Leadville Trail 100 Preview

Who will be the fastest mountain goat at the famous high-altitude showdown?

The mountain bike World Cup season is on a post-Olympic break, but here in the States, all eyes will be on the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race in Colorado this week. 

The 100-mile jaunt through Colorado’s high mountains is perhaps the most well-known and storied marathon mountain bike race in the country. Adding to its prestige the past couple years is its inclusion in the Life Time Grand Prix, attracting deeper fields to an already competitive race. 

Here’s a rundown on what to watch for and who to watch. 

Men’s Race Storylines: Last year, Keegan Swenson broke the course record, finishing in 5:43:29. The record may not fall further, but the race will no doubt be fast. The top-five may all finish in less than six hours. Swenson is considered the best rider in the field on a course like Leadville, but riders like Payson McElveen and Alexey Vermeulen will be looking to solidify and improve their spots in the overall standings. 

Men’s Contenders

 Keegan Swenson 

As mentioned, Swenson holds the course record and is considered the favorite this year after winning the past two editions. When asked at a pre-race press conference this week, both McElveen and Lachlan Morton downplayed their chances at beating Swenson. He is exceptional at long, hard races at altitude, but McElveen and Morton may be tempering expectations as athletes are known to do. 

Cole Paton 

Paton is a lightweight rider with a mountain bike background and the 2023 marathon MTB national champion. He’s due for a big result and has landed in the top-five at Leadville before. 

Lachlan Morton 

Morton has what it takes to master a hard mountainous course, and his confidence will be at an all time high after winning Unbound Gravel in June. I’m looking forward to seeing how many heads turn at his bike setup after he brought a unique setup last year. 

The Dark Horses 

Payson McElveen 

McElveen won the Leadville Stage Race last week, a three day race that tackles segments of the Leadville course each day. He’s sitting in 2nd in the overall standings after solid results at Sea Otter and Unbound, and like the others, has years of experience at Leadville. 

Russell Finsterwald 

Finsterwald lives in Colorado so the altitude is not a problem for him. He has won races like Big Sugar Gravel, but he has not pulled out the same luck at Leadville. 

Dylan Johnson 

Johnson is expected to ride a drop bar setup at Leadville, just like he did last year. After he had a breakthrough performance at Unbound, others may be watching him closer this year.

Women’s Race Storylines: For the first time, women will start separate from the men at Leadville. This may lead to a changed race dynamic, similar to what happened at Unbound with a more tactical race resulting in a bunch sprint finish. The deep women’s field is also due for a fast race. Annika Langvad is the only woman to finish under 7 hours back in 2015, but that record is definitely not safe with the speed of today’s contenders. 

Women’s Contenders 

Sofia Gomez Villafane 

Villafane won last year and is unbeatable on her best days. After a season-opening win at Sea Otter, she did not factor in Unbound so will be looking to improve on her 3rd place in the overall standings.  

Hannah Otto 

Otto won in 2022 and, as a Utah native, is used to performing well at altitude. She’s currently second in the overall standings behind Haley Smith, in touch for the lead with three races remaining after Leadville. 

Sarah Sturm 

Sturm placed fourth at Leadville in 2022 and is having a killer season this year. She made the lead group at Unbound and then won Kenya’s Migration Gravel Race, part of the Gravel Earth Series. 

The Dark Horses

Deanna Mayles 

Mayles is a newer addition to the women’s field, having gotten into racing just a few years back as a SRAM employee. The Colorado resident won a stage of the Leadville Stage Race last week and is poised for a big win sometime soon. 

Alexis Skarda 

Skarda is the current marathon MTB national champion and is no stranger to Leadville. A member of the Santa Cruz HTSQD team, she always shows up ready for the biggest races. 

Michaela Thompson 

In her rookie Life Time Grand Prix season, Thompson brings a diverse arsenal of mountain bike experience. She recently wrote that she is more prepared for Leadville than she was last year, and she is no doubt ready to prove herself. 

I’ll be driving up to Leadville on Thursday so be sure to subscribe to this newsletter for more Leadville content this week.