🇺🇸 Leadville 100 MTB: A Heartbreaking 12th Place After Riding for the Win

Hi everyone,

I won't hide it: this weekend was one of the biggest disappointments of my career.

Months of intense physical and mental preparation went into being ready to fight for the top spots at the Leadville 100, a truly unique and mythical event on the global MTB calendar raced at over 3,000 meters of altitude. The legs were there, the mind was there, but unfortunately, the luck was not.

The Zone & The Race
On race day, I found myself in that rare "tunnel of focus." It was one of those special days where you just know you are capable of doing something great. Everything went perfectly for 150 kilometers. I rode efficiently, pacing my race and my effort. I passed 3rd at the top of the monster climb of "Columbine" (50’ of climbing cresting over 3800m altitude) and stayed right in sight of Keegan Swenson, the current MTB Marathon World Champion.

The Heartbreak
After 5 hours of racing, entering the true finale of the race, we were a select lead group of only five riders at the bottom of the final descent of the day. The fight for the victory was going to be very interesting, pure instinct, and it felt like it was going to be my moment. And then, disaster struck: a severe puncture completely shattered my dreams of winning.

I lost more than 10 minutes trying to fix the issue and ultimately crossed the finish line in 12th place, in tears. It is incredibly tough to swallow when you do everything right to millimeter perfection and a mechanical incident out of your control takes it all away. Especially when it takes away your biggest goal of the season after many setbacks this year.

The Takeaway

However, once the initial heartbreak passes, I have to look at the bigger picture. My body responded well to the altitude, the form is world-class right now, and I proved that I can go toe-to-toe with the very best on one of the hardest MTB races on the planet. I want to sincerely thank you all my partners for the flawless equipment and support that got me to that winning position.

What’s next?

I am channeling all this frustration into motivation for the next battle.
Next stop is Gravel Worlds on August 22nd, here in the USA. I will be lining up with fire in my legs.

Thank you for standing by me, through the highs and the lows.

Ride the Line,