STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Mack Dorf of Team Colorado cycling had a battle for the finish. In the last stretch of the Steamboat Springs Stage Race road race Sunday, Dorf gained some ground, but the second-place rider held on. The pair crossed the finish line together, but Dorf was the overall winner among the junior men after two days of competition. 

The final sprint, the win and even the race was special for Dorf and his teammates, since the high school mountain bike season isn’t happening in the traditional sense. 

The Steamboat Stage Race may pay the pro riders, but it was also a way for high school and college riders to compete together as a team. Dorf said it was really rewarding to be able to see the hard work his teammates have been putting in pay off in person. 

“We’ve really been missing racing together and working as a team. We haven’t gotten to do that yet, not since February,” said Team Colorado rider and junior men’s third-place finisher Ian Rogers. “That’s really fun.”

Six Steamboat Springs cyclists competed in the junior men’s race, with Trey Jones taking fifth overall, less than 8 minutes behind the winner. Wally Magill took eighth, with teammates Owen Jones, Jaxson Fryer and Thomas Cooper following suit. Curtis Zanni earned sixth but not without some bumps and bruises. 

As the freshman hauled up Critter Court to the finish line, another rider bumped into him. Zanni jolted sideways, bouncing off the pavement. He had a large bruise on his hip, exposed by a tear in his riding shorts, but other than that, he said he felt fine. 

“Right about the gravel, I got dropped, so I was fighting the whole race. I was kind of in pain,” Zanni said. “Then, I was able to get super low and start cranking on the gears for the last 10 miles so I was good.”

Peers and classmates flocked toward Zanni to make sure he was OK. While it wasn’t in the best circumstances, it was a moment of companionship that the squad has been missing out on. They’ve been practicing and will race virtually this fall, but they haven’t been able to spend time together in a competitive atmosphere. 

“I kind of took this race more seriously than I might have since it may be one of the only racing opportunities for the year,” Zanni said.

College cyclists have far fewer chances to compete as well. Michaela Thompson, who won the senior women’s category 3 race, is a cyclist in Durango. 

Thompson said there is one planned race this year rather than the usual five. So, this race was a big deal 

“It is personally, because we don’t get to race a lot right now,” she said. “But overall, this isn’t as high level a race, but for myself, yeah, I think I did pretty well.”

RESULTS
Men 50+ 1-3
1. Walter Durrer, Remote Geo, 2:26.37. 2. Kevin Nicol, Excel Sports, 2:26.42. 3. Erik Dorf, Vail Summit Orthopaedics, 2:28.15. 10. David Zink, Steamboat Velo, 2:38.3. 
Men 60+
1. Geoff Cooper, Sklar Masters Racing, 2:40.21. 2. Steve Matous, Excel Sports, 2:42.24. 3. Jerry Rome, Sklar, 2:49.10. 6. Jim Barker, Steamboat Velo, 2:59.2. 7. Vincent Hooper, Sklar Masters Racing, 3:16.36. 
Men 50+ 4
1. Ronald Budhi, COS Racing, 2:39.31. 2. Brain Tate, Steamboat Velo, 2:43.48. 3. Robb McGuffin, Steamboat Velo, 2:47.10. 
SM 4
1. Peter Bergmann, Primal-Audi Denver, 2:25.21. 2. Andrew Tsoi, Groove Subaru Excel Sports, 2:26.08. 3. Jason Kosena, Groove Subaru Excel Sports, 2:26.26. 17. Eddie Rogers, Steamboat Velo, 2:44.04. 
SM 5
1. Brian Llamas, 2:27.23. 2. Derek Meadows, Colorado School of Mines, 2:36.18. 3. Collin Lucas, COS Racing, 2:50.45. 
SW 4-5
1. Natalie Quinn, BJC, 2:46.56. 2. Sonja Catano, PEAK Multisport, 2:47.13. 3. Alexis Jaramillo, Team Colorado, 2:47.17. 
Junior Women
1. Grace Zanni, SSWSC, 3:07.55. 
MW 50+
1. Susan Rice, K4 DNA Masters Racing, 3:00.01. 2. Lanier Allen, Sonic Boom Racing, 3:04.12. 3. Janet Grachal, Natural Grocery, 3:07.48. 
MM 70+ 
1. Ed Chamberlin, Natural Grocers, 2:48.04. 2. Rick Taggart, Natural Grocers, 3:09.51. 3. Carl Reed, Team Rio Grande, 3:32.51. 
SW P 1-3
1. Andrea Buttine, Automatic Racing, 2:34.52. 2. Katie Clouse, CMU, 2:35.38. 3. Tracey Jacobs, Excel Sports, 2:35.49. 10. Hannah Bingham, Steamboat Velo/Bingham Built, 2:48.25. 
SM P 1-3
1. Colby Lange, Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling, 3:04.18. 2. George Simpson, Elevate Webiplex, 3:10.58. 3. Cormac McGeough, Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling, 3:12.39. 
SM
1. Aaron Calhoun, GFY, 3:27.12. 2. Ethan Moyer, Steamboat Velo, 3:29.24. 3. Robert Irish, Cinch, 3:30.16. 
MM 40+ 1-3
1. Phil Gronniger, Groove Subaru Excel Sports, 3:38.56. 2. Jacob Rosenbarger, Rally Sport Gym, 3:39.26. 3. Ja Dunkleberger, Groove Subaru Excel Sports, 3:40.10. 
SW 3
1. Michaela Thompson, Boulder Junior Cycling, 2:34.18. 2. Abigael Carron, 2:41.21. 
Junior Men
1. Mack Dorf, Team Colorado, 2:26.55. 2. Luke Mather, NMVS, 2:28.07. 3. Ian Rogers, Team Colorado, 2:29.59. 5. Trey Jones, BMB Racing, 2:34.53. 6. Curtis Zanni, SSWSC, 2:40.27. 8. Wally Magill, SSWSC, 2:40.45. 9. Owen Jones, BMB Racing, 2:43.57. 10. Jaxson Fryer, Shari Fryer & Associates, 2:43.58. 11. Thomas Cooper, 3:02.48. 

To reach Shelby Reardon, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.

Shelby Reardon is the assistant editor at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach her, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.