There is nothing quite like mountain biking across the trails that criss-cross their way around Summit County. From challenging climbs to thrilling and flowy descents, Summit County offers a wide network of trails that test even the most seasoned riders.

To kick off the mountain biking season in the county, Race Breck hosted its first Summit Mountain Challenge mountain bike race on Wednesday, May 28. 

Still pretty early in the season, the first race — Frisco Round Up — took place on the dried-out trails that surround the Frisco Adventure Park. With a blustery wind sending dust across portions of the course, cyclists cruised across the trails and worked to knock off the rust that had settled in the long offseason.

Leading off the evening was the kids course races. Consisting of athletes under the age of 12, cyclists took to the 4.1-mile course and vied to get their first podium finishes of the fresh season. 

Leading the junior boys 11- to 12-year-old race was Gabe Loomis. The 11-year-old rocketed his way around the course, before crossing the finish line in first place overall in a time of 22:47. Loomis was followed by Oliver Gervais in second (22:53) and James Duncan in third (24:43).

The junior girls 11- to 12-year-old race was won by Cora Campbell in an impressive time of 28:20. Campbell was followed by Callie Schanker in second (34:35).

The junior 9- to 10-year-old riders were next. The boys race was won by Henry Drumwright in 24:28. Drumwright was then followed by Zebulon Stamp in second (25:01) and Brodie Cirks in third (28:33). Iris Ryan was crowned the champion of the girls race. An experienced cyclist at only 10 years old, Ryan crossed the finish line in 27:53. Fourteen seconds later, Fiammetta Niemkiewicz dashed across the finish line in second (28:07) with Madelyn Letson taking third (30:28).

The youngest cyclists to compete in the race were the athletes competing in the 8 and under division. Ezra Stamp won the boys race, defeating a large field by crossing the finish line in a time of 31:27. Finishing just seven seconds later was Kai Campbell (31:34). The bronze medal was claimed by Reinaldo Guevara with a time of 34:24. Featuring just three athletes, the girls race was won by Kylee Bingham. At just 7 years old, Bingham crossed the finish line in 38:42. Ziggy Johnson followed in second (45:32) with Stella Starman taking third (48:01).

The short-course race was 8.3 miles long and included close to 700 feet of climbing. 

Lucy Greenwood and Aspen Roberson were some of the first athletes to explore the course in the 13- to 15-year-old division. The two athletes stuck near one another for much of the race, but it was Greenwood who ended up winning the competition. Greenwood finished in 47:53 with Roberson closely following in 47:56. Sophie Dinse took third in 50:02. 

Itai Sheleg was the winner of the boys 13-15-year-old race. Sheleg won the race by a single second, out-sprinting Ben Woodcock to the finish line. Joshua Graber earned the bronze medal (44:36), while Cooper Osborn (46:02) took fourth and Ryan Levi finished in fifth (46:22)

Closing out the short-course races for the evening were the beginner men and women categories. Heidi Frey, 16, won the women’s race (1:05:25), with Jared Burris winning the men’s race (49:56).

Perhaps the most competitive race of the evening occurred in the men’s pro open race. Consisting of eight talented athletes, cyclists took on the 13.6-mile long-course race distance.

After battling next to Ryan Graber for much of the race, Nathaniel Vacura broke away at the finish line to win the pro race in 59:44. Graber took second in 59:45 with Jacob Peterson taking third in 1:00:52. Peterson was followed by Jacob Webber in fourth (1:02:41) and Team Summit mountain bike coach Tyler Zipperer in fifth (1:03:19).

The women’s pro open race only featured one competitor in Aila Harmala. Working to get into shape prior to the upcoming collegiate fall mountain biking season, Harmala crossed the finish line in 1:20:43 as the champion of the women’s pro race.

The most competitive women’s long-course race was the women’s 16-plus division. Mikki Grebetz won the race in 1:23:32 with Kathryn Califf finishing in second (1:23:59) and Michelle Tennant taking third (1:27:13).

The next Summit Mountain Challenge mountain bike race will take place on June 11 at B&B Trailhead in Breckenridge. Named Tour de French Gulch, the evening of racing will begin at 5:10 p.m. To sign up for the race, visit RaceBreck.com.