Lasse Konecny, local teen takes Stage 1 win; Nash reclaims dominance over women’s field

Lachlan Morton slowed by puncture as Lasse Konecny takes late lead. That’s why they play the games.

BRECKENRIDGE — The flat tire fairy has plagued Lachlan Morton lately. A late race puncture cost the Australian pro the lead in 2022 Breck Epic’s Stage 1, paving the way for local teen Lasse Konecny to swoop ahead in the last few miles and take the stage win on Sunday.

“I caught him like right next to my house,” said Konecny, 18, who lives in Breckenridge’s Wellington neighborhood and who is working his way up the ranks in mountain biking, having taken second in this year’s Firecracker 50 race and competed in his first World Cup cross-country race this summer in Snowshoe, West Virginia. “I kept trying to catch him, but he was really strong today. I didn’t think I would do it, but I had a little bit of luck on my side. I didn’t realize he had a flat. I passed him and from B & B [trail], I didn’t look back until I finished.”

Konecny won the 36-mile Pennsylvania Creek stage in two hours, 50 minutes and 15 seconds, more than two minutes ahead of Morton, who led the entire race until he punctured his tire descending Gold Run, about six miles from the finish at Carter Park.

“It was a fun day until then,” said the 30-year-old EF Education-EasyPost rider, whose resume (on both fat and skinny tires) includes winning the Mount Evans Hill Climb, the Tour of Utah and Tour of the Gila stage road races, the Telluride 100 and completing last year’s entire Tour de France route unsupported to raise money for World Bicycle Relief.

Morton succumbs to mechanicals

Morton, who held at least a minute lead over Konecny at the halfway point of the race, was hoping for redemption Sunday after a series of flats also curtailed his Leadville 100 race on Saturday, putting him in sixth place.

“It’s been all year,” he said of his mechanical difficulties. “I tore a sidewall with about 10K to go. I tried plugging it today, but it was too big. I just had to ride it. I got caught with like 5K to go. No plans for the rest of the week, just ride hard and have fun, as always.”

Reigning Breck Epic champion Keegan Swenson was busy winning the SBT GRVL race in Steamboat Springs on Sunday after claiming another Leadville 100 victory Saturday.

“Obviously, it’s nice to not have Keegan here,” said Konecny, who crossed the line with style points, popping a wheelie, as did his younger brother, Nico Konecny. Nico, 16, handily won Sunday’s race among the men’s open three-day field with his time of 3:03:09.

Lasse said staying within striking distance of Morton on Sunday was a huge confidence boost. “He’s a legend. It’s cool to keep it going with him. Honestly, the goal the next few days is to survive. I went kind of deep today to see if I could take the stage win, but other than that, each day the plan is to take it as it goes and have fun.”

Stage 1 began at Stephen C. Ice Arena and took riders up to Boreas Pass, down Aspen Alley, up Pennsylvania Creek to Baker’s Tank, down Nightmare and Sally Barber, up Little French, through Lincoln Meadows, down Gold Run, up V3 to descend and finish at Carter Park. After a couple of days of heavy rain and a storm that kicked up mid-day Sunday, riders crossed the line mud splattered, but smiling.