Back for 2018, The Chesaux Cup

LONGMONT, Colorado — For Cyclocross race fan Loni Sue Jenkins, the series of events that make up the Chesaux Cup will never be just another a race series. The Shimano Cycle X Series, the Chesaux Cup is a living, breathing, rolling memorial to a man who lived and breathed the sport.

Founded in 2011, The Chesaux Cup is named for Jenkins’s late fiancé Boulder-area cyclist and all around outdoorsman Matthieu Chesaux who died tragically in a backcountry skiing accident in 2008. This year is a special one as we approach the 10 year passing of Matthieu and what would’ve been his 50th birthday. “Matt loved skiing, but I knew he loved his bicycles,” she said. “I dropped Lance Panigutti of Without Limits Productions a line and he told me about the Shimano Cycle X Series and they would love to have a cup to be awarded.”

From there, the Chesaux Cup was born. This is the eighth year of the Chesaux Cup, the last race in the series November 17th at Westminster. This years winner will be joining 2011 champion Brandon Dwight, 2012 champion Ken Benesh, 2013 champion Robin Eckmann, 2014 Spencer Powlison, 2015 was the first year to have a repeat champion with Ken Benesh, 2016 champion Gage Hecht, and 2017 champion Samuel Dolzani.

Lance Panigutti said of the Chesaux Cup “You can win the race once, but if you want to keep your victory, you’ll have to win it again.” Like its namesake, the Chesaux Cup is in constant motion. Winners retain the award for a year, but must defend their title the following race season.
“Matt would want it this way,” she said. “The fact that it is a living, moving memorial is why it fits him so well. Even when he was sitting, he was doing something.”

The Chesaux Cup consists of six races, each one typically held at the end of the race day in the Single Men’s Open Cyclocross series held in different locations in and around Boulder County from September to November. (Race dates and locations: 09/08/18 at Harlow Platts, 09/22/18 at Valmont, 10/06/18 at Interlocken, 10/21/18 at Louisville Rec Center, 11/03/18 at Siena Lake, 11/17/18 at Westminster; all races start at 02:40 pm). The last race of the six races is Saturday, November 17th at Westminster, with the SM Open start at 2:40 pm.

Last years winner Samuel Dolzani’s had these thoughts about the Cup; “Winning the Chesaux cup is special because it honors Matt Chesaux’s legacy and love for cycling. It’s great to see how the series has evolved and continues to flourish over the years – I’m sure this is what Matt would have wanted. To hold onto the award for a year makes me really appreciate the support and kinship of the Colorado cycling community. It reminds me of the stand up group of guys and gals that we get to line up next to every weekend and stokes the flame for years to come. Cheers to many more years of keeping this tradition alive and continuing to remember Matt Chesaux!”

Thanks to the efforts of Jenkins, Without Limits Productions, Panigutti, the racers like Dwight, Benesh, Eckmann, Powlison, Hecht, and Dolzani along with others in the Boulder cycling scene, his memory will live forever honoring his life and the people participating in a sport he also loved.

For information on the Chesaux Cup, please contact Loni Sue Jenkins 720-849-2292, or loni.sue.sullivan@gmail.com


Previous Articles:

Chesaux Cup, It’s not just another race 
The Memory Behind the Chesaux Cup

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