About 30 cyclists dodged the rain showers on Wednesday in the first race of the Cheyenne Cañon & 26th Street Time Trial Series.
The route began on 26th Street near Fairview Cemetery and ended on Gold Camp Road where the pavement ends and the gravel surface begins.
Results here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq8anuYX6TytdFhmcVhjVFZuU09FeUJzVEJHSVRVM1E&hl=en_US#gid=0
The series continues on Aug. 3 with a time trial up Cheyenne Cañon, and Aug. 10 with another race on the 26th Street route.
And it's all a build-up for the Cheyenne Cañon Time Trial on Aug. 21 when the best climbers in the area gather to test their legs on the short, but tough ascent.
And there may be some additional competition. The Cheyenne Cañon Time Trial is an ancillary event to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, which begins the next day in Colorado Springs.
Will some of the pro riders take a stab at Cheyenne Cañon?
It's possible, said Jayson Middlemiss, race director for the local time trial series.
"This could be a great way for the pros to warm up, open up the legs. It's only about 13 minutes, that won't hurt them."
Tom Danielson, who rides for Garmin-Cervelo, a team that will compete in the Pro Cycling Challenge, is the record holder in Cheyenne Cañon. He ripped the Cañon course in 13 minutes, 34 seconds in 2009.
Daniels placed ninth and was the top American finisher in the 2011 Tour de France.
Middlemiss could not confirm that Danielson will show up to defend his record. But that record isn't necessarily safe.
Local rider Leroy Popowski has the legs to challenge any rider in Cheyenne Canon - where he has a personal-best time of 14:19. It's basically his home course.
"Leroy is riding really strong right now," Middlemiss said.