\u201cI was ahead of her on the descent from Coal Bank, but she caught up to me on the climb (up Molas Pass),\u201d Sturm said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked together on the climb a little bit, but she is a strong climber. The last little bit of the climb up Molas, she just rode so strong, and I suffered hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mindy Caruso, last year\u2019s champion, was third in 2:47:05.3, followed by Fort Lewis College rider Charlotte Backus in 2:48:03 for fourth and Caitlyn Kneller in fifth at 2:50:54.1.<\/p>\n
Coming into the weekend, Caruso, who also won the title in 2012, wasn\u2019t sure how hard she would push herself during the race, but once she started the climbs, she couldn\u2019t pull back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pushed it hard, but my form, there\u2019s limitations,\u201d the 46-year-old Caruso said.<\/p>\n
Vasse and Sturm had somewhat unconventional entries to the race, and also dealt with unfamiliar conditions.<\/p>\n Vasse had never ridden the course before and didn\u2019t have the luxury of studying or mapping out the course ahead of the race.<\/p>\n Sturm registered for the race at 6:45 p.m. Friday, slipping in 15 minutes before the registration window closed, and rode a borrowed bike she had never ridden before. She even wore mountain bike shoes.<\/p>\n The victory marked what could be the first of many for Vasse, who will continue to make a return to cycling after she gave up competing as a pro for a while.<\/p>\n \u201cI took 10 years off of riding and came back to it,\u201d Vasse said. \u201cI was living in Florida and moved (to Longmont) six weeks ago for riding. I\u2019ve been working with Tom Danielson, and it\u2019s made an incredible difference. I just started training with power about six months ago, and it\u2019s really made a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Vasse, Sturm and Backus didn\u2019t register for any other events during the weekend, and they all seemed most interested in enjoying the environment of the IHBC weekend as a whole.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been here for 10 years, and the town revolves around the Iron Horse,\u201d Sturm said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty remarkable. I mean, look where we are. This is incredible. You really can\u2019t beat it. The town turns into this biking mecca. \u2026 It\u2019s this really cool energy.\u201d<\/p>\n