Defending road World Champion Peter Sagan is in California for the Amgen Tour of California that starts on Sunday, and over the weekend, he decided to throw a dirt fondo to finish up his pre-race prep.
Sagan’s on-bike party—the first-ever Sagan Dirt Fondo—started in Truckee, CA, located in the northeast part of the state near Reno, and headed out onto the dirt roads and into the hills north of the city. Truckee also happens to be the home of cycling legend Katerina Nash, and not surprisingly, the Clif Pro Team rider was there to join Sagan and others for the race/ride.
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Katerina Nash joined her fellow European bike racer for his fondo. 2018 Sagan Dirt Fondo. © Jonathan Devich / epicimages.us[/caption]
Why California? On the race website, Sagan said, “Not only does California provide some of the best roads and most beautiful scenery in the world, the warmth and friendliness of its people are second to none. I really feel at home whenever I’m there. That’s why I wanted to host an on-bike party in one of my favorite parts of the world.”
The Sagan Fondo had three lengths: the 68-mile Boneyard, 54-mile Grinder and 23-mile Rollout. The course was 60% dirt, 40% pavement and featured one massive 1,500′ climb on the Boneyard route as well as some singletrack and creek crossings.
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Creek crossings were part of the Sagan Fondo course. 2018 Sagan Dirt Fondo. © Jonathan Devich / epicimages.us[/caption]
Both the Women’s and Men’s races for the Boneyard were broken out into 10-year age groups. Olivia Dillon took the overall Women’s win ahead of Nash and Jennifer Schwarz.
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Women’s overall winner Olivia Dillon. 2018 Sagan Dirt Fondo. © Jonathan Devich / epicimages.us[/caption]
Top honors in the Men’s race went to Geoff Kabush, who was followed by Jonathan Baker and Victor Sheldon. Kabush will be tackling the Dirty Kanza 200 next month, so every bit of training likely helps. Cody Kaiser finished 17th and the eponymous Paris-Roubaix-winning host placed 48th.
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Geoff Kabush won the 40-49 age group and overall titles at the Sagan Dirt Fondo. 2018 Sagan Dirt Fondo. © Jonathan Devich / epicimages.us[/caption]
Women’s Age Group Winners
- Women’s 20-29: Eileen Saller
- Women’s 30-39: Jennifer Schwarz
- Women’s 40-49: Olivia Dillon
- Women’s 50-59: Chrissy Gove
Men’s Age Group Winners
- Men’s U20: Anthony Pritchett
- Men’s 20-29: Jordan Fields
- Men’s 30-39: Erik Nelson
- Men’s 40-49: Geoff Kabush
- Men’s 50-59: Victor Sheldon
- Men’s 60+: Rob Jorgenson
See below for a photo gallery from photographers Craig Huffman (Instagram: @craigsclicks) and Jonathan Devich (Instagram: @photogjono) and full results for the Boneyard Race.
2018 Sagan Dirt Fondo Photo Gallery by Craig Huffman and Jonathan Devich
Peter Sagan is known for his sprinting, but he took a stab on some off-road riding at his dirt fondo. 2018 Sagan Dirt Fondo. © Craig Huffman
