Nebraska Cycling News

Battle Royale Marathon

Written by Kevin Burke
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
*Kevin Limpach Highgear/Trek of Omaha goes on to win the 6 hour marathon with 11 laps. Photo John Peterson* *Louisville, NE* - After the record heavy rains that dumped in the area a week before the race. The course was in excellent condition and even served up a bit of a water hazard in the gully forcing participants to choose their lines wisely, as a few found out first hand including me going for a partial swim in a pool of water on the second lap. Participants could choose to race on their own Solo, or as a two man Team with the winners determined by the number of laps completed in a six hour period. The weather served up summer like conditions. It wasn’t just a Battle Royal pitting participants against each other, but also battling the pressure cooker like conditions within the Platte River canopy coupled with the demanding up and down terrain the park has to offer. More than a few of the participants wished that hadn’t hammered the infamous horse trail climb with as much zeal on the first few laps in what would become a long grinder during the next 6 hours. Each lap is roughly 5 miles. In the Men’s solo division two relative new comers to Mountain bike racing in the area took top honors. Kevin Limpach Highgear/Trek Omaha - age 35, won with 11 laps, followed by Aaron Grady - age 18, also at 11 laps. 3rd place was Kevin Burke at 10 laps. Aaron had a great race and even suffered multiple flat tires on his way to second. The women’s solo was won by Michelle Thompson with 8 laps. Complete Results... Photos (John Peterson)... And More Photos (Tom Winfield)...
Last Updated ( Friday, 18 May 2007 )