day Women Open

Result

1 Holly Wade 4:28:46
2 Debbie Preller 0:39:51
3 Kristi Olson 0:40:18
4 Melanie Wong 0:56:04
5 Jennifer Barbour 0:56:07
6 Sage Melley 1:03:23
7 Trish Mayer 1:17:46
8 Gill Smith 1:21:57
9 Devora Peterson 1:41:13
10 Lindsey Mockenhaupt 2:03:09

3 Day Men 40+

Result

1 Mark Thompson 3:42:04
2 Bill Hade 0:26:20
3 Marc Peruzzi 0:31:15
4 Andrew Black 0:38:34
5 Eric Sorenson 0:39:05
6 Brad Newby 0:39:26
7 Chris Quinn 0:45:26
8 Jason Gaines 0:49:14
9 Martins Larry 0:53:56
10 John Arnold 1:10:33
11 Shimoda Tetsuo 1:12:11
12 Chip Waite 1:15:35
13 Todd Kooy 1:25:20
14 Kjell Friberg 1:28:07
15 Kyle Firestone 1:28:27
16 Boggiano Beto 1:37:30
17 Joel Roberts 1:45:34
18 Ross Maxwell 2:06:11
19 Bartley Mark 2:08:05
20 Andrew Newington 2:18:41
21 Chris Kim 2:33:07
22 Richard Flores 2:45:43
23 Robert Nolan 2:50:01
24 Richard Lane 3:00:31

3 Day Gran Fondo

Result

1 Adam Pemberton 5:00:54