PEAK TO PEAK - As the early morning sun rose and dark clouds loomed over the reservoir, hundreds of bicyclists appeared in Nederland ready for the year’s best endurance event: Peak to Peak Endurance’s NedGravel. 

The always-enthusiastic emcee David Towle rocked the microphone down at the intersection of East 3rd and East Streets, where his voice and the upbeat music bumping from the speakers were carried out across the mountains, signaling the start of this most anticipated event. 

A handmade sign posted at the bottom of East 2nd Street showed racers the way simply with the words “Bike Tech” and an arrow pointing up the road to Tin Shed, where members of the staff had come in early, ready to assist bicyclists with any of their last minute needs.

One bicyclist stopped in a local resident’s driveway, lamenting that he, in his morning fervor to get to the race on time, had accidentally grabbed the wrong shoes. The resident attempted to help, offering the racer a correct pair of cycling shoes to try on, which unfortunately did not fit. Lucky for him, Tin Shed was open. 

Just before 7 a.m., as cyclists lined up for the Tungsten Course—a 70-mile race through Switzerland Trail to Gold Hill and back—Gavin Coombs, race organizer and owner of Peak to Peak Endurance, reminded racers that the roads and highways are not closed for the races, and emphasized that racers have a safe and fun ride. 

Racers launched every half hour until 8 a.m., but once all the cyclists were out on their courses the real party swiftly began, as the NedGravel Expo kicked off in Barker Meadows Park at 10 a.m. 

This year’s Expo featured: gear from Cassiopeia, Giordana, and Sweet Protection; demonstrations from Rivian and Geotrek; CBD relief from Floyd’s of Leadville; delicious food offerings, including Bohemian Wurst Co. and McDevitt Taco Supply; beverages from Poppy’s Coffee and Yerba Madre; and information and promotion from several area bicycling and youth-oriented organizations, including Peak to Peak Endurance and Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures. 

There were 551 racers overall, 132 of whom raced the grueling Tungsten Course, challenging them to more than 8,300 feet of climbing.

This route follows much of the same route as the other courses: from the reservoir, through town, up to Ridge Road and Cold Springs Road. Then it splits off onto Sugarloaf Road, taking racers onto Switzerland Trail, detours through Gold Hill, and then onto Switzerland again, before heading back into town for the finish.  

Eric Brunner won first in the men's competition on the Tungsten Course, with the time of 3:40:32. Andrea Dvorak won first in the women's competition, finishing with 4:33:23. 

For the 50-mile Gold Course, Ryan Cross won first in the men’s competition with the time of 2:58:04, and Amelia Shea won first in the women’s competition with 3:21:09.

Taylor Uselis absolutely destroyed the Silver Course with a time of 1:10:47; in the women’s competition, Christine Morrison earned first place with the time of 1:19:42,;and in non-binary competition, AJ Cuddeback won first with 1:35:09. 

For the Bronze Course, which is the perfect introductory gravel course for riders of all skill levels, Justin Schwartz won first place in the men’s completion with the time of 1:03:20. Kelsey Clark won first place in the women’s competition with 50:34; and Shanaj Grewal won first place in the non-binary competition with 1:13:08. 

For more information on Peak to Peak Endurance please go to: https://www.peaktopeakendurance.com. 

For more information on Ned Gravel, as well as the complete race results for the 2025 event, please go to: https://www.nedgravel.com.