November 5 – 6, 2011 – Palomar Mountain and San Diego, California
The chilly fall morning of November 5th started early for 34 competitors in the 2nd Annual ElliptiGO World Championships of Elliptical Cycling, ready to challenge themselves with a race to the top of Palomar Mountain. With international athletes coming in from Spain, England, and Canada, along with participants from across the U.S., the diverse field was nearly double the size of last year’s inaugural race.
This photo was taken as everyone gathered at the base of the mountain to warm up and get their ElliptiGO elliptical bikes ready to ride. It was an excited crowd – especially as the sun rose and it started to warm up.
From the moment the race began, it was clear that the competition for the overall win between Bruce Raymer, Steve Cyr and Mike Dyon of Team Canada and Paul Thomas, Brian Pilcher and Brent Teal of Team USA would be fierce. With elite cyclist Luke Binder and three-time Pike’s Peak Ascent Champion Simon Gutierrez in the mix, they made a strong push to the top. In the end, two-time National Duathlon Champion Paul Thomas broke away from the pack to claim victory in the 2011 ElliptiGO World Championships with a record-setting time of 1:16:32. In fact, the top 7 finishers would have all beaten last year’s winning time, demonstrating a growing depth of talent in this new sport.
Despite Paul’s victory, Team USA would come up just short in the Team competition to lose to Team Canada by a margin of 4 minutes. We’re sure that Team USA has plans for a re-match in 2012!
The women’s field itself doubled in size this year creating a tougher competition for the top three spots. The race came down to Tammy Wildgoose, another elite cyclist, and last year’s winner, ultramarathoner Angela Shartel. Leading for the whole race, Tammy was able to hang on and win with another record-setting time of 1:39:07.
On Sunday morning, a field of 26 competitors gathered on Fiesta Island to stage a Time Trial competition consisting of two 4-mile loops around the island. Charging ahead on the flat course, Canadian Olympic biathlete Steve Cyr took the win in this inaugural race.
Below are the race results, a few photos of the day. Feeling inspired to train for the next world championship event? Visit the Elliptical Cycling World Championships page to learn more about qualifying.
