A total of 84 riders participated in the second annual "Pedal in the Pines" Mountain Bike Race this past Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, a the Echo Basin Guest and Dude Ranch.

That is an increase of 13 more riders than a year ago.

This was the fifth race of the Four Corners Cup Mountain Bicycle Series.

Races were held for beginners, sport, and expert/pro plus a special children’s race. More than $1,000 in cash prizes were awarded. Prizes were given to the top three finishers in the sport and beginner classes. Kids also received prizes.

It was a near-perfect day. The sky was sunny and the temperature warm and even hot by early afternoon when some of the final riders were finishing. Fortunately, there was a light breeze at times.

The beginner class was subdivided into juniors (18-under age group), seniors (19-34), veterans (35-44) and masters (45-plus). In the juniors division, Aaron Kezele won with a time of 39 minutes, 31.18 seconds for 6.2 miles. Chad Wonstrath came in second in 39:59.18. Teddy Guillen clocked 43:17.12, Chris Guillen 57:21.03 and Ben Wickoff 1:18.03.59. In the seniors division, Dani Gregory won in 49:29.56 while Dana Peterson came in second in 58:30.52. In the veterans division, Steve Smith crossed the line in 43:04.25. Henry Dudley finished in second place in 43:16.04. Ted Guillen took third in 56:18.28. Kim Nemeck was the first female finisher in that division in 48:47.65 while Cathy Hartnett came in second in 58:19.81. Doug Doty won the masters division in 47:15.90. Don Grotts crossed the line in 1:06.57.96 and Steve Stovall clocked 1:09.04.65.

The sport class also was subdivided into the age groups. In the junior division, Donnie Grotts came in first in 1:18:46.87 for the 12.4 miles. Jonathan Yaseen came in second in 1:24:16.71. Megan Doty was the first female to cross in 1:38:21.69 and Chanel Shoemaker finished next in 1:48:18.60.

Many competitors took part in the senior division. (First name unavailable) Latshaw came in first in 1:01:25.37. Shawn Gregory was the next across the line in 1:09:27.50. Keith Lawyer took third in 1:09:25.90. Clint Nelson was next at 1:12:22.18 followed by Brandon Bontrager 1:12:48.59, Brian Benfield 1:15:56.87, and Jared Robinson 1:23:48.78. Holly Hagen was the first female to cross in 1:19:10.28 and DeeDee Johnson followed in 1:23:50.84.

In the veterans division, another large number participated. Russell DesCogris won in 1:05:16.78. Bernard Lyle finished in second in 1:06:48.25. Russell Scott was next in 1:07:25.62, followed by Chris Davis 1:10:54.59, T.D. Casper 1:14:51.65, and Eddie Sosya 1:27:42.98. The first female to finish was Shorraine Watson in 1:26:45.46 while Sandy Chris peddled right behind in 1:33:48.84. The masters division saw Doug Call take first in 1:09:58.03, Keith Berbeau 1:18:12.06, Sam Dayzie 1:28:15.65, Ernie Stromya 1:29:57.07, and Wilber Tso 1:32:35.09.

Jesse Dudley was the only junior in the Expert/Pro class. He finished in 2:11:31.81 for the 24.8 miles. Frederico Ramirez and Dieber Esquivel tied for first place in 1:41:25.14 in the Expert/Pro veterans division. Thomas Danielson placed third in 1:51:51.62. Heath Garvey finished under two hours in 1:56:56.84. Chad Cheeney ended up with a time of 2:07:59.30, Shawn Riley 2:09:04.73, Gordon Rhodes 2:09:24.34, and Dogue Santiago 2:11:08.50. The first female in the seniors division was Robyn Guillamme in 2:14:26.18.

Dave Harris captured first place in the Expert/Pro veterans division in 1:58:32.07 while Rick Calles was next at 1:59:40.31. Dave Peters placed third in 2:09:20.27, John Carr took fourth in 2:16:39.37, followed by Mike Martin 2:18:14.35, Jeff Sandoval 2:21:38.23, Clint Campbell 2:21:78.23, and Peter Emery 2:30:54.81. Billy Newmyer won the masters division in 1:31:59.02. Coming in behind him were Ralph Winebarger 1:33:00.90, Bill Connelly 1:46:39.27, Don Model 2:06:39.40, and Daryl Crites 2:10:53.03.

A special children’s race was held. Howard Grotts rode the 2.8 miles in 16:27.90. Christopher Davis crossed the line in 20:20.59 and Holly Hallam in 26:10.43.

Riders who participated in last year’s race noticed a few changes on the course. The course will be different, emphasizing more off-road terrain. There were some steep hills to negotiate. Riders traveled on some graveled and dirt surfaces with some single track. There was an all-out double track stomp through Mancos River Canyon at the low point of the course.

The Town of Mancos and Echo Basin Guest and Dude Ranch sponsored the event. Other sponsors included Kokopelli Bike and Board, Osprey, Canyon Sports, Joy’s Inc., City Market, Absolute Baking, Southwest Designs, Mancos Pizza and Deli, Silver Peaks Realty, Mountain Desert Recreationists, and Mountain Sun Organic Juices.

The third race of the Four Corners Cup Mountain Bicycle Series was held May 12, near Saul’s Creek. The first race was held in Aztec, N.M., as part of the Aztec UFO Symposium, in March. Actually, some bike riders who participated in the Blue Mountain Triathlon (28-mile bike ride) near Monticello, Utah, back in late February received points toward the end-of-season standings. The second race of the series was held in Farmington on Pinon Mesa on April 21. The Battle of the Badlands was one of the original races in the Four Corners Cup Series.

The only Four Corners Cup race in Arizona was held at Cove, just over the New Mexico border on the Navajo Reservation, south and a little west of Shiprock. The date for that fourth race in the series was May 20.

The sixth race in the series will be in Silverton on July 29. The race is entitled the Silverton Gold Rush Lung Buster (elevation of 9,318 feet above sea level) at the Kendall Mountain Recreation Area. The early registration fee is $20 for the race until July 23 and $30 day of the race. The expert/pro racers will ride for about two hours, sport riders for approximately an hour and half, and beginners for an hour or so. Prizes will be awarded to first-third placers. Proceeds from the event will go to the Preliminary Planning of Silverton’s BMX and Youth Recreation Park. For more information about the race, phone (970) 387-5522.

The Four Corners Cup is a mountain bike points series consisting of 11 races held throughout the Four Corners Area. For information about the Four Corners Cup Series, phone (970) 264-415.