Lutsen 99er MTB Race Weekend Returns with Sellout Participation of Nearly 2,000

June 28, 2021

Lake Saint Louis, Mo.'s Raylyn Nuss and Stephen Hyde of Easthampton, Mass., take first place in the 99-mile course

LUTSEN, Minn. – The Stages Cycling Lutsen 99er, owned and produced by Life Time, welcomed a field of approximately 1800 participants plus 200 junior riders to Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shores this past weekend. The event offers a 99-mile course, as well as a 69-, 49-, 25-mile option, and kid’s races, for riders of all ability levels. Riders start from the Lutsen Ski Resort, traveling through the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains, crossing over the Poplar River, overlooking the majestic Lake Superior and over ridgelines made of glacially sculpted terrain, rolling hills and finally by the southern range of the Boreal Forest.

“The Lutsen 99er has always been about family, friends, community and camaraderie. After a year off, Life Time and Stages Cycling are incredibly proud to welcome everyone back to the Lutsen Mountains—from 35 states and four countries—for this annual favorite tradition,” said Peter Spencer, Event Director at Life Time.

In the women’s 99-mile division, Raylyn Nuss, 30, of Lake Saint Louis, Mo. placed first with a finish time of 6:00:46. Anna Luckow, 28, of Saint Louis Park, Minn. secured second place with a finish time of 6:36:34. Risa Hustad, 30, of Minneapolis, Minn. with a time of 6:48:50.

For the men’s 99-mile division, Stephen Hyde, 34, of Easthampton, Mass. placed first with a finish time of 5:34:46. Ryan Sellner, 18, of Circle Pines, Minn. secured second place with a finish time of 5:35:16. Chris Stevens, 43, of New Richmond, Wis. placed third in the division with a completion time of 5:37:11.

In the women’s 69-mile division, Emily Flynn, 40, of Cazenovia, N.Y., placed first with a finish time of 4:50:02. Rachel McCloskey, 25, of Circle Pines, Minn. secured second place with a finish time of 5:04:07. Traci Giefer, 34, of Minneapolis, Minn. placed third in the division with a completion time of 5:07:31.

For the men’s 69-mile division, Gordon Hilleque, 43, of Minneapolis, Minn., placed first with a finish time of 4:24:46. Chad Millner, 45, of Chanhassen, Minn. secured second place with a finish time of 4:25:32. Chris Fisher, 43, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn. placed third in the division with a completion time of 4:26:06.

For the women’s 49-mile division, Samantha Klepperich, 18, of Chaska, Minn. placed first with a finish time of 3:10:06. Dellia Barrett, 17, of Victoria, Minn. secured second place with a finish time of 3:12:43. Chloe Leege, 16, of Iron River, Wis. placed third in the division with a completion time of 3:13:46.

For the men’s 49-mile division, Chase Sams, 17, of Duluth, Minn. placed first with a finish time of 2:49:57. Steven Yore, 52, of Minneapolis, Minn. secured second place with a finish time of 2:50:28. There was a tie for third place between Jedd Baunwarth, 36, of Waconia, Minn. and Steve Stocker, 49, of River Falls, Wis. with a completion time of 2:50:51.

For the women’s 25-mile division, Dorothea Kramer, 15, of Duluth, Minn., placed first with a time of 1:37:35. Wendy Stocker, 49, of River Falls, Wis. secured second place with a finish time of 1:47:30. Megan Cosgrove, 41, of Hudson, Wis. placed third in the division with a completion time of 1:50:26.

For the men’s 25-mile division, Eyob Yore, 13, of Minneapolis, Minn., placed first with a finish time of 1:30:12. Eddie MacHolda, 62, of Excelsior, Minn. secured second place with a finish time of 1:34:39. Charlie Meyer, 15, of Saint Paul, Minn. placed third in the division with a completion time of 1:36:38.

The next event on the Life Time off-road event calendar is the Stages Cycling Leadville Stage Race, July 30 – Aug. 1, which will take athletes a total of 100 miles over the course of three days. On the heels of the Stage Race is the Leadville Race Series Silver Rush Race weekend, a mountain bike festival in Leadville, Colo., and Life Time’s Crusher in the Tushar gravel event, in Beaver, Utah also on the July 10-11 weekend. The final Leadville Race Series event in July is the Tahoe Trail MTB on July 17.

Heading into August, the Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB is Aug.1. A true test of endurance and grit, athletes traverse 100 miles across the high-altitude and extreme terrain of the Colorado Rockies. For those who dare to try it, the LeadBoat Challenge offers Leadville Trail 100 MTB racers to also compete in the 144 mile SBT GRVL Black course the very next day for the ultimate test of endurance and athleticism. The Leadville Trail 10K will also take place that weekend on Aug. 15. Finally, the legendary Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by La Sportiva on Aug. 21-22, coined the “Race Across The Sky” is where it all started back in 1983. To view all of the Life Time athletic events after August, please visit: https://my.lifetime.life/athletic-events.html

The Lutsen 99er is owned and produced by Life Time, the premier healthy lifestyle brand. It is among more than 30 premier athletic events owned by the company, including Garmin UNBOUND Gravel, Verizon New York City Triathlon, Chicago Triathlon, and Miami Marathon.

About Life Time® – Healthy Way of Life

Life Time champions a healthy and happy life for its members across 144 destinations in 39 major markets in the U.S. and Canada. As the nation’s only Healthy Way of Life brand, Life Time delivers an unmatched athletic resort experience and provides a comprehensive healthy living, healthy aging and healthy entertainment experience that goes well beyond fitness to encompass the entire spectrum of daily life for individuals, couples and families of all ages. For more information visit www.lifetime.life.

# # #