Riders tackle challenging Red Bird Crest MTB race

Mountain bikers tested their endurance and bike-handling skills this past weekend during the Red Bird Crest MTB 80K and 40K races.

The event featured a challenging course filled with rocky terrain, single-track trails, steep climbs and fast descents, putting both the physical conditioning and technical skills of competitors to the test.

Organizers reported a great turnout, with riders competing in men's and women's 80K divisions, a junior 80K division, men's 40K and an e-bike division.

Matt VonLinger captured first place in the men's 80K with a time of 4:06:03. Connor Bumpas finished second at 4:54:55, followed by Gerardo Ceballos in third at 5:25:10.

Michael Murphy was fourth in 5:28:20, followed by Ben Egan, 5:46:09; Paul Egan, 5:46:10; William Hurley, 5:47:10; William Luallen, 6:21:40; Brent Thomas, 6:27:07; and Evan Maynard, 7:45:00.

The men's 80K division had one rider who did not finish and two who did not start.

Ryan Hill turned in one of the event's strongest performances, winning the junior 80K division in 4:27:05. His time was the second-fastest 80K time of the day across the listed results.

In the women's 80K, Kim Cup took first place with a time of 6:26:29. Amanda Tucker finished second in 9:50:00.

Dustin Jones won the men's 40K division, completing the course in 3:03:00. Daniel Patterson was second at 3:11:01, while Wayn Ebersohl placed third in 5:20:38. There were no DNFs in the division, while two riders did not start.

Sean Trinque captured first place in the e-bike division.

The Red Bird Crest course is designed to showcase demanding mountain biking terrain, with competitors encountering rocky features, technical single track, sustained climbs and challenging descents throughout the race.

Organizers congratulated all of the riders who participated and thanked the businesses and organizations that helped make the event possible.

Sponsors included AdventHealth Manchester, ESI Grips and Manchester Distillery.

Special thanks were also extended to Get Outside KY and Alex Sipple for providing assistance to riders and helping keep their bikes on the trail throughout the demanding event.