Steamboat Stinger 50

While most racers were calling it an early night, it was good to see that at least one was out in the mix of Steamboat Springs' nightlife. Photo Zach White

Pretzels, cookies — and maybe some Honey Stinger products? — at the aid stations. Photo Zach White

A little mountain music: The Old Town Pickers from Steamboat Springs provided entertainment after awards. Photo Zach White

Never a dull weekend in Steamboat Springs; the Stinger 50 was one of three major events happening in the Northern Colorado town. Photo Zach White

Steamboat Springs has quite the outdoor industry for such a small town, which was on display at the expo area. Photo Zach White

One of the many finishers of the Steamboat Stinger 50 (we would've taken a photo of the Open class winners, but we couldn't help but race the event, too). The big names finished ahead of us and our camera... Photo Zach White

You race, you eat: Free post-race barbeque. Photo Zach White

Race promotor Len Zanni was throwing out swag during awards like he was on a Mardi Gras float. Photo Zach White

Our gracious host, Jody Corey, not only placed 11th in the Women's Open class, but she makes a mean homemade pasta sauce, too. Photo Zach White

Cannondale's Alex Grant takes home a custom cowboy hat for his win at the inaugural Steamboat Stinger 50. On the podium with him are Bryan Alders, Kalan Beisel, Daniel Matheny, Peter Kalmes. Photo Zach White

Though most riders knew they were going to be in for a long day, the Open Men's start still strung out through the expo area almost instantly. Photo Zach White

A pretty common sight around the finish line of the Steamboat Stinger 50, which featured a whopping 3,800 feet of climbing per 25-mile lap. Photo Zach White

Leave it to a single-speeder to add something extra to the standard SSW class calf marking. Photo Zach White

Though the course was almost entirely tight, twisty singletrack, there was plenty of room at the start for the 120+ racers in the Open Men class to have a little bit of breathing room. Photo Zach White

Competing in her first endurance race since what she described as a "death march" back in '03, Compton signed up for the Stinger because "I just wanted to do a fun bike race". Could KFC be branching out, or is Steamboat singletrack just that good? On the podium with Compton are Kelly Boniface, Tammy Jacques , Anne Gonzalez, Katie Lindquist