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Steamboat cyclist Jacques again tops at Mount Evans

Joel Reichenberger

— The Mount Evans Hill Climb isn’t known for being easy, not with its 28 miles of twisty road that climb above 14,000 feet in elevation.

It is becoming known as Tammy Jacques’ playground, however. The Steamboat Springs cyclist won the event for the third consecutive year. Upon reaching the finish line — pushed forward a few hundred yards at the last moment as a thunderstorm swept over the peak — her first reaction wasn’t simply one of joy, or of relief at the end of the race.

Instead, she said she could have gone a bit faster. Official times weren’t available Monday, but Jacques said she was in at about 2 hours, 8 minutes, eight minutes off the record she still would like to someday break.



“It was a good race, but it was frustratingly slow at the start,” she said. “

She said she hung with the pack for the first seven miles, unwilling to break out on her own, but growing increasingly agitated with the communal pace. Finally, as the road turned steep, she and fellow Steamboat rider Amy Charity, who went on to second place, pushed away.



Jacques cruised on for the victory, and Charity wasn’t far behind for second.

Jacques said her emotions were mixed afterward.

“I may be done. My daughter (Sophia Grewal, 11) expressed some interest in riding the juniors race, and that would be really fun, to ride behind her,” Jacques said. “I say that, but I would really like to go for that record. Who knows how I’ll feel next year. I had a great day Saturday, and it was a good day to go for it, but I blew that chance early in the race.”

Steamboat had a large contingent representing it at the event. Among the finishers were three Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club cyclists. Leslie Myller was third in the junior women’s race. Evan Weinman and Alec Schaffer, meanwhile, were fourth and fifth respectively in the junior men’s 17-18 division.

“We had three kids who did great,” coach Rishi Grewal said. “They all moved up an age category, so they were racing against a little better kids, and they all did really well.”

To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 970-871-4253 or email jreichenberger@SteamboatToday.com


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