Competing on a Leadville Trail 100 course that was modified due to recent wildfires, Cole Paton and Brendan “Trekky” Johnston both took top 10 finishes to solidify their positions in the overall series standings.
With the iconic late-race Powerline climb cut from the route, race dynamics shifted, upping the pace and keeping larger groups together longer than usual.
Paton, the US mountain bike marathon champion, finished sixth (fifth among LTGP competitors) with a time of 5:25:25 — exactly five minutes behind race winner Keegan Swenson. Johnston finished seventh (sixth among LTGP competitors), with a time of 5:25:58.
Both men rode their Anthem Advanced SL race bikes with prototype CADEX mountain bike wheels.
“I had a good ride and was happy to be fighting at the front,” said Paton, who wore the new Giant Pursuit Mips helmet. “The level in the Life Time Grand Prix is so high, and for the first time, we had a strong lead group fighting for the win throughout the entire race. That made this one of the most aggressive and fastest Leadville races I’ve ever been a part of. I rode my Anthem Advanced SL with the prototype CADEX wheels, which were incredibly efficient and by far the best setup I’ve had for this race.”
Johnston, who chose to wear the new Giant Rev Pro helmet, finished 33 seconds behind Paton, having lost contact with the front group of contenders on the course’s arduous out-and-back Columbine climb that tops out near an abandoned mine at 12,600 feet (3,840 meters) above sea level.
“Seventh at Leadville is a solid result, but I definitely came away feeling like there was more there,” he said. “I was probably a little too gun shy and conservative on Columbine, choosing to ride my own pace rather than committing to the group at the front. Ultimately, that meant I had to ride almost the entire way home solo. I still had plenty in the tank and was able to make ground on the leaders, but never quite managed to close the gap.”
Johnston, who hails from New South Wales, Australia, said he is still figuring out what it takes to compete at the extreme altitude of the Leadville Trail 100.
“Racing at this altitude has been a huge challenge for me,” he said. “I’ve had very little exposure to it throughout my career, so learning how my body responds and how to race effectively [at high altitude] has taken a lot of work. I’m proud of the improvements I’ve made and to finally put together a strong Leadville performance.”
With three of six Life Time Grand Prix series events completed, Johnston sits tied for third overall at 62 points, while Paton is ranked 10th, with 48 points. Swenson leads the series with 84 points.
At Sea Otter Gravel, the first race of the series, Paton finished seventh while Johnston finished 14th. At Unbound Gravel, Johnston finished a career-best fourth while Paton, riding in support of Johnston, finished in 36th place.
Three events remain in the series — the Chequamegon MTB Festival (Wisconsin) in September, and the Little Sugar MTB and Big Sugar Gravel doubleheader (Arkansas) in October that closes out the series.
“It puts me in a great position heading into the second half of the series,” Johnston said. “There’s still plenty to race for.”