Six Blue Sky Velo riders competed in the Laramie Enduro on July 26. Plus, I provided volunteer support in the form of helping out at Aid Station 4, and riding sweep from Aid 4 to the Finish line.
Although we couldn't get coordinated for dinner on Friday night before the race, we at least did all get to say hi to each other and wish each other luck. Everybody dispersed to their various motels/campgrounds early in the evening, as the start was at 7AM on Saturday morning.
Saturday morning dawned a little foggy and damp (thanks to some showers the night before). But within an hour of the start of the race all the fog had burned off and the sky turned cloud-less.
I rode out to Aid 4 from the campground to meet the Blue Sky Velo riders as they came through. I was there early enough to see the first pro riders come through. They didn't look like super-human freaks of nature, but their times indicated they were!
Ernie Wintergerst was the first Blue Sky rider through Aid 4 with a split time of a little over 5 hours. Over the next 80 minutes or so Jessica Madden, Phil Murray, Sasha Milhous, John Perry, and Cindy Vanover passed through. Phil and Cindy both looked a little worse-for-wear, as they'd both crashed before Aid 4. Unfortunately, Phil's crash/injury took it's toll after Aid 4 and he had to DNF.
Everyone else put in a strong performance and finished with good times, despite various mechanical and/or injury issues: Ernie 7:23; Jessica 7:34; Sasha 8:16; John 8:45; Cindy 9:30. The Enduro is a tough race (111K/72 miles of singletrack, double track, dirt/paved road). Anybody who competes deserves major kudos.
As for me, about 3:30 in the afternoon I left Aid 4 with another rider to sweep to the finish. Except for a 20 minute downpour at one point, the sweep was uneventful. We only rounded up one other rider (who DNF'd at Aid 5).
Below are a few photos of the Blue Sky riders as they came through Aid 4.
Cindy Vanover
John Perry
Sasha Milhous
Phil Murray
Jessica Madden
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