If his competitors are anxiously awaiting Todd Wells to disappear from the race scene, they’ll obviously have to wait a while longer.
The 38-year-old Durangoan and three-time Olympian proved once again that he’s one of the guys to beat – if not the guy – by winning national cross country mountain bike races on consecutive weekends.
His latest conquest was Saturday at the USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho. Wells, riding for Specialized, won the 50-mile pro men’s race in 3 hours, 51 minutes, 16 seconds. That was a full 6 minutes ahead of second-place Stephen Ettinger of Bozeman, Montana.
“The bigger the gap you can get the nicer it is if you do have a mechanical or get a cramp,” Wells said in a phone interview Monday from his native state of New York. “When you’re leading the race, it’s easy to stay motivated and push yourself.”
It was Wells’ third consecutive victory in the national marathon event.
Another Durangoan who rides for Specialized, Howard Grotts, placed third, another 1 minute, 19 seconds behind Ettinger.
The two-lap race featured over 7,000 feet of climbing, and was hotter and 10 miles longer than last year’s course at Sun Valley. Last year was a morning start for the pro men; this year was a 1 p.m. start.
Wells said last year he started with arm and leg warmers and a vest, and it was about 50 degrees. This year his computer never registered below 85, and he saw a high of 102.8 in the lower, south-facing grasslands at the bottom of the course.
Aided by Ettinger getting a flat, Wells established a 1- to 2-minute lead a little before the race’s midpoint. He rode by himself much of the way.
“It’s a good feeling to know you have that buffer because anything can happen and you can be far from an assistance zone,” Wells said. But he added, “Mentally it’s a lot nicer to be riding with someone else out there.”
One of his main concerns was staying hydrated and keeping electrolytes flowing. He worried about cramping after the exceptionally long downhills.
“Your legs kind of load up on those downhills from not pedaling,” he said. “So when you go to hit those short 3-, 4-, 5-minute climbs, that’s when you really risk cramping toward the end of the event.”
The Idaho win climaxed a great two-weekend stretch for Wells. On June 28 he won the cross country race at a national series mountain bike race in Colorado Springs. Wells finished in 1:29:53, 21 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Geoff Kabush, a 37-year-old Canadian.
Other top Durango pro finishes in Colorado Springs: Rotem Ishtay, 10th; Sepp Kuss, 11th; Troy Wells (Todd’s brother), 12th; and Ben Sonntag, 15th. In the women’s race, Kaylee Blevins was 26th and Brianne Marshall was 31st.
Todd Wells is basing himself in New York for a couple of weeks in preparation for the U.S. national races July 17-20 at Bear Creek Resort, Pennsylvania. He’ll race this Saturday at the WORS Cup in Portage, Wisconsin.
Following nationals he’ll race the Leadville 100 on Aug. 9. He said he’s transitioning to longer events as he gets older, and the different events – cross country, marathon and ultra – all contribute to his overall fitness.
“The training for each benefits the other,” Wells said.
The bulk of his season will conclude with two European races, a World Cup Aug. 21 in France and the World Championships Sept. 2 in Norway.
johnp@durangoherald.com
