American climber Alex Johnson, 19, stunned visiting Europeans by winning the first bouldering World Cup competition she ever entered and anchoring a U.S. team victory at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail on Saturday. The event marked the first time a bouldering World Cup was held on American soil.
American Paul Robinson made the podium in the men’s bouldering contest, finishing third in his first international competition. World Cup points leader Kilian Fischhuber of Austria won.
Two other American women made the finals: Alex Puccio, who won the semifinal round but dropped to sixth in the finals, and Tiffany Hensley, who finished just off the podium in fourth overall. Two other American men made the top 10: Daniel Woods was fifth and Chris Sharma was eighth.
Mountain masters.
Avon’s Josiah Middaugh and Gretchen Reeves of Edwards proved to be the ultimate mountain man and woman at the Teva Mountain Games. The respective division winners of the GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge event posted the fastest combined times in four individual events: a downriver paddle and mountain-bike race Saturday and a 10K trail run and road-bike hill climb Sunday.
Middaugh defended his title in the men’s division, finishing the four events in 3 hours, 53 minutes, 46 seconds. Vail’s Mike Kloser was second at 4:08:20, while Boulder’s Travis Macy was third, only one second behind. In the women’s competition, Reeves (3:58:52) edged Carbondale’s Sari Anderson (4:01:45). Reeves placed second last year behind Keri Nelson, who took fourth Sunday. Kate Chapman was third.
A banner Day.
Cyclist Benjamin Day, 29, broke the 21-year- old record set by American Andy Hampsten on the Vail Pass Hill Climb course during the 1987 Coors Classic by an impressive 45 seconds at the Teva Mountain Games on Sunday. Day, a Toyota-United team rider, benefited from a strong tailwind to win the 9.8-mile road race in 25 minutes, 48 seconds. The Australian living in Boulder decided to enter the event in order to get a preview of the course he will be racing when his team competes in the Colorado Stage International Cycle Classic in August. Despite suffering a bad crash at the Tour de Georgia in late April, the time trial and climbing specialist posted an average speed of 22.6 mph in only his second week since his return to training.
Chris Baldwin, another Toyota-United rider, was second at 26:29, while Jonathan Baker was third at 26:57.
Scott Willoughby, The Denver Post
