COLORADO SPRINGS — On Saturday morning, 250 men and women pedaled their way to the summit of America's Mountain for the 11th annual Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb.
The riders, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, braved the elements as they pushed their way up the grueling 12.42 mile trek to summit of Pikes Peak.
Colorado Springs native Leroy Popowski won the men's race with a time of 1:12:10, while Longmont's Carly Williamson took the women's title with a time of 1:32:27.
"It has been great," said Popowski. "We have everyone wear masks, respecting social distancing. It is really nice to have events like this where everyone can be respectful of best practices by the CDC, yet still hold an event. Hopefully for the next few years we can have more of these. And get back to some sort of normalcy."
"I haven't been able to interact in groups like this," added Williamson. "And the interactions you see here, that is what we love about racing. It is not just doing well, its not just out competing. It is the camaraderie of being around so many different people. It is just great."
The Pikes Peak International Hill climb will take place without fans later this month on August 30th.
