A relay record set by the Mount Rushmore of Anchorage men's cycling bit the dust Saturday in the Fireweed 400.
The team of Eric Breitenberger, Daniel Folmar, Fred Harbison and Tom Peichel shattered the men's 400-mile relay record, shaving more than 35 minutes off the old record.
The team made the trip from Sheep Mountain Lodge to Valdez and back in 16 hours, 20 minutes, 18 seconds.
The race started Friday and ended Saturday and was just one of many that make up the Fireweed, the state's largest bicycle race. This year's drew nearly 800 racers, including a record 70 in the 400-mile events. Other races started Saturday at Sheep Mountain, and all but the 200-miler featured out-and-back courses. The 200-mile race ended in Valdez.
The Breitenberger team broke one of the Fireweed's oldest records, the 2004 mark of 16:56:30. That record was set by a team that included some Anchorage's most decorated bikers -- Tim Lamb, Jens Beck, Andy Duenow and Kevin Donley.
The new record-holders are no slouches themselves. Breitenberger is the Fireweed record-holder for 100 miles and Folmar is the record-holder for 200 miles.
A record was also established in the women's 400-mile relay, which until Saturday had never been completed by an all-women's team, according to the race website.
Janice Tower, who came into the race with four Fireweed records to her name, chalked up another one by combining with Julie Berberich, Jill Valerius and Kristin Wolf to become the first women's team to complete the 400-mile relay.
Their time of 19:28:58 -- the second fastest of the day -- automatically becomes a record.
Like Tower, Wolf was already in the record book. Last year she clocked the fastest 400 solo time by a women, topping Tower's previous record.
This year's solo 400 title went to Alessandro Colo, who cracked the 24-hour barrier with a 23:45:50 but was far off Jeff Oakley's 2006 record of 19:56:32.
Other solo-class winners included Stewart Osgood and Darcy Davis in the 200-miler, Ron Hansen and Alisa Kincaid in the 100-miler and Joe Anders and Sheryl Loan in the 50-miler. Loan's time of 1:59:06 was the fastest of the day; both she and women's runner-up Lori DesChamps (2:10:08) beat all of the men.
Fireweed 400
Saturday's top 3
400 miles
Solo men -- 1) Alessandro Colo 23:45:50; 2) Brian Berna 25:53:30.
4-man relay -- 1) Eric Breitenberger, Daniel Folmar, Fred Harbison, Tom Peichel 16:20:18; 2) David Roes, Troy Baker, Micah Shields, Eric Love 21:07:33; 3) Joe Martin, Malcolm Moore, Pat Irwin, Martin Renner 23:36.31.
4-woman relay -- Janice Tower, Julie Berberich, Jill Valerius, Kristin Wolf 19:28:58; 2) Diane Loopstra, Andrea Tesch, Carmen Thomas, Carmen Olito 24:58:36.
Mixed relay -- Onica Sprokkreeff, Kelly Linebarger, Mark Stevens, Jeff Zavala 21:01.19.
2-woman relay -- Jill Defratis Robinson, Andrea Alfaro 21:22:45.
200 miles
Solo men -- 1) Stewart Osgood 10:01.03.4; 2) Nathan Vandernost 10:17:39.7.
Solo women -- 1) Darcy Davis 11:11:49.3
2-man relay -- 1) Andy Garrigus-Adam Garrigus 9:35:47.3; 2) Forest Tarbath-Jake Prince 10:24:16.2; 3) Eric Anderson-Joseph Anderson , 10:35:33.6.
2-woman relay -- 1) Cindy Drinkwater-Anne Wilkas 11:08:09.4; 2) Caitlin Marine-Elizabetgh Knapp 12:09:36.7; 3) Kayla Anderson-Eva Colberg 12:32:48.
Mixed two-person relay -- 1) Kimberly Borke-Todd Borke 11:08:25.0; 2) Bobbie Redinius-Todd Redinius 11:19:17.2; 3) Kellie Okonek-Dante Petri 11:29:14.5.
4-woman relay -- 1) Maddy Boutet, Zoe Xavier, Juliette Parke, Kendall Williams 9:49:40.8; 2) Nancy Hanneman, Gail Koepf, Karin Gillis, Roselyn Ressa 10:27:50.1; 3) Joan Egeland, Deana Watson, Anne Yutrzenka, Lies Packer 10:39:45.7.
4-man relay -- 1) Seiji Takagi, Tanner Ramey, Jake Bassett, Jonathan Koenig 8:36:06.8; 2) Riley Troyer, Neill Toelle, Jesse Mayo, Wyatt Mayo 8:45:05.6; 3) Lucas Schlemme, Eric Backstrum, Robert Walgren, Jack Parke 8:52:51.9.
Mixed four-person relay -- 1) Lauren Hess, Dana Tower, Dermott McHugh, Anson Moxness 9:14:32.7; 2) Rachelle Kanady, Andrew Dougherty, Sam Dougherty 9:42:27.7; 3) Madigane Stanley, Kailee Leinonen, Otto Gilbert, William Wright 9:50:29.7.
100 miles
Men -- 1) Ron Hansen 4:46:05, 2) Bret Rosane 5:18:11, 3) Todd Goodman 5:25:28.
Women -- 1) Alisa Kincaid 5:23:12, 2) Danelle Vanholstyn 5:57:19, 3) Tarah Authier 6:10:59.
50 miles
Men -- 1) Joe Anders 2:14:36, 2) Vispi Mistry 2:30:26, 3) Matteo Biasin 2:31:23.
Women -- 1) Sheryl Loan 1:59:06, 2) Lori DesChamps 2:10:08, 3) Joleen White 2:15:06.
Anchorage Daily News