Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-road) won a hard-fought sixth consecutive title at Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik, having to come around New Zealand’s Matt Wilson (Scott Sports USA-Shimano) in a two-rider sprint. The pair, who moved away from a four-rider breakaway in the final three miles of the 102-mile race, finished in 5:20:26 on a revised course.
The sprint for third went to Bradyn Lange (Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing) ahead of John Gaston (STRAFE-Specialized), the US Gravel National Champion finishing 24 seconds back for the final podium spot.
Swenson and Gaston, who have gone one-two in the race three times before, grabbed a late lead across Carter Summit with 14 miles to go. A few miles later Lange and Wilson closed a 21-second gap to form the front quartet of elite men.
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With three miles to go, Wilson got out of the saddle on a wide dirt road for an attack. Swenson reacted, grabbing his wheel as the two struck out together. A steady grind from Gaston and Lange kept the gap to around 10 seconds, but they never got closer.
Back on the pavement in Leadville, Wilson had a half-wheel lead on the marathon mountain bike World Champion as they rode side by side. On the final stretch of Sixth Street, Swenson kicked late to the front and won Leadville for a sixth time, which now ties the record for wins set by US rider David Wiens (2003-2008).
Swenson’s last five victories came in dominant fashion, and the 2026 race was the first time the Specialized rider needed a sprint finish to win.
“It was a hard one today. Physically, it wasn’t like the hardest Leadville, until the very end when we started really ripping. But just such a different race, very tactical,” Swenson said on the Life Time Grand Prix livestream at the finish.
“I wasn’t quite sure how big the group would be after Columbine on the way back. I had a small gap, but it wasn’t enough to stay away. So I figured it was best to wait for those guys and then just roll with them and try and figure it out at the finish.”
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Swenson extended his lead in the Life Time Grand Prix with his victory, his first in the three races held so far in the off-road series. Lange moved up to second in the elite men’s series standings while Wilson moved into the top 10. Gaston is not part of the Grand Prix.
Chasers close down Swenson
Riders lined up in the dark before the sun cast any light into the Rocky Mountain town of Leadville and set off at 6:00 a.m. local time with cool temperatures, 41°F (5°C). The rains from earlier in the week had packed down dirt roads, and with light winds and sunny skies, the conditions were near perfect.
The modified 102-mile route brought a total of 9,897 feet (3,016 metres) of elevation gain, starting from the highest incorporated city in North America at 10,152 feet above sea level.
A large group of 20 riders pushed to the front on the early St Kevin’s double-track dirt. Another 18 riders bunched together 30 seconds back.
At the third time check, 38 miles in, the two groups reformed as one pack of 38 riders, with no major moves launched yet.
Passing the Twin Lakes Dam time check, with 38 miles covered, Drew Dillman rode at the front, with a group of 32 riders lined behind by 15-30 seconds. Another three miles as the road crept closer to the official base of Columbine, young New Zealander Matt Wilson, John Gaston, Keegan Swenson, Quinn Simmons, Bradyn Lange, Brendan Johnston and Andrew L’Esperance picked up the pace, creating a small gap to a dozen other riders.
As the clock clicked past two and a half hours, Swenson and Wilson had the dirt road to Columbine Mine all to themselves, for the time being. Making the right-hand bend onto the ‘goat trail’ section where the rocks get chunkier, and the doubletrack narrows, Swenson had a few bike lengths on Wilson, and slowly began to take more seconds. By the crest of Columbine and reversing direction for the return trip to Leadville, the World Champion had 20 seconds on Wilson.
Behind, Pellaud was the third rider to begin the return trip, with Gaston and Andreas Seewald along for company one minute behind Swenson. Cole Paton chased 10 seconds behind that trio, with Lange and Johnston forming a duo two minutes from the leader. Toby Røed and Simmons were next in line in the chase, 1:50 behind the five-time champion, with Payson McElveen a minute behind them.
On the rough descent back on the goat trail section of Columbine, Swenson blasted along the trail all alone, only seeing a few riders pass to his left as they began their ascent.
However, at the base of Columbine, passing the Lost Canyon area with less than 45 miles to go, five riders had come together for the chase and were within 30 seconds of the leader – Lange, Wilson, Seewald, Paton and Gaston. Pellaud chased that group and had 14 seconds to wipe away his gap. Johnston rode in eighth place, 1:30 behind Pellaud, and it was another 2:45 to Røed and Simmons.
The catch of Swenson was made at the Twin Lakes area with under 37 miles to go, now a front group of seven, which included Pellaud.
Another 10 miles further, at a feed zone, Seewald slowed down to take his bottle and had to catch back into the lead group. The seven then went into action taking turns at the front, though Swenson seemed to be at the front with longer pulls.
With 15 miles to go on a pavement section, Swenson made an acceleration and only Gaston was able to match the pace, gaining a quick 10 seconds on Wilson, Lange, Pellaud and Seewald, with Paton fading. Pellaud then suffered a flat tyre was struggled to finish.
Across Carter Summit, the duo held a gap of 21 seconds to the group of four chasers, with less than 14 miles to go. A few miles on, after passing the former return on Powerline, a 12% gradient on the wooded section had the two headed to St. Kevin’s on the top side of Turquoise Lake.
The deal was not done, though, as Wilson and Lange drilled the chase on the St. Kevin’s dirt road and made a connection to the two leaders with just under 7 miles to go. Three US riders and one Kiwi then settled in for the battle for three podium spots.
Results
|
Place |
Full Name |
Diff |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Keegan Swenson |
05:20:26 |
|
2 |
Matthew Wilson |
— |
|
3 |
Bradyn Lange |
+0:00:24 |
|
4 |
John Gaston |
+0:00:25 |
|
5 |
Andreas Seewald |
+0:01:19 |
|
6 |
Cole Paton |
+0:05:00 |
|
7 |
Brendan Johnston |
+0:05:33 |
|
8 |
Torbjorn Andre Roed |
+0:08:47 |
|
9 |
Quinn Simmons |
+0:08:50 |
|
10 |
Payson Mcelveen |
+0:12:22 |