ASAAYI LAKE — The course changed, but the result remained the same.
Cyclist Tom Preller continued his dominance of the Asaayi Bike Race on Saturday, winning the men’s division for the sixth consecutive year despite organizers being forced to redesign the course because of construction near Crystal.
Preller, from Page, Arizona, completed the 16.8-mile out-and-back course in 38:57, finishing more than six minutes ahead of runner-up Jesse Frizzell of Aztec, who crossed the finish line in 45:05. The victory extended a remarkable run for Preller, who has won every Asaayi Bike Race since 2020 after finishing second to Brandon Benally in 2019.
“Six in a row,” Preller said. “I love this race. I love what Tom (Riggenbach) and NavajoYES have been doing for the community and the reservation. It gets us out early to do a bike race on the rez.”
Traditionally, the Asaayi Bike Race begins near the south entrance to Asaayi Lake along Navajo Route 31 and climbs roughly 20 miles through the Chuska Mountains before finishing at the Narbona Pass Picnic Area. This year’s construction near Crystal forced organizers to abandon the signature mountain climb in favor of a shorter out-and-back course that emphasized speed over endurance.
For Preller, that meant changing both strategy and pacing.
“The change in course makes you change the strategy,” he said. “This is a flatter race than finishing up in the mountains, so you don’t have to save energy for that long climb. But it also means anyone can make a charge on the flats.”
Even with the flatter course, Preller steadily increased his lead while relying on consistent training.
“I have the advantage of being at the right age and training often,” he said. “In fact, I’m on track to ride 10,000 miles this year.”
Frizzell continued his steady improvement in the event with his highest finish yet.
“It’s an amazing race. I love this place,” Frizzell said. “The views are incredible.”
Saturday marked his third appearance in the race.
“This is my best finish,” he said. “Last year I was eighth and the year before that I was fourth.”
Frizzell knew catching Preller would be a difficult task.
“I tried to keep up for as long as I could,” he said. “I red-lined it all the way through, but I’ll take the runner-up finish.”
Gilbert Ben of Montezuma Creek finished third in 46:40 after another strong showing in the Tour de Rez series.
“I finished second at Navajo Mountain behind Tom,” Ben said. “I’ve been training quite a bit this year and it’s paid off.”
In the women’s race, Farmington cyclist Sarah Scott captured her third consecutive Asaayi title, finishing in 52:30. Her time also placed her ninth overall among all riders.
Scott admitted she nearly skipped this year’s race before encouragement from fellow cyclists convinced her otherwise.
“I wasn’t in riding shape this year,” Scott said with a laugh. “But it’s good enough to ride.”
A member of the Bisti Badlands Bike Shop riding group, Scott said she enjoyed the revised course.
“The course was fun in this format,” she said. “You basically ride down as fast as you can and turn around and climb back to the start. It’s different from the usual long climb.”
Scott credited her riding group for helping keep her motivated despite the closure of the local bike shop.
“We ride every weekend about 20 to 30 miles,” she said. “We try to stay as organized as possible even with the closure of the shop.”
The Asaayi Bike Race typically attracts nearly 60 riders each year and serves as one of two road races in the Tour de Rez cycling series, which also includes events at Navajo Mountain, Chilchinbeto, Beclabito and Chuska Mountain. The final stop of the Tour de Rez season will be the Chuska Challenge in September.