As spring nears, so does mountain bike racing.
The local Kokopelli Bike & Board singlespeed team of Terry Gorsuch (Cortez), Jeff Fox (Dolores), Paul Adams (Cortez) and Ralph Schultz (Portland, Ore.) took third-place at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo race on Feb. 17-19. The annual event is raced outside of Tucson, Ariz.
Other locals that lit up the Old Pueblo were Shawn Gregory, of Dolores, in the 17-lap, solo singlespeed race (third) and Ricos Jeff Hemperley (17th) in the 12-lap, solo singlespeed race.
Gregorys race was 280 miles that traversed 20,000-feet in elevation gain. The four-person, singlespeed race went 20 laps.
To follow Gregory, a USA Cycling professional, fans can log on to his blog at http://www.shawngregorymountainbiker.blogspot.com.