The "Toast" with the most

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Anytime a racer returns to defend a title, there is an added bit of pressure resting on his or her back. That pressure increases exponentially when your winning streak stretches for four years. That was Josh 'Toast' Tostado's (Bach Builders / Santa Cruz) cross to bear as he entered his fifth Breckenridge 100 this past weekend and faced new competition on home turf. Last year's winner and the current leader of the NUE series Jeff Schalk (Trek Racing Co-Op) had not yet been to the high altitude climates of Breckenridge, but had chosen 2009 as his year to test the dominance of Tostado.

For Tostado, living at 10,000 feet elevation gives him a distinct advantage over the competition in a race that repeatedly crests the 12,500ft mark, but the shear perseverance and accomplishment of defending a title over five years has to be commended. Tostado managed to stay focused and confident in the face of the powerhouse that is Schalk, who has brought a new level of riding to the NUE series since he dominated in his first year on the scene in 2008. From the gun, Tostado and Schalk distanced themselves from the pack and spent the rest of the day together.

The Breck 100 has the longest finishing times of any of the NUE series races and Toast was ready to use his 24-hour racing abilities to his advantage. "I figured that he (Schalk) was usually finished after the seven-hour mark, and I figured I might have an advantage as the race stretched into the last hour and half." His prediction held true as he was able to drop a fading Schalk at the 80-mile mark in a more technical section of woods.

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Yuki Saito (Topeak/Ergon) followed in third place. He has has had a jam-packed few weeks. On July fourth, he raced the Firecracker 50, then followed that up the next day by racing the inaugural Breck Epic for six days.

New faces in the women's class

Ester Horyani arrived Sunday on the scene as an unknown to the normal circle of women endurance riders, but came out leaving an impression on many of the top men in the field for her finishing time of just over 10 hours. That time put her in the top 12 overall of one of the most technically challenging 100 milers on the schedule. Unable to match her power were fellow Boulder resident Sonya Looney (Topeak/Ergon) and third place finisher and Breckenridge local Erika Tiezen (Bach Builders).

The question to ask is weather or not we'll see Horyani or Looney again, or are they satisfied with their 100 miler experiences?

Singlespeeders tackle big climbs

13,000 feet of climbing in a 100-mile race is a big day for anyone, but take away the advantage of gears and you've set yourself up for a possible suicide mission. A key ingredient to success at the Breck 100 this year was the winner's choice of a relatively easy gear of 32-22, while the second place rider chose not only a debilitating 32-20, but also tires that were virtually impossible to remove and reinstall when changing a flat.

Singlespeed winner Mark Thompson (Wilderness Sports) also conveniently chose to settle in Breckenridge. Unfortunately the NUE series singlespeed leader Gerald Pflug (Speedgoat/SPK) ruined his chances to take the top spot after flatting on the initial downhill of the race, and then spending a half hour with a complicated flat change.

Despite the problems for Pflug, he managed to hold off the third place finisher Joseph Gratcofsky (Twin Six) by four and a half minutes.

The National Ultra Endurance Series heads next to Pennsylvania's Wilderness 101 on August 1. Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for coverage.