Vitamin Cottage’s Jimi Gibson recorded back to back wins in Colorado at the Koppenberg Circuit Race and the Boulder Roubaix Road Race. Both races bring out the hard men of spring to conquer the dirt roads of Boulder County, Colorado.
The Koppenberg Circuit Race featured 6 laps of a demanding course with each lap requiring a trip up the 17% grade of the Koppenberg climb. With 3 laps to go Gibson followed an attack from a former pro, Bruce Whitesel, on the dirt leading up to the Koppenberg climb. Within a few minutes of establishing a small lead over the group, Gibson attacked Whitesel and soloed in for the win by almost a minute. On the final lap, Vitamin Cottage’s Bill Kellagher attacked the dwindling front group on the plateau above the final climb and stayed away to take second place.
The Boulder Roubaix Road Race was run on a beautiful day over 5 laps of the 9 mile course, 75% of which is hard packed rolling dirt roads. Vitamin Cottage’s “Hard Man” Jim Everett went out on the first lap to establish the early breakaway and 4 others joined him from the field. By the start of the second lap Everett’s breakaway partners were cooked and drifting back to the peloton. Everett continued on alone to put pressure on the other teams. The Vitamin Cottage team’s plan was to sit back and wait for the 3rd lap where a series of attacks were to be launched to spring Jimi Gibson and Bill Kellagher free. The plan came off perfectly. Vitamin Cottage’s Steve Young started off with an attack on Nelson Rd and continued forcing the pace onto the dirt. Then Vitamin Cottage’s Bret Wade hit it hard on the next rollers. The field was strung out single file when Gibson and Kellagher went clear. In tow was Jim Dickerson from the Great Divide team, the only non-Vitamin Cottage rider able to withstand the attacks. The Gibson group bridged up to Everett and built up a 3+ minute lead. Kellagher flatted with a half lap to go but had enough time under his belt to change out the tube and still ride in for 4th place ahead of the charging field. On the finishing straight Dickerson tried to shake the Vitamin Cottage men from his wheel but to no avail. Gibson came around Dickerson with 50 meters to go for the win with Everett finishing 3rd.
