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Minnesota woman wins 12 Hours of Mesa Verde mountain bike race

Chelsea Strate, of Minneapolis, took first place in the solo woman's category of the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde mountain bike race Saturday.
Male solo winner is from Fairplay

In the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde mountain bike race Saturday, Chelsea Strate, of Minneapolis, was the fastest solo woman rider. Josh Tostado, of Fairplay, was the fastest solo male rider.

Strate, 36, dominated the field, completing seven laps in 12 hours, 33 minutes and 22 seconds. Each lap is 16.2 miles, and she rode 113.4 miles total.

Her nearest competitor was Tami Taylor, 51, of Albuquerque, who finished second, completing five laps in 9 hours, 51 minutes, 1 second. She rode 81 miles.

Carly Bonwell, 23, of Silverton, made the podium in third place with five laps in 11 hours, 10 minutes and 55 seconds.

In a phone interview Monday, Strate said she races competitively and has a handful of wins under her belt. This was her first time racing in 12 Hours of Mesa Verde, and it was not on her radar until some friends told her about it.

“The Phil’s World trails are awesome. It felt good to win a new race for me,” she said. “I had no idea what place I was in” until after the finish.

The key was pacing herself to avoid burning out later in the day, as well as keeping hydrated and nutritionally fueled.

“I found a good pace I knew I could pretty much ride all day,” Strate said. “The last two laps were definitely a little slower, I could feel the higher elevation here. My favorite was the Rib Cage and the technical sections.”

She rode a Salsa Spearfish full suspension bike, and said she wants to compete in the race again.

Chelsea Strate, of Minneapolis, celebrates winning the solo woman's category of 12 Hours of Mesa Verde. It was her first time competing in the race, which takes place at Phil's World east of Cortez.

In the solo male division, Josh Tostado, 46, took first place in a close race between the top three finishers.

Tostado rode eight laps in 10 hours, 58 minutes and 56 seconds. Truman Glasgow, 20, of Alpine Utah, came in second with 8 laps in 11 hours, 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Sam Vickey, 25, of Durango, came in third with 8 laps in 11 hours, 7 minutes, and 22 seconds. They each rode a total of 129.6 miles.

Other results

In the male Solo Geezer category (age 50-plus), Matt Crowley, 52, of Draper, Utah, came in first place with seven laps in 10 hours, 45 minutes, 53 seconds.

In Solo Single Speed Millard Allen, 42, of Draper Utah, took first place with eight laps in 11 hours, 45 minutes, 34 seconds.

In the coed team cateogry, Team Venzbarger took first place, with nine laps in 11 hours, 40 minutes and 51 seconds. The team includes Jennifer Gersbach, Mckenzie Winebarger, Miles Venzara, and Brent Winebarger.

To see all the results, visit 12hoursofmesaverde.com.

jmimiaga@the-journal.com