Evelyn Dong (Juliana) descends from French Pass. Image: Eddie Clark

By Shauna Farnell
Image: Eddie Clark

After independently spending hours pedaling solo this week, Kaysee Armstrong and Ellen Campbell were pleased to pair up in Stage 4 on Wednesday. The two rode together for the majority of the 42-mile Aqueduct course until Campbell dropped the race leader on the final climb and notched her inaugural Breck Epic stage victory.

“On the start I was a little bit sluggish, not as snappy as I would like to be, but I don’t think anyone is super snappy,” said Campbell, who won the stage in 4 hours, 6 minutes and 46 seconds. “I tried to start slower and spin the legs. I knew there was a lot of climbing later in the race, so I didn’t want to expend too much energy early on. Maybe 30 minutes in, I made contact with Kaysee. We kind of yo-yoed. She’s definitely a stronger descender than I am. I was feeling pretty good on the climbs after my legs warmed up.”

The 27-year-old Durango native who rides for Specialized Ralpha Tailwind Domestique Coffee started warming up her legs long before the start of the Epic, competing in the Leadville 100 on Saturday. Somehow she found the strength on Wednesday’s final climb to create a gap that Armstrong couldn’t close. She crossed the finish line 25 seconds ahead of the Team Juliana star.

“We had our strengths in different parts of the course,” Campbell said. “It was really nice to have someone, especially on that long [West Ridge] climb. It was a good distraction. Day 2, I didn’t ride with anyone. One reason I chose to do this race was to ride with my friends. On that last climb, I happened to be in front and got a little gap. I knew there was a descent to the finish. I was just hoping she wasn’t going to catch me. It’s nice to win a stage, but Kaysee has that pink jersey snugged up for now.”

The Aqueduct course threw a blow at Armstrong early on Wednesday when she crashed on the first descent, about 35 minutes into the race.

“We were ripping down it and a guy had wrecked,” Armstrong said. “I sat up because someone was on the ground. As soon as I did, I went flying over the handlebars.”

The inaugural Breck Epic Women’s Tour drew 62 starters in 2024. Rider: Stella Hobbs. Image: Jace Stout

Armstrong rode the next several hours with a bloody knee that was beginning to throb after she crossed the finish line. Following the crash, she found Campbell and rather enjoyed the social ride.

“It was nice to have a friend to talk to, to be honest, especially going up Keystone,” she said. “She kept me motivated. I was losing some motivation. That last climb, I missed a turn. Ellen was going to beat me, I knew it.”

Armstrong, 34, still leads the overall with a four-stage time of 13:56:04. Campbell is runner up, more than 15 minutes back. This sizeable lead doesn’t seem to give Armstrong any comfort however, especially going into Thursday’s notoriously hike-endowed Wheeler stage.

“No, the lead means nothing,” she said. “Do you know what’s up tomorrow? I just I hope I’ve got my bad luck behind me.”

Former professional road cyclist Andrea Dvorak of Cutaway fought her way onto her first Epic podium on Wednesday. Learning the tech ropes after retiring from skinny tires, she competed in the 2019 and last year’s Epic. She is pleased to find herself on a stage podium. The 43-year-old Longmont rider is also sitting in third overall with a time of 14:10:37.

“I’ve watched the battles from afar, and it’s nice to be getting better each day,” Dvorak said. “I’m a roadie turned mountain biker, and it’s been chipping away. The downhills are more fun now, more comfortable rather than just attacking climbs and hoping that no one catches me on the downhill. I’ve felt pretty strong these last two days.”

Stella Hobbs, winner of Stage 1, currently sits 4th in the Pro Women’s overall. Image: Eddie Clark

Image: Eddie Clark

2017 Epic champion Howard Grotts powers to stage 4 win and overall lead. Image: Devon Balet

By Shauna Farnell

Howard Grotts’ status as a seasoned stage racing champion shined on Wednesday. The 31-year-old Specialized Off-Road rider took a commanding victory in Stage 4, tackling the 42-mile Aqueduct course in 3 hours, 13 minutes and 17 seconds. Crossing the line about three and a half minutes ahead of fellow Durango native and Trek Factory rider Riley Amos, Grotts takes over the race lead.

“I had no idea I had that gap on him today,” Grotts said. “Riley and I pulled away a little bit and kept a good pace up until Aid Station 2 and then I got a bit of a gap and had to keep pushing from there.”

Canadian Robert Britton set the pace out of the gate, forcing the men’s pro field into an instant high-speed sufferfest. Along with local Bear National Team rider Lasse Konecny, who joined the Stage 4-6 three-day field, crushing Stage 4 with a finish time of 3:19:15, Grotts and Amos made an early breakaway from the rest of the field. They rode together until just after the halfway point when Grotts started pulling away.

“It was a rubbly switchback climb, I got a little gap,” Grotts said. “He’s been descending a lot better than me this week so I just knew I had to be safe, but push it where I could. He’s a really good closer, so I wouldn’t have put it past him to bridge back. I guess the legs are good for me today. It worked out, but it means he’ll be fired up tomorrow.”

Riley Amos leads Howard Grotts early on in Breck Epic’s Aqueduct Stage. Image: Eddie Clark

Grotts, a former World Cup racer and Olympian who now focuses on endurance racing, knew he was in trouble when he saw Amos in his wake.

“Once I saw that pink jersey, I knew it was going to come together,” said Grotts, adding that he remembers lining up for time trials when Amos was a kid. “It’s so cool to see how far he’s come and absolutely crushing it on the World Cup scene. It’s so cool seeing that next generation pushing it further and further.” 

Grotts won the Breck Epic in 2017, but has not returned since, although he did go on to win the notoriously grueling Cape Epic in South Africa twice, including earlier this year.

“I don’t quite have the snap that the World Cup kids have anymore, but luckily we’re at altitude, so it doesn’t matter that much,” Grotts said. “I really wanted to come back to this. Glad I made it happen. Mountain biking is where my heart is at. This stage was pretty physical, but I think it worked out well. I try to put the blinders on with stage racing. You just look ahead and see what you get every day.”

Finishing within two minutes of Amos in Stage 1 and within 30 seconds in Stage 2, Grotts now trails the Trek Factory rider in the overall standings. Amos leads with a total time of 7:33:24, followed by Grotts in 7:35:57. Yeti Cycles’ Zach Calton was the third rider across the line in Stage 3 Tuesday and now sits in third overall, but more than 12 minutes behind Amos with a total time of 7:45:56. Bear Nationals rider Robbie Day, who finished a close second to Amos in the first two stages, finished fourth Tuesday and now sits in fourth in the GC with a time of 7:46:21.

Mega Epic riders Chase Caughey, Jesse Harodetsky and Yuki depart on a 6-stage back-to-back solo and unsupported journey. Image: Jace Stout

Big day. All of ’em. Image: Jace Stout