Mitch Hoke of Colorado Springs won the men's pro cross country race at the Cheyenne Mountain Explosion.

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Start/finsh line Cheyenne Mountain Explosion
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Start of pro men's race
On the course in the men's pro race
Cat 1 Women's race start with Kennon Roeber off the front
On the course with the pro women

Mitch Hoke was a good mountain bike racer a year ago.
What a difference a year makes. Hoke may be on the verge of being great.
He held off a tough field on a tricky course Sunday at Cheyenne Mountain State Park to win the Cheyenne Mountain Explosion men's pro cross country race.
On the last of four laps, Hoke, a Colorado College senior who rides for Tokyo Joe's, looked behind him.
He saw Brady Kappius (Clif Bar), Kalan Beisel (YETI SRAM), and Russ Finsterwald (Subaru/Trek). They weren't in any mood to allow Hoke to get away without a fight.
"They kept coming back," Hoke said. "I thought I might be done on that final lap. I'd look back and there would be somebody there. Then I'd look again and there wasn't anybody."
But Kappius dropped off with a mechanical problem, and neither Beisel nor Finsterwald had the juice to catch Hoke on the final climb.
Wearing a muddy grin formed from miles of trail dust, Hoke popped a nice wheelie a he rolled toward the finish line, while his fan club (left) celebrated.
"This is my first win in a Mountain States Cup cross country race," Hoke said. "It's a big deal. I'm psyched."
Beisel placed second, Kappius battled back to take third place and Finsterwald finished fourth.
Finsterwald, who graduated from Coronado High School and is now a freshman at Colorado University, is nearly recovered from a shoudler injury that has slowed him down. He said he did along ride on Saturday and ran out of gas on the hills and technical sections of Cheyenne Mountain State Park. He finished fourth on Sunday.
"I'm definitely getting better," he said. "But I had a big day yesterday and by the end (of Sunday's race) I was just holding on."
All the top riders have raced and trained together for years. Beisel, who doesn't waste a chance to crack a joke had a few words for Hoke.
"Yeah, we just let you win," he said. He later added: "It's not so bad to lose when your friends beat you."
In the women's pro race, Emmett (right) hammered the field to complete the weekend sweep. She said he used the race to prepare for bigger events later in the season.
"I'm here to get some hard efforts in," she said.
The defending national champ in the Super D, Emmett has a skill set that equates to speed. Many of the pro men's racers saw it first hand as she passed them. She said that part of racing never gets old.
"Oh yeah, that's fun," she said. "I wish I could have passed more."
She'll race at the Sea Otter Classic next week in Monterey, Calif.
Sage Wilderman (Specialized/Rocky Mountain) was second, followed by Caitlyn Vestal (Honey Stinger/Trek).

Pro Women Cross Country
1  27   156146   Kelli Emmett         Giant Mountain Bike  2:10:28 
2  18   199903   Sage Wilderman       Specialized/Rocky Mt 2:12:31       2:03.17 
3  14   168652   Caitlyn Vestal       Honey Stinger/Trek O 2:16:06       5:38.71 
4  25   194901   Erin Huck            Tokyo Joes           2:24:12      13:44.61 
5  26   210228   Jill Behlen          Tokyo Joes           2:30:31      20:03.33 
6  43   FRA198701Caroline Mani        SRAM                 2:31:45      21:17.10 
7  31   234957   Sarah Rawley         Yeti Beti            2:33:17      22:48.90 
   21   246803   Amy Dombroski        crankbrothers race c DNF
Pro Men Cross Country

1  15   203760   Mitchell Hoke        Tokyo Joes           1:50:05 
2  30   244363   Kalan Beisel         YETI-SRAM            1:50:49         44.74 
3  17   132490   Braden Kappius       Clif Bar             1:51:17       1:12.34 
4  20   228336   Russell Finsterwald  Subaru/Trek          1:52:18       2:13.58 
5  45   161831   Tim Allen            Niner-Ergon          1:53:33       3:28.28 
6  8    284764   Skyler Trujillo      Niner Bikes          1:54:37       4:32.20 
7  40   210855   Colin Osborn         Honey Stinger/Trek   1:54:54       4:48.98 
8  28   15853    Jay Henry            Tokyo Joes          1:55:14       5:09.62 
9  44   199904   Kelly Magelky        Trek / Bontrager / A 1:57:14       7:09.64 
10 19   241806   Shad Schreiner       High Gear/Trek       1:57:38       7:33.52 
11 34   145481   Daniel Matheny       Mafia Racing         1:57:45       7:40.06 
12 5    23198    Michael McCalla      Magura               1:58:25       8:20.15 
13 37   JPN199007Keisuke Goda         Specialized          1:58:42       8:37.63 
14 32   216528   Colin Cares          Kenda/Felt           1:59:50       9:45.24 
15 36   193522   Jason Siegle         SDG/ FELT            2:00:26      10:21.71 
16 39   208016   Benjamin Portilla    Honey Stinger/ Trek  2:01:33      11:28.53 
17 33   17932    Doug Johnson         Bandwagon Racing     2:01:35      11:30.70 
18 7    264816   Lucas Perez          ROTOR Bike Component 2:01:47      11:42.27 
19 16   260538   Graham Aldredge                           2:01:59      11:54.71 
20 24   217452   Joe Schneider        3D Racing            2:02:00      11:55.41 
21 10   246497   Jordan Williford     Epic Endurance Cycli 2:02:12      12:06.97 
22 9    327230   Travis MacY          Team Merrell Adventu 2:03:00      12:54.97 
23 23   43908    Jason Young          Feedback Sports      2:03:54      13:48.89 
24 22   39400    Len Zanni            Honey Stinger/ Trek  2:05:19      15:14.34 
25 42   229172   Chris Hurst          Stans No Tubes/AXA/C 2:06:32      16:27.75

26 41   246700   Peter ODonnell      GT Bicycles          2:08:36      18:31.18 
27 12   211236   Jason Holbrook       Yeti/Jett Pro XC Tea 2:09:02      18:57.29 
   6    92714    Kip Biese            Big Wheels Racing/Ol DNS 
   29   208187   Yuki Ikeda           Topeak-Ergon         DNS 
   11   116610   Campbell Levy        Yeti/Jett Pro XC Tea DNF 
   13   37334    Ernie Watenpaugh     Peloton Cycles/Speci DNF 
   35   161597   Cameron Chambers     Speacialized Stump J DNF 
   38   JPN198601Ken Onodera          Specialized          DNF

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PHOTO: Kelli Emmett of Colorado Springs won the women's pro time trial Saturday at the Mountain States Cup's Cheyenne Mountain Explosion.

PHOTO GALLERIES
Cheyenne Mountain Explosion
Photo Gallery No. 2
VIDEO: Life on Medicine Wheel Trail
RESULTS: Or, we should say, good photos of the results
MORE COVERAGE: Christine Irelan became national champ after close call with semi truck

Everybody knows Kelli Emmett can ride a mountain bike like nobody's business. Like most professional athletes, she's gutsy and confident.
Here is a little story about that. Not long ago she received word from her Giant Factory Off-Road Team that she would be racing in the Leadville 100, arguably the toughest and most popular single-day bike race in the United States.
Emmett, 34, of Colorado Springs, didn't event blink.
On Saturday at the Cheyenne Mountain Explosion Mountain States Cup Time Trial, Emmett leaned on her bike, smiled and and put her confidence in words.
"I think I have a shot at winning Leadville," she said. "Distances have never been a problem for me, but it will take some training."

Read more about Kelli here: Colorado Springs rider Kelli Emmett talks about growing up, riding fast and her favorite local trails

To win, Emmett would have to knock off "The Queen of Pain," Rebecca Rusch, the tough Specialized rider who is the two-time defending Leadville women's champion and record holder (7 hours, 47 minutes).
"I really think Giant wants that exposure (at Leadville)," Emmett said. "Specialized has dominated up there, so I'll be there."
The defending national champion in the Super D (a combination downhill, cross country race), Emmett has never competed in the Leadville 100.
"I did ultra racing years ago and I'm excited to get back into it," she said.
Emmett won the women's pro time trial race on Saturday, knocking off the 3.5-mile course in 19 minutes, 42 seconds.
"This is good because it's my first race of the season," she said. "I've been riding a lot of miles, but not with much intensity."
Emmett will head for Monterey, Calif., for next week's Sea Otter classic, where she will compete in the Short Track and Cross Country mountain bike events.
The Mountain States Cup made its first visit to Colorado Springs and the racing was hot, with riders pouring their legs into some short, but stout, climbs and bucking the technical Medicine Wheel trail. Bandwagon Racing rider Doug Johnson, of Colorado Springs, chose the layout of the course.
Erin Huck (Tokyo Joes) was second in 20:54 and Sarah Rawley, who races for Yeto Beti and does marketing for the Mountain States Cup, was third in 23:31.
Colorado College senior Mitch Hoke (Tokyo Joes) won the men's pro race in 16:44. Colin Cares (Kenda/Felt) rolled in at 16:53 and Bandwagon's Johnson placed third in 17:27.
There is more racing - with many more riders - on tap for Sunday's cross country event. The first race goes at 8 a.m. The men and women pro riders start at about 2 p.m.