SUN VALLEY, ID (July 2, 2017)—More than 180 athletes gathered in Ketchum, ID, July 1-2, at the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival to race Round 3 of the SCOTT Enduro Cup presented by Vittoria. After one of the most scenic and grueling rounds in the series, Cody Kelly of Salt Lake City, UT and Cooper Ott of Crested Butte, CO each took their respective podiums. The annual Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival is a celebration of life on two wheels. The four-day festival is host to endurance, skill and learning based events centralized around all things cycling including the SCOTT Enduro Cup presented by Vittoria.
The weekend weather was perfect for races with cool morning temps, warm breezy days and mostly sunny skies. A heavy snowpack protected the trails from early season damage as Sun Valley Resort was just opening their lifts to bikers on July 1. On Saturday, riders raced three timed stages located on the steep slopes of Sun Valley Resort. The day’s three stages featured a mix of flowy fast switchbacks and loose rocky terrain descending 6,345 vertical feet. The second day, Sunday, featured two rugged backcountry stages that tested the riders’ endurance with two long stages and big transfer stages in between.
Men’s Pro/Open Final Results – See complete results HERE
1) Cody Kelly, 43:24.585
2) Shawn Neer, 45:01.115
3) Ryan Geiger, 45:10.803
4) Cole Picchiottino, 45:14.960
5) Malachi Artice, 45:49.514
There was tight competition in the Men’s Pro/Open category but Yeti National Team Rider Cody Kelly, 23, emerged way ahead of the pack with a screaming total time of 43:24.585. Kelly has been a consistent leader during the 2017 SCOTT Enduro Cup season with a win in Moab and third place at Angel Fire.
“It was a pretty solid weekend. I especially liked the second stage of the backcountry course on Sunday. There were a lot of loose corners and some sick bits,” remarked Kelly. “I’m pretty stoked for Deer Valley. It’s close to home for me and it’s the most technical race in the series [Enduro Cup].”
Shawn Neer, 25, of Layfayette, CO came in second place remarking that while he couldn’t quite catch up to his teammate, Kelly, he still felt pretty good about his riding overall. This was a repeat performance for Neer as he also placed second in Angel Fire. Only nine seconds behind Neer was Ryan Geiger, 22, of Flagstaff, AZ.
“It was tough riding some of the first day’s stages blind, but I am happy with how I did. The course was different and fun,” said Neer. “Cody killed it all day. He was definitely the man to beat here. It was good to see his lines and try to pick away at them, but it really didn’t work that well. He [Kelly] was pretty on point all weekend.”
Women’s Pro/Open Final Results – See complete results HERE
1) Cooper Ott, 49:16.692
2) Anne Galyean, 50:26.030
3) Lia Westermann, 50:32.404
4) Angelica Ramirez, 51:18.650
5) Lauren Bingham, 51:19.646
Cooper Ott, 25, mastered the loose trail sections, pumped out the rollers, hit the corners and pedaled the straightaways to the top of podium. Ott had a tough first stage in Sun Valley placing fifth, but managed to come back winning all four remaining stages. This is Ott’s second Enduro Cup race of the season and her second first place as she previously won the top spot in Moab.
“This was my first two-day enduro race of the year. It’s a bit different than a one-day because you want to conserve a little bit of energy for day two, but you don’t want to have too much left in the bank,” Ott remarked. “The trails here did not let you leave too much in the bank and that was really fun.”
Coming out of a third place in Moab and second place in Angel Fire, Anne Galyean, 30, of Golden Colorado landed a repeat second position in Sun Valley. Galyean’s sharp technical skills enabled her to manage the technical sections and push hard enough on the blind portions of the course. Lia Westermann, 18, of Salt Lake City, UT came in a close third, just six seconds behind Galyean.
“Being second on the podium always leaves you wanting a little more,” said Galyean. “I’m really looking forward to Deer Valley. The technical terrain there really suits my style of riding so I will be looking to pack a punch there.”
The Vittoria Bolt was awarded to the fastest time on Stage 2. Cody Kelly (07:52.183) and Cooper Ott (08:31.749) are taking another $100 home, thanks to sponsor Vittoria.
Podium finishers in the Pro/Open category shared $5,000 equally divided between men and women. Unique to this stop only, both Pro/Open winners were also awarded a Dr. Tray bike rack from Yakima. The podium athletes in the Expert, Amateur and Junior categories received gear from SCOTT Sports, Vittoria and G-Form. Riders could compete in Pro/Open, Expert, Vet Expert, Amateur and Junior categories. Special thanks to Sun Valley Resort, the U.S. Forest Service and the City of Ketchum.
The SCOTT Enduro Cup presented by Vittoria will now prepare for its fourth and final stop Aug. 26-27 at Deer Valley Resort, Utah. A full list of results from the Sun Valley race can be found HERE.
For registration information, visit endurocupmtb.com. Registration is open to men and women, professional and amateur adults and juniors under 18. In addition to race entry, all registration fees include an event t-shirt, lunch, Sierra Nevada beer and lift tickets (where applicable).
