Parsons wins Hellroaring stage race

Whitefish cyclist Ben Parsons overcame a flat tire and a brutal wreck in the opening leg of the Hellroaring Mountain Bike Stage Race last weekend to hang on and win the inaugural event.

Parsons, 32, finished the three-day race in 4:01:48, just ahead of up-and-comer Landen Beckner, a 16-year-old phenom out of Helena.

A Whitefish firefighter by day, Parsons’ win didn’t come without some challenges. He took a bad spill near the finish line of the opening time trial stage on the Whitefish Trail. A flat tire threw him off the saddle and he had to push his bike and run the final quarter mile.

Beckner finished the time trial almost two minutes ahead of Parsons.

But Parsons regrouped and made up some time the next day during the second stage of the race on the Reid Divide trail near Tally Lake. Parsons finished the long and steep course in 2:21:09, a solid minute in front of Beckner. He locked down the win on the final day of racing with hot laps at Big Mountain. His time of 1:23:15 was the fastest of the day.

Whitefish riders Caleb Stolte and Phil Grove each put their stamp on the race, taking third and fourth place, respectively.

Kalispell’s Rose Grant was the top female in Cat 1 with a 4:45:12.

Cat 1 men

BEN PARSONS 4:01:48.6

LANDEN BECKNER 4:05:42.6

CALEB STOLTE 4:06:03.0

PHIL GROVE 4:06:08.5

SEAN JONES 4:17:13.4

TOBY MEIERBACHION 4:17:51.8

BEN RUFFATTO 4:17:54.0

JOEL SHEHAN 4:19:06.8

TODD CROSS 4:19:51.3

JASON SCHMIDT 4:31:02.8

TIM GAERTNER 4:34:56.2

ERIC GREENBERG 4:34:58.7

GRANT KIER 4:36:13.0

CHANCE COOKE 4:53:48.6

MILES FRANK 5:02:52.9

CHRIS CONNELY 5:24:54.6

Cat 1 women

ROSE GRANT 4:45:12.5

Cat 2 men

BEN BRUNSVOLD 3:57:27.5

TREVOR ECCUS 4:13:13.1

ROSS TOELKE 4:17:30.4

RANDY BECKNER 4:48:42.5

DANNY WARNER 4:56:13.1

REED GREGERSON 4:58:49.3

NATE LOVALLO 5:03:30.3

BILL RICHMOND 5:17:35.6

MATTHEW THOME 5:29:42.7

BEN HORAN 3:05:45.3

ZACH HESKETT 3:25:03.0

Cat 2 women

SAVANNAH MATYAS 5:04:23.7

LISA LEPOOLE 5:27:29.1

BRENDA WINKLER 5:33:01.3

LESLIE HALVSKA 5:38:13.2

JULIA O’SHAANNASSY 4:53:57.6

LORI WAY 21:39.9

Cat 3 men

TREVER STOLTE 3:00:23.9

NICHOLAS BROSKOVICH 3:29:15.6

DARRIN ANDREWS 3:35:54.4

CHRISTOPHER FARRIS 4:06:34.5

Cat 3 women

STELLA HOLT 3:27:50.4

KELLY MATHESON 3:51:48.1

CORINNE CREIGHTON 3:58:53.4

ALISON JONES 4:19:29.5

MICHELE WHITE 4:31:44.9

TRACIE BREZSNYAK 4:33:38.0