For each of the past three years, Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz) has not just won Leadville 100 MTB, he has smashed records. Last year he stormed across the rocky, high-elevation terrain in his first sub-6-hour effort, finishing in 5:43:31 and crushing the record time by 15:06. These performances are not just about winning times, but the margins to major contenders.
Lachlan Morton (EF Education-EasyPost) was second to Swenson at Leadville in 2021, eight minutes off the winning pace. Swenson was 14:30 faster than second-placed John Gaston in 2022, and last year 14:29 faster than runner-up Alexey Vermeulen. Last year Morton recorded his personal best time at Leadville, 2:49 faster than 2021, but finished ninth and just over 33 minutes back of Swenson.
Other than just “cross the line in front of him”, Morton said it won’t be easy to knock Swenson from the top spot at Leadville since the race may be the toughest one on the calendar to match his dominance. “I'd say Leadville is probably the hardest race to compete with him. It's definitely very much a fitness test.
There's limited opportunities to invent a tactic where you can get an advantage over him,” the reigning Unbound Gravel 200 champion told Cyclingnews and several media last week during a Leadville pre-race virtual press conference. “I think it would take someone on a pretty special day, and probably Keegan on a not so special day, to beat him just wheel to wheel. You never know what can happen.
There's always th.