The 2nd annual Alpine Odyssey 100K, a 64-mile cross country race, brought the return of Lance Armstrong and 274 challengers. Cameron Chambers won the event with a time of 3:58:58, setting a new race record, while Amy Beisel took top honors for the women a 4:52:46.
Brian Smith on course. Photo: Chris Miller
The two-lap course climbed a total of 8,500 feet over Paradise Divide (11,250) and Schofield Pass (10,707ft). The Leadville Race series pushed the race two weeks back from last years date to enjoy the fall colors and give the racers a little more time to prepare. The race brought 275 registered riders and all sorts of bikes. A snow bike, cross bike, single speed hard tail, and the common carbon hard tail 29’er were all present. A racer needed to race under 8 hours to qualify for a lottery spot for 2013 Leadville 100.
The race was brought to a new dimension with the attendance of defending champion and 7-time* Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong. Coming off a recent 2nd at the Power of Four race in Aspen, he came back to Crested Butte to defend his 2011 win.
John Gaston, Bryan Smith, and Lance Armstrong at the finish. Photo: Chris Miller. If you know the man on the right send us an email @ seth@westelkproject.com
Ultimately, he came in 5th, still pretty good for a 40 year-old.
There were 70 qualifier coins handed out after the race for Leadville. Forty of these went to the top qualifying percentage of each class while 30 went to the winners of the lottery qualifier.
Enjoy the photos courtesy of Chris Miller. Results below. The valley looks forward to hosting the next race in 2013!
Top 10 Women Overall
The Women's 30-39 Class Podium. 1) Eszter Horanyi 2) Brynn O'Connell 3) Shawnen Mulligan. Photo Chris Miller
Name, Class, Time
1) Amy Beisel, Pro, 4:52:46
2) Jennifer Shinn, 40-49, 5:15:41
3) Eszter Horanyi, 30-39, 5:22:45
4) Brynn O’Connell, 30-39, 5:27:12
5) Shawnen Mulligan, 30-39, 5:30:05
6) Tina Kempin, 30-39, 5:30:51
7) Crystal Petrocelli, 30-39, 5:37:38
8 ) Heather McDowell, 30-39, 5:45:11
9) Dawn Zencka, 40-49, 5:53:52
10) Rebecca Kauffman, 50-59, 6:01:57
Top 20 Men Overall
The Men's 30-39 Division podium. 1) Bryan Smith 2) Jafar Tabaian 3) Troy Hiatt. Photo: Chris Miller
Name, Class, Time
1) Cameron Chambers, Pro, 3:58:58
2) Greg Krause, Pro, 4:02:28
3) John Gaston, Pro, 4:06:55
4) Brian Smith, 30-39, 4:09:14
5) Lance Armstrong, 20,29, 4:09:22
6) Aaron Pool, 20-29, 4:21:58
7) Jens Nielsen, 40-49, 4:26:42
8 ) Rhett Griggs, 40-49, 4:28:16
9) Benjamin Blaugrund, Pro, 4:28:41
10) Clayton Feldman, 20-29, 4:34:49
11) Jaffar Tabaian, 30-39, 4:37:37
12) Troy Hiatt, 30-39, 4:37:43
13) Nicholas Kempin, 40-49, 4:39:30
14) Rob Kosick, 30-39, 4:41:41
15) Graham Ruhmann, 0-19, 4:43:39
16) Stewart Gross, 30-39, 4:43:54
17) Josh Gallen, 0-19, 4:45:01
18) Eric Long, 50-50, 4:47:23
19) Christopher Jenkins, 40-49, 4:48:47
20) Patrick Addabbo, 20-29, 4:50:27
*we reserve the right not to explain the asterisk.
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