2024 Leadville Trail 100 MTB winner Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) relocated in early August to the two-mile-high Colorado town to acclimate and train for Saturday's race. The trip had been in doubt with wildfires still burning in the region and organisers scrambling to solidify permits for a modified route in time for the August 15 start.
"They could probably get creative [with a harder new route], but I just think it would be too challenging. I mean, this race is too big," Rollins told Cyclingnews about losing key sections at Powerline as well as Sugarloaf Mountain and Hagerman Pass Road.