They call him “The Deckerator,” and Carl Decker of Bend, Ore. admits his favorite place is “off the front.” The three-time Downieville All-Mountain world champ likes the lead.
Mountain bike racing pioneer Decker, 38, could add Baldy to his list of favorite places after winning the Sun Valley Super Enduro downhill stage race from Baldy’s summit to the bottom of Warm Springs and River Run drainages.
The two-day event attracted 150 racers in 11 classes, with 112 completing all four stages. Saturday’s first two stages went from the top of Baldy to the bottom of Warm Springs. Sunday’s racers descended down the River Run trail.
It was the first of its kind in Sun Valley—a fitting start to the 10-day Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival and one that showcased the challenges of Sun Valley’s well-pitched ski hill.
Giant Factory Bicycles Off-Road racer Decker started racing mountain bikes at age nine. After a college running career at the University of Portland, he focused on mountain bike racing and has become one of America’s best over 10 years.
He was the U.S. national super downhill king in 2007-08. He captured the Pro Men’s silver medal in the recent USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike Nationals at Bend—finishing behind Todd Wells in 2012 and Adam Craig in 2011.
Decker placed in the top two or three of all four Enduro stages last weekend, his consistency giving him an 18-second victory over Canadian Geoff Kabush, 36, a three-time Olympian and four-time Canadian national cyclocross champion.
The Decker combined time was 1.24:15, with Scott 3 Rox Racing Team’s Kabush second at 1.24:33 and Seattle’s Aaron Bradford, 29, in third at 1.24:39. Bradford was 2009 USA Cycling national super downhill king.
Top local was Pro Men racer Adam Greene, 33, in seventh place overall at 1.29:20. Ketchum’s Scott Corkery, 44, won Sport 40-plus in 1.39:24 and Mark Carnes, 36, of Hailey captured the Sport 19-39 age class in 1.36:01 for 27th overall.
Women’s Enduro winner was Lisa Curry, 32, of Bozeman, Mt. in 1.39:57. The Mud Honey trio of Sara Schroeder, Simone Kastner and Leilani Bruntz was an Enduro force—Schroeder placing third among Pro Women in 1.42:55.
Kastner won Women’s Expert Open in 1.44:12, in 66th overall. Placing 1-3-4 in Sport 40-plus were winner Sarah Torres 1.57:39 along with Tory Canfield and Annelies Ware. Ketchum’s Amber Marsh (1.55:14) was fifth Pro Woman.
Breaking down the separate Enduro stages:
Stage 1 (133 men, 25 women): Geoff Kabush and Decker tied in 29:15, Adam Greene was sixth 30:52, Scott Robinson 13th 32:15, Matt McNeal 15th 32:20 and Justin Stevenson 17th 32:32. Victor’s Amanda Carey (35:24) was top woman followed by Curry (35:28), Schroeder (35:42) and Kastner (36:05).
Stage 2 (128 men, 23 women): Aaron Bradford and Decker tied at 16:58, Greene placed sixth 17:47, Stevenson 11th 18:14, McNeal 13th 18:18 and Cory Smith 18:25. Curry (19:48) slipped past Carey (20:10) among women. Schroeder (20:43), Kastner (21:35) and Bruntz (21:42) placed 3-4-5.
Stage 3 (119 men, 22 women): Bradford enjoyed River Run with a 20:49 time over runner-up Decker, 21:13. Greene finished 10th at 22:38, Stevenson 14th 23:04, McNeal 17th 23:08 and Dien Toussaint 18th 23:08. Curry (24:54) was a 23-second winner over Carey (25:17). Kastner placed third (25:56), Schroeder fourth (26:12) and Bruntz fifth (27:30).
Stage 4 (116 men. 21 women): Placing 1-2-3 were Bradford 16:29, Kabush 16:37 and Decker 16:47. Greene was 13th in 18:02, Cory Smith 17th 18:19 and McNeal 18th 18:20. Curry (19:51) made sure of her 31-second overall win over Carey (20:06). Placing 3-4-5: Bruntz (20:37), Schroeder (20:37) and Kastner (20:40).
Next in the Ride Sun Valley Festival:
l Today, Wednesday, July 3: Ketchum Criterium road bike event 3-8:30 p.m. in downtown Ketchum, starting and finishing kitty-corner from Sun Valley Visitor Center. Juniors begin at 3:30 p.m., Cat. 3/4 women 4 p.m, and Cat. 3/4 men 4:40 p.m. Masters Men are at 6 p.m. and Open Women 6:40 p.m. Pro 1/2 Men start at 7:30 p.m. for a 60-minute thriller.
Racers will compete for over $2,000 in cash prizes on a challenging new six-corner course. The popular four-rider “team relay” over 16 laps will again be a highlight, beginning at 5:20 p.m. for merchandise prizes.
Teams and individuals can register at least 30 minutes before the start of their races in front of the Sun Valley Visitor Center. Entry fees range from $10 for juniors to $30 for all others. The “team relay” registration takes place on the day of the race, only, at $40 per team.
Here are top results and local four-race finishers for the Sun Valley Enduro DH:
Men
Pro Men: 1—Carl Decker 1.24:15. 2—Geoff Kabush 1.24:33. 3—Aaron Bradford, 28, Santa Cruz, Ca. 1.24:39. 4—Mark Weir 1.26:28. 5—Jordan Carr 1.28:00. 7—Adam Greene, 33, Ketchum 1.29:20. 14—Matt McNeal, 33, Ketchum 1.32:07. 15—Cory Smith, 39, Ketchum 1.33:16. 17—Eric Coury, 37, Hailey 1.35:15. 20—Rob Webb, 46, Ketchum 1.37:29. 25—Adrian Montgomery, Ketchum 1.43:19. 27—Billy Olson, Hailey 2.16:43. 28—Chad Howard, 43, Ketchum 2.27:24.
Expert 40-plus: 1—Stosh Bankston, 42, Olympic Village, Ca. 1.30:49 (10th overall). 2—David Beeson, 41, West Haven, Utah 1.33:24. 3—Ian Fitzpatrick, 40, Eagle 1.33:56. 4—Jon Freckleton, 41, Steamboat Springs, Colo. 1.34:40. 5—Mike Gile, 44, Mercer Island, Wash. 1.35:39. 6—Todd Byle, 44, Hailey 1.36:25. 7—Eric Rector, 50, Hailey 1.38:24. 8—Kenton Carruth, 43, Ketchum 1.39:51. 9—John Johnston, 42, Hailey 1.39:57. 12—Craig Maxwell, 41, Sun Valley 1.41:26.
Expert 19-39: 1—Dylan Cirulis, 30, Salt Lake City, Utah 1.31:36 (13th place overall). 2—Justin Stevenson, 37, Hailey 1.32:25. 3—Philip Vega, 36, Boise 1.32:41. 4—Dien Toussaint, 35, Bellevue 1.32:55. 5—Ben Craner, 38, Kaysville, Utah 1.33:38. 17—Zach Venzon, 35, Ketchum 1.47:26. 19—Henry Frank, 28, Ketchum 1.52:35.
Sport 40-plus: 1—Scott Corkery, 44, Ketchum 1.39:24 (41st overall). 2—Jonny Atencio, 44, Cottonwood Heights, Vt. 1.40:01. 3—Ed Binnie, 51, Ketchum 1.42:42. 4—Connell Lloyd, 50, Eagle 1.43:31. 5—Will Fernyhough, 55, Kirkland, Wash. 1.50:15. 8—Jon Wisby, 43, Hailey 2.01:31.
Sport 19-39: 1—Mark Carnes, 36, Hailey 1.36:01 (27th overall). 2—Sam Rodgers, 32, Ketchum 1.41:19. 3—Sam Warren, 32, Boise 1.43:24. 4—Brian Shindurling, 26, Sandy, Utah 1.44:22. 5—B.J. Lewis, 30, Boise 1.45:17. 6—Toby Citret, 26, Ketchum 1.45:27.
Junior 13-19: 1—Teddy Hayden, 14, San Rafael, Ca. 1.42:36 (56th overall). 2—Duncan Fuller, 15, Ketchum 1.42:51. 3—John Curtis, 17, Eagle 1.43:45. 4—Finley Cronin, 13, San Anselmo, Ca. 2.02:39.
Beginner Open: 1—Brock Lewis, 23, Boise 2.03:07 (97th overall). 2—Ted Hayden, 55, San Rafael, Ca. 2.11:23. 3—Arya Touserkani, 27, San Jose, Ca. 2.21:56.
Women
Pro Women: 1—Lisa Curry, 31, Bozeman, Mt. 1.39:57 (44th overall). 2—Amanda Carey, 34, Victor 1.40:28 (49th overall). 3—Sara Schroeder, 28, Hailey 1.42:55 (59th overall). 4—Tina Brubaker, 44, Bend, Ore. 1.49:40 (72nd overall). 5—Amber Marsh, 28, Ketchum 1.55:14 (86th overall).
Expert Open: 1—Simone Kastner, 25, Hailey 1.44:12 (66th overall). 2—Mallory Burda, 26, Santa Cruz, Ca. 1.52:06. 3—Mercedes Quinn-Blair, 42, Seattle, Wash. 1.53:44. 4—Katelyn Spradley, 23, Flower Mound, Texas 1.54:10. 5—Amber Warren, 28, Boise 1.55:59. 7—Leilani Bruntz, 23, Ketchum 2.06:20.
Sport 40-plus: 1—Sarah Torres, 40, Ketchum 1.57:39 (90th overall). 2—Tracy Fitzpatrick, 42, Eagle 2.01:07. 3—Tory Canfield, 43, Ketchum 2.05:31. 4—Annelies Ware, 43, Ketchum 2.20:25.
Sport 19-39: 1—Carly Clifton, 28, Salt Lake City, Utah 1.53:11 (82nd overall). 2—Lucy Sackbauer, 23, Bozeman, Mt. 1.55:03. 3—Mandi Conley, 32, Boise 2.05:12. 4—Kathryn Blackadar, 29, Boise 2.27:53. 5—Jessica Kunzer 3:44.13.
