Race Report · Gravel
Pueblo, CO – October 10, 2026 – Twenty-eight COS Racing riders lined up at this year’s Grassroots Gravel p/b UCHealth. It was a glorious Rocky Mountain day: cool and crisp at the start, then warming fast as the sun climbed, until the gravel roads ran warm and dusty by midday. The team raced all three distances (39, 75, and 113 miles) and brought home nine age-group wins, two more age-group podiums, a 2nd-place overall finish, and the top woman in the 39-mile race.
28COS Racing riders
9Age-group wins
2ndOverall, The Lil’ Chile
1stWoman, The Lil’ Chile
The Lil’ Chile 39 miles · 414 finishers
COS Racing’s ten riders took over the front of the race, led by two standout rides. Ian Matteson finished 2nd overall in a field of 414 and won Men’s 40-49. LeeAnn Perea was the first woman across the line, finishing 19th overall, winning Women’s 40-49, and taking the women's overall title.
Behind Matteson, the men’s squad kept the pressure on from the remnants of the breakaway. Glen Larson was 4th overall, earning a spot on the men’s podium, and won Men’s 60-69, moving up from 2nd in his age group in The Half last year. J. Erik Hartel was 7th overall and won Men’s 50-59, putting three COS riders in the top seven, each with an age-group title. Tyler Bailey added a 5th in Men’s 30-39, with Kenji Bratcher and Morgan Chapman also racing in that deep 62-rider category.
The rest of the women backed Perea up in style. Diane Percy was the 4th woman and won Women’s 60-69. Charlotte Miller defended her Women’s 70+ title for the second year in a row, and Erica Otero rounded out the women’s squad.
The Half 75 miles · 296 finishers
COS Racing fielded 12 riders here, its largest squad of the day. Cory “Tommy” Martin led the way in 14th overall and 5th in Men’s 30-39. Katherine Heffner won Women’s 30-39 and was the 5th woman, and David Parker took 3rd in Men’s 60-69.
Parker, Heffner, Matt Wright, and Graham Thompson rode in together, finishing between 48th and 53rd, with Michael Elmer just ahead in 45th. Rich Heitman completed all 75 miles.
The Whole 113 miles · 111 finishers
On the long course, COS Racing’s endurance specialists raced at the front as the afternoon heat built. Joe Glass was 7th overall and won Men’s 40-49, with Chad Matteson right behind in 8th to win Men’s 50-59, up from 16th last year. Ron Thoman took 3rd in Men’s 60-69. Kevin Ellison made a strong debut with COS Racing in 24th overall, Rick Maghanoy improved to 31st overall, up from 35th last year, and Jonathan Grant rounded out the squad in 40th.
Rider Spotlight
Never Count Them Out
Every race has a moment where it can all come apart. Saturday had at least two, and both ended with a COS Racing rider on the podium.
The first attack goes up the road in The Lil’ Chile, and that is exactly when Diane Percy’s chain drops and tangles. Ten minutes gone. Dead last. Race over? Not a bit of it! Percy gets it sorted, gets back on, and goes hunting, picking riders off one by one all the way to the line. By the finish she had caught and passed 376 riders, 143 of them women. Fourth woman home for a spot on the women’s podium, plus the Women’s 60-69 win. What a ride!
Out on The Half, on one of the sketchiest stretches of the day, Katherine Heffner goes off the road and watches her teammates disappear up the gravel. Plenty of riders would sit up there. Not Heffner. She buries herself in the chase, claws her way back onto the group, and rolls in as 5th woman, onto the women’s podium and with the Women’s 30-39 title. That is grit, pure and simple!
That’s what COS Racing is about. Our riders don’t measure a race by what goes wrong. They measure it by how they respond. Dropped chains, trips off the road, and bad luck happen to everyone, but a COS rider keeps fighting for every place, all the way to the finish.
Grassroots Gravel closed COS Racing’s 2026 gravel season with one of the team’s strongest showings yet. Next up is winter training and the club’s February camp in Tucson, AZ. Congratulations to every rider, and thank you to the Grassroots Gravel organizers, volunteers, and UCHealth for another outstanding event.
Team Participation & Results
- Ian Matteson2nd OA1st AG
- Glen Larson4th OA1st AG
- J. Erik Hartel7th OA1st AG
- Tyler Bailey24th OA5th AG
- Kenji Bratcher32nd OA7th AG
- Morgan Chapman66th OA13th AG
- LeeAnn Perea1st Woman1st AG19th OA
- Diane Percy4th Woman1st AG38th OA
- Charlotte Miller21st Woman1st AG101st OA
- Erica Otero28th Woman7th AG124th OA
- Cory “Tommy” Martin14th OA5th AG
- Michael Elmer45th OA14th AG
- David Parker48th OA3rd AG
- Matt Wright49th OA15th AG
- Graham Thompson53rd OA16th AG
- Mike Rucker72nd OA13th AG
- George York84th OA9th AG
- Dean Carlson88th OA10th AG
- Jeff Lucy105th OA16th AG
- Aaron Gilbert126th OA20th AG
- Rich Heitman232nd OA10th AG
- Katherine Heffner5th Woman1st AG52nd OA
- Joe Glass7th OA1st AG
- Chad Matteson8th OA1st AG
- Kevin Ellison24th OA8th AG
- Rick Maghanoy31st OA11th AG
- Jonathan Grant40th OA14th AG
- Ron Thoman47th OA3rd AG
OA = overall · AG = age group · Orange = 1st place · Yellow = 2nd or 3rd
#COSRACING #bikebeerbed #DixonAllstate #FitnessSystems #flowformulas #Fossilcraftbeer #mynthomes #Oakleybike #Pactimo #RectorStuzynskiLaw #SendMyGear
NOTE: This article was developed with editorial support from Claude, an AI assistant from Anthropic that assisted in drafting, refining, and formatting content for clarity, consistency, and tone.
