Sonntag was pronounced dead on scene. State Patrol noted Sonntag was wearing a helmet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a massive loss,\u201d said Durango\u2019s Rotem Ishay, who was a teammate of Sonntag\u2019s at FLC. \u201cHe\u2019s been racing and representing Durango for close to 15 years now. We both came from another country to Durango because we wanted to accomplish a dream and chase our passion. He\u2019s German, I\u2019m Israeli, but our home is Durango.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Durango cycling community was especially stunned about the location of the crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve ridden that section of Cherry Creek road and that dirt road and haven\u2019t seen any cars,\u201d said Durango\u2019s Todd Wells, a three-time mountain bike Olympian. \u201cA busy ride, you would see maybe four or five cars. I can think of probably 1,000 places I\u2019d guess someone would get hit riding a bike around here, and that wouldn\u2019t even come into the circle of possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was Nordic skiing that first brought Sonntag to the U.S. in 2004. Born into a Nordic skiing family, he had won two elite world championships in winter triathlon, a sport that mixes cross-country skiing, mountain biking and running or snowshoeing. He had a scholarship for cross-country skiing at University of Alaska Anchorage, where he would compete for three years and earn All-American status three times and a second-place finish at the 2006 NCAA championships.<\/p>\n
When he didn\u2019t see a future for himself in Nordic skiing, Sonntag came to Durango to race bikes for FLC. He would win the collegiate cross-country mountain bike national title for FLC in 2007 and 2008 and added a short-track championship in 2008. He also placed second at nationals in cyclocross that year.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a machine,\u201d said FLC cycling director Dave Hagen. \u201cHe instantly integrated into the team because he was so likable and easy to get along with. Those Germans and their dry sense of humor, he was brilliant. There was never a bad day of Ben Sonntag; he was just that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Known affectionately as \u201cThe German,\u201d Sonntag\u2019s friends called him committed and meticulous when it came to training. He regularly had to work his way back from major injuries, and Ishay described him as tough for overcoming injuries and continuing to race at an elite level.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot a lot of people know the things he had to deal with to keep his dream alive,\u201d Ishay said. \u201cHe\u2019s been an inspiration racing on one of the biggest teams in the U.S. and has shown all the young ones you can still do it in your late 30s and race at a high level and make a living out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Sonntag\u2019s career highlights came in 2020 when he won the La Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica. He had big wins at the inaugural Grand Junction Off-Road in 2013 and finally got back on the top step of the podium of an Epic Rides series event in 2018 at the Carson City Off-Road in Nevada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was not a better guy to travel to races with and get to hangout with,\u201d said Sonntag\u2019s longtime teammate Troy Wells. \u201cHe would inspire everyone around him to enjoy life a little bit more. He loved living life to the fullest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sonntag also was a favorite among cycling media, as his good nature extended to all facets of his life. Disbelief engulfed the entire cycling community beyond Durango on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat guy loved racing and training,\u201d said mountain bike world champion and Durango cycling legend Ned Overend. \u201cHe loved riding his bike, and that came through. He had a real passion for it. Everyone knows he was so friendly and humble. To me, I remember how much he enjoyed what he was doing. We are fortunate in Durango to have a lot of people with great attitudes. It\u2019s not the same everywhere. Durango has a culture, and Ben was a great example of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sonntag met Durango\u2019s Carmen Small, a professional road cyclist, in 2007. The two got married in 2011 before they divorced in 2018. Small, who is now a team director for Virtu Cycling in Europe, heard the news early Thursday morning in Italy. She will fly to Durango on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved him from the moment I met him. His infectious happiness was amazing,\u201d Small said. \u201cI think Ben had the most kind heart of anyone I have ever met. I\u2019m shocked and devastated by the news. I always loved Ben and never stopped caring about him. He was a great friend and partner for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alsgaard and Sonntag met more than a year ago. Their passion for the mountains united them, Alsgaard said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the core things we did together was spend time in the high country,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was such a phenomenal athlete but not just biking. If he would have pursued ultra-running, he would have kicked ass. He ran a 5-minute mile and was an incredible skier. Our time in the mountains I will cherish forever.\u201d<\/p>\n